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