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He
Went On His Way Rejoicing By
Kent Heaton Now
when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away,
so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts
8:39). The
Ethiopian is amazed as Philip unravels the mysteries of Isaiah and shows through
the “Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44) the promise
of the Messiah and His coming. Like Peter on the day of Pentecost, he tells the
story of “Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God … by miracles, wonders,
and signs which God did through Him … Him, being delivered by the determined
purpose and foreknowledge of God, [was] taken by lawless hands, [was] crucified,
and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:22-24). The
preacher describes the work of Jesus, His teaching and His commission to others
to carry out the message of salvation. As the eunuch listened his heart burned
within him and Philip opened the Scriptures to him (Luke 24:32). Finally they
came to some water and the Ethiopian says, "’See, here is water. what
hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all
your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both
Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him” (Acts
8:36-38). The
eunuch went on his way rejoicing because his thirst for knowledge had been
filled by the “Bible study in the chariot.” He thrilled to hear the story of
Jesus and how the Son of God was raised from the dead. The preaching of Philip
helped him understand more clearly the eternal purpose of God (Ephesians
1:3-12). As a sinful man in need of grace Philip shows the eunuch the rich mercy
and grace of the Father (Ephesians 2:1-10). The blood of Christ stained upon Rejoicing
came after the eunuch understood the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus
(Romans 6:3-9). He did not rejoice before he was baptized because his sins were
not washed away yet. He rejoiced after they came up out of the water because he
knew then his sins were washed away (Acts 22:16). What a great trip that was to The
gospel of salvation brings about joy. “And there was great joy in that city”
(Acts 8:8). The eunuch had found the Savior. He rejoiced in the hope of the good
news of salvation for the cleansing of his sins. Rejoice comes from the idea of
“taking possession of.” He embraced his salvation with the grace of God and
he took full possession of it during his ride home – and I suspect for the
rest of his life. What
a wonderful story of the good news of God’s love to mankind. Through His Son
we can rejoice in our obedience to the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
& Why
Some Don’t Believe #6 By
Bill Walton Some
people do not believe in God, Christ, and the Bible because of the false
doctrines that are taught in the name of Christianity. The
apostle John tells us of a time during the personal ministry of Jesus when many
of His disciples turned away from Him because they misunderstood Him to teach
some things that were absurd and grotesque (John 6:60-66). And undoubtedly there
are many people today who refuse to believe in the God of the Bible because of
some of the absurd and grotesque doctrines that are falsely attributed to Him. The
doctrines of John Calvin have been particularly hurtful to the cause of Christ.
Calvin’s doctrine of inherited depravity and his doctrine of unconditional
salvation and damnation are still taught by some of the Protestant
denominations. Many people mistakenly believe these doctrines are taught in the
Bible. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth (Ezek. 18:20-28; Acts
10:34, 35). Then
again, some people do not believe in God, and Christ, and the Bible because of
the atrocities that have been committed in the name of Christianity. Some people
foolishly and illogically blame God for the atrocities committed in the name of
Christ by false-Christians. The Crusades, Inquisition, and the Again,
some people do not believe because they have given in to their emotions. Some
tragedy in their lives has turned them against God, and because they are angry
with God they deny Him. Job’s wife, in the Old Testament, was like that. When
Job lost practically everything he had and was afflicted with boils from the top
of his head to the sole of his feet, his wife told him he ought to curse God and
die (Job. 2:9). Many
people have reacted to their suffering, or the suffering of their loved ones, by
denying the God who would allow them to suffer. But we would all do well to
imitate the wisdom and faith of Job (Job 1:20-22) and of David (Psalm 34:17-19). There
are many reasons for unbelief. But none will be of any comfort in the Day of
Judgment. &
“Her
Seed” By
Bob Myhan The
first prophetic utterance of which this writer is aware was that spoken by God
to the serpent, on the day Adam and Eve sinned. He told him, “I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Gen.
3:15) Three
specific individuals are identified in this prophecy—the
serpent, the woman and the woman’s Seed. “Her Seed” is singular; it is the
only possible noun to which “He” can refer back. Thus, “her Seed” would
bruise the serpent’s head and the serpent, himself, would bruise the heel of
“her Seed.” Though
every person ever born would be a descendant of the woman, only one person can
legitimately be called “her Seed.”
But
when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the law (Gal.
4:4). Having been born of a virgin, Jesus was (and still is) uniquely “her Seed.” & |