SUNDAY SERVICE
28th April 2024

Divine Meetings

I’m sure all of us have bumped into people in the street or in a shop or a coffee shop and it has been just the right time. A conversation has flowed, we have listened or they have listened to us and something good comes out of it. Our scene in Acts is a rather spectacular version of a divinely appointed meeting. Philip was one of the seven chosen by the Apostles to help in the practical care of those in need in the first church. The Seven were described as being ‘full of the Spirit and wisdom’ (Acts 6:3ff). Philip also seems to have been given the gift of being an evangelist. In this remarkable event, an Angel of the Lord indicated to Philip that he was about to undertake a journey. The distance from Jerusalem to Gaza is only around 30 miles. We are not told exactly where Philip caught up with the Ethiopian but the Holy Spirit said to Philip “Go up to that chariot and stay near it.” As he drew alongside, probably running at quite a pace, he heard the Ethiopian reading a passage from Isaiah 53. [“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ³³ In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”]

A conversation ensued and Philip was bold enough to suggest that the passage that the man was reading out loud referred to the events in Jerusalem only a few weeks earlier. Jesus himself had indicated that these verses applied to the way in which he was going to be rejected (Matthew 8). Clearly God opened the mind and the heart of the Ethiopian to understand and receive the good news that Philip had brought to him. He was converted and baptized.

For an evangelist like Philip having a conversation like that must have been a wonderful encouragement. It was (to coin a phrase) ‘a John 15’ moment. The Ethiopian was like a ripe fruit ready for the picking and Philip recognized this.

It was also significant for the early Church. For Philip’s encounter closely followed by Paul’s conversion followed by Peter’s meeting with Cornelius were key moments in the early church’s engagement with Gentiles.

Philip was obedient to the Angel’s command – the Ethiopian Eunuch was clearly a God-fearer. He could never be a convert to Judaism because he had been castrated, but none of this put Philip off. He must have realized that God had already been working in this man’s life and that all he had to do was explain who Isaiah was referring to.  But the book of Acts then goes on to say that an even more remarkable thing happened to Philip afterwards. As soon as the man had been baptized, the Spirit took Philip away and put him down in a town some 15 miles distant, called Azotus (formerly known as Ashdod, the city of the Philistines). That Philip was taken away didn’t seem to faze the Ethiopian at all. He was so overwhelmed with thanks to God for his conversion that the small matter of Philip disappearing supernaturally only enhanced his new-found faith. We read that he went on his way, rejoicing and it seems fairly likely that it was him who went on to be the founding Father for the Ethiopian Church which is one of the oldest churches in Christendom and is still flourishing today. And what of Philip? We read that he carried on his preaching ministry and finally settled in Caesarea, where he married and had four daughters who were all given the gift of prophesy and who were highly esteemed in the churches for their faith in Jesus Christ.

How this story might encourage us today?

There is no doubt that the amazing miracles wrought by the early disciples who had been filled by the Holy Spirit contributed greatly to the expansion of the early church. People were hungry for God and miracles came alongside the preaching of God’s word. At the same time Acts records that the church went through many difficulties, the message was not always received with joy. Vested interests were threatened. Christians such as Stephen whom Philip knew well, lost their lives.

It is true that we have often not helped the gospel make headway because too often our actions do not match our words. To ‘love our neighbour as ourselves’ is a much more difficult thing to live out that we might at first imagine. But it is not impossible. To live a life that makes a real difference to others means I believe that we start by asking God for guidance and instead of always only thinking of ourselves and our own plans, we need to ask God what is on his heart.

Maybe a prayer we could use at the start of each day is: ‘Take me Lord to those whom you would want me to meet – and give me courage to listen and speak as you lead me’.

For those of us who struggle to get out of our homes except on rare occasions – maybe we should ask God to bring to mind those for whom we can pray. We might also ask God for guidance on whom to pray for when we listen to the news on the radio or watch it on the television. Never forget that the simplest prayers are the most effective. ‘Lord, bless and guide X today. Draw them to your light.’

Who knows what might come of the church realising that even today the Spirit wants to nudge us into making that telephone call or making a visit to someone when that person comes into our mind. I do believe that if we as individual Christians and Christian communities took seriously our Lord’s challenge to listen out for his voice then we would experience many more divinely appointed meetings. Although some may reject our message (and we must be ready for that), we might just also find that our friends are receptive and come to faith. Nothing pleases the heart of God more than someone coming to faith in Jesus Christ and not only God – the Angels in heaven too will then have a proper excuse for a party! Every blessing, Peter