“Bible Text“
Reference

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NOVEMBER 18, 2024

 

This week, we continue following the early church on the mission Jesus imparted in His final words before His ascension.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8

Note how Jesus describes this mission. First, the believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work. Second, the mission involves being Jesus’ witnesses. Those who know Jesus are to tell what they know about Jesus to those who do not know Him. Finally, the witnesses start where they are, expand to the surrounding area, and continue to the ends of the earth.

By the time we come to this week’s passage, the Spirit has already come upon the early believers. Jesus’ followers have boldly witnessed about Him in Jerusalem, and were jailed, flogged, and even killed by the religious establishment because of their message. Great persecution in Jerusalem scatters the followers of Jesus to Judea and Samaria, and the mission expands to the very places Jesus told them to go.

Let’s read this week’s passage together, noting how it fulfills the mission Jesus established:

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with 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 before its shearer is silent,

    so he opens not his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

    Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth.’

And the eunuch said to Philip, ‘About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?’ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.”
Acts 8:26-40

What a great example of the mission going forth to new places in the power of the Spirit! In the coming days, we will take a closer look at a specific witness who reaches a specific seeker with the good news about Jesus. Today let’s praise Jesus that His mission, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit, carried out by human witnesses, has continued to this day and reached each of us!

 

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • How does this story follow the mission Jesus gave?
  • In what ways did Jesus’ followers carry out His mission in the book of Acts?
  • In what ways have Jesus’ followers carried out this mission over the last 2,000 years?
  • How did this mission reach you?

 

Church Reading Plan: Amos 7; Luke 2