Thursday, Aug 4th Mission Trip Devotional
Our Personal Witness - Pastor Mike Love

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Get up and to towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it.' So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' He replied, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: 'Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before it's shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.'

The eunuch asked Philip, 'About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?' Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, 'Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?' He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. - Acts 8

Three things jump out of this scripture to me. First, Philip was moved by an angel of the Lord to come to the place where he would serve. Second, that place where Philip had to go in order to serve was a wilderness road. Third, the eunuch responds to Philip's question about whether there was understanding in what was being read, "How can I unless someone guides me?"

The Greek word that transliterates to the English word of angel actually means "messenger" in Greek. Philip was moved by a messenger of the Lord. As we go to serve it is often because we are moved by a messenger of the Lord. We relate the messenger's message as the Lord's message. And as we are moved, we are called to obedience.

In a Kingdom connected as God's Kingdom is connected, through people, it astounds me to think about all the different ways in which the Lord's message is provided. In this story about Philip's road to discipleship, we see that the means of the message is not as important as the obedience for which Philip observed. Very little is said about the means of the message. I think it must be that for the one witnessing this story, the outcome of the story is what is most important. The outcome is the result of a relationship between Philip and the eunuch.

Secondly, Philip finds himself on a wilderness road. How many times have we been obedient to the Lord only to find ourselves on a wilderness road? The road to discipleship, by it's very nature, takes us to places that our person has never gone (a little Star Trek humor). Growing in discipleship often takes us to new relationships with people and stiuations we don't know. And we are called to witness.

That brings us to the point. Philip has a witness. Each one of us who have answered the call to reationship with God, have a personal witness to profound things. The most profound thing is our own witness to his understanding of the scriptures. He witnesses in the course of their travel. On mission, we continue with the mission, but God provides the timing. The scripture says that they came to a stream and the eunuch asks the simple question, "What is to prevent me from being baptized?"

Obedience to walk a wilderness road equipped with your own personal witness is all God needs to use us as we go forth in our journey. Thank you for letting me journey with uo.

Prayer:
Creator God, you are always present and creating in glorious ways. You have sent us through your messenger to travel this wilderness road. Help us to trust and be obedient to your call and to always be ready to witness of our own personal encounters with you, the Living God. In our offering, use us as a vessel so that all may now of your redeeming and healing love. In the name of our precious Lord, Jesus, we pray.
Amen.