Jump Start # 1645

Acts 8:39 “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.”

Our verse today is found at the conclusion of the Ethiopian’s conversion to Christ. His questions were answered. He learned about Jesus. He understood what he had to do to become a Christian. He was baptized and he and Philip parted. Our verse ends, “but he went on his way rejoicing.”

That is an aspect that we sometimes forget about. This week I have been writing about some tough issues within the church. Sometimes we do not always put forward our best. We make mistakes. Sometimes we let people down. We are not perfect. We get blamed, and sometimes we deserve it. But, it’s great being a Christian. Don’t ever forget that.

This world seems to be spinning more and more out of control. We live in scary times. Lives can end suddenly, as what took place in France yesterday. There are things that we do not understand. We live in times where people hate us because of our freedoms and because of our beliefs. There is every reason to cower in fear and fill our hearts with worry. But we don’t. We won’t.

It’s great being a Christian. I went to the funeral home yesterday of a sweet woman who was a Christian. She was a school principle. She was the wife of a preacher. Her journey here ended way too soon. She touched many lives. What made that day was knowing that she was a believer who walked with the Lord. She’s fine. The Lord has her and she will be safe. She has left incredible footprints for her family and friends to follow. Those that do not understand, view death as a loss. It’s tragic. It’s so sad. Not so, for believers. It’s great being a Christian. The best just begins at death. It’s not over. It’s just starting.

It’s great being a Christian because I can talk to my Lord today. I don’t have to wait. I don’t have to make an appointment. He’s always there and He wants me to talk to Him.

It’s great being a Christian because later today I get to sit down with another Christian and talk about the Bible. Two believers sharing thoughts together about God’s holy word. That’s amazing.

It’s great being a Christian because Sunday is coming and I will get to be with my church family and we will sing and pray and talk about God’s word. It will be awesome to see a full church building. It will be great  to see smiling faces and get hugs. It will be great to be encouraged and helped. I wish it were today!

It’s great being a Christian because I know that there is an incredible group of shepherds who are doing their best to help me get to Heaven. They love me and all the church family. They work hard to help us get along and smooth out the bumps in our spiritual journey. It’s great to know that I have help and I’m not in this all by myself.

It’s great being a Christian because I am connected to the greatest people on earth. I have friends world wide who love the Lord and walk with Him every day. I have a network of incredible friends who want me to go to Heaven. They are such a blessing in my life. I wouldn’t know these people if I wasn’t a Christian.

It’s great being a Christian because I know that I belong to God. I am His child. He is watching out for me and I want to honor and glorify Him. Many choices that some folks are on the fence about, I’m not, because I am a Christian. My path is clear. I have a purpose and because of the Lord I can make a difference in the lives of others.

It’s great being a Christian because everywhere I go, the Lord is with me. I am never alone. I don’t have to figure everything out. I don’t have to be burdened with the troubles that life presents. I trust the Lord. He’s proven to be good.

It’s great being a Christian because I now understand what really matters. I don’t have to chase wealth, be first or try to always stand on top. Those things do not matter. Walking with God is what is important. What God wants is what I want. What a difference that makes in life. Things are calmer. Things are less stressful. Getting to Heaven is what it’s all about.

It’s great being a Christian because it means that I am loved by God and I am forgiven by Him. I’m not perfect. He knows that and I know that. That doesn’t hurt our relationship. My heart wants to be with Him. I know Him. I trust Him. I believe Him. I wouldn’t change this for anything.

It’s great being a Christian.

Have you forgotten that?

Roger

Jump Start # 662

Acts 8:39 “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.”

Our passage today is taken from the conversion of the eunuch from Ethiopia. Great story. Courageous. Encouraging. The Ethiopian had many things going against him. He was a long way from home—the distance between Ethiopia and Jerusalem is huge, especially when traveling by chariot. He had a physical handicap. He was a eunuch which meant he was unable to have sexual relationships. Some were born that way. Some were made that way when captured by a foreign armies. Some were made that way when placed in the service of queens. It was a way of protecting the queen. He also had a very prominent job. He was the queen’s treasurer. This would put him in circles of prominent people, important meetings and national budgets. He would have been a busy person.

The Ethiopian also had something going for him. He believed in God. He had traveled to Jerusalem to worship. He was on the way back home. He was reading Isaiah—which meant that he had a private copy, which would have been extremely rare in those days.

God pulled Philip away from preaching to the Samaritans to go meet the Ethiopian. He began telling him about Jesus. They passed some water. The Ethiopian wanted to be baptized. He confessed Christ and was immersed into Jesus Christ. These verses show us that baptism was an immersion, which the word itself truly means. They “went down into the water” and “they came up out of the water”. You don’t do that if baptism is sprinkling. You don’t need to get into water and out of water. These verses also show us that teaching Jesus leads to baptism. The two are connected. It is through baptism that one puts on Christ and receives the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

I want to look at the end of our verse, a simple statement. The Ethiopian “went on his way rejoicing.” Rejoicing because he was now a Christian. Rejoicing because Christ was His Lord. Rejoicing because he was forgiven. Rejoicing because he came to know Christ. Rejoicing because he was a Christian. It’s exciting to see hearts coming to Christ. They come realizing that they are not right but that Jesus will make them right. What a wonderful and happy occasion that is.

I have seen this taking place many times recently. It is so exciting. It is a time to rejoice. It is a time to remember that the pure words of Christ still work. It’s a time to remember that God hasn’t given up on us. Seeing people come to Christ is such a rich experience.

Rejoicing over spiritual things is missing in many lives. We rejoice to get a bonus check. We rejoice at weddings and births. We rejoice to have a day off. But spiritually? Certainly we should. Rejoice because God is good. Rejoice because righteousness is simply right.

Here is my rejoicing list:

• God hears my prayers, even when I haven’t talked to Him as often as I should.
• I can own my own copy of God’s word. That’s a given in this land. It’s not that way in all places.
• Sunday is such an amazing experience of praise, fellowship and encouragement.
• The church is made up of folks who love the Lord and each other.
• Having an incredible group of shepherds who truly shepherd.
• Being with a group people who love worship.
• Being forgiven by God
• Watching someone baptized

Do you have such a list? Have you thought about such things in a while? Rejoicing  in God. Paul reminded the Philippians to rejoice. We need to be told that. We tend to forget. Life can look dark and bleak. We can forget what we have in Christ. A few moments with the Bible, a quiet moment in prayer, a Sunday worship, can make the heart swell with joy. The Ethiopian went home rejoicing because of the Lord.

The word “gospel” means good news, and it is! It is good news because it tells us of Jesus. It is good news because it tells us of salvation. Good news does something to us. We love to hear good news. The soldier oversees comes home safely…the patient in ICU recovers and goes home…honor rolls…gold medals…all-star teams…weddings…another grandchild on the way…a soul comes to Christ. Good news! We ought to leave a Sunday worship not beaten down, not defeated, not dreary, but rejoicing. Good news has been given. Good news has come. Good news is a reason to rejoice. The gospel is the reason to rejoice.

Rejoicing leads to gratitude. A thankful heart is a rejoicing heart. These two are connected together.

Some go on their way. The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing. There is a difference. I hope you see it and more so, experience it. It is a wonderful thing.

Roger