The Gospel to the African

Acts: The Gospel in the City PART XIII
Rev. Leo Schuster
03 March 2013

Acts 8:26-40
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."  27So he started out, on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.  This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.  29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.  "Do you understand what you are reading?"  Philip asked.

31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?"  So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his month.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."

34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or somoeone else?"  35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water.  Why shouldn't I be baptized?"  38And he gave orders to stop the chariot.  Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.  40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Philip - A Jewish man with a Greek background introduces an African to Jesus Christ.

Becomming and Being a Christian.
TRAVELLING SEEKER
--Eunuch travelled a long way to worship.
--Probably spiritually empty.
--Eunuchs not allowed in Jewish temples.
--Like him, we're all lost travellers.

MYSTERIOUS STORY
--Solving the mystery of the Bible and mystery of ourselves is found in Jesus Christ.
--Don't allow pride to keep you from asking others questions.

RENEWING SIGNS
--Baptism - washed and new.
--Baptism is a sign pointing to Jesus.
--The past defines us, but baptism allows us to fight back the past.