Hey – Wanna learn another secret about God-chasing? Here’s today’s Holy Nougat
“As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.” Acts of the Apostles 8:36, 38 NLT
When you think about it, he was worse than Zacchaeus. He wasn’t just any Gentile; he was Ethiopian – neither an expat nor a migrant. In the Ethiopian queen’s direct employ. He was a complete stranger in a world that touted religious and cultural purity. Granted, he wasn’t a Roman, but those they had to live with – by law. This was a half-man by their standards, seeking to make sense of the Jewish Scriptures.
Under Torah, there was no room in the inn. But God’s Spirit and grace said differently.
Remember that it was God’s Spirit Who sent Philip to that ‘God-forsaken’ Gaza road? And God’s grace that allowed him to hear the heart cry of the eunuch rather than pass him by. God’s Spirit spoke to the eunuch’s heart and showed him their was scope to find room in the inn. God’s grace sent Philip as the kindly innkeeper-midwife to usher the eunuch into faith in Jesus Christ.
What happened next was pure passion of one who literally found himself. Yes, there is NO doubt that in Jesus, the eunuch found a place. Where his semi-person, Gentile state was not a deterrent to acceptance. His heart was full in a way that never happened prior. Brother man saw water and made his argument; as only a desperate person could.
‘Baptize me now!’ – let’s waste no time; I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to be. But right now I am an accepted son! I wonder if Philip balked at the prospect in his natural self. But, under the leading of God’s Spirit, Philip wasted no time. He baptized the half-man and the eunuch was transformed.
Now here is a thought – both the men were God-seekers, not just the eunuch. It must have taken a lot for Philip to say yes to God, having seen who God sent him. Some of us have been down that road – finding that God must’ve made a mistake in where or who God sent our way. But that’s also part of ministry. And, when like Philip, we open ourselves to all those possibilities/opportunities God sends our way … we’d be surprised to see how God transforms us. And we find not only God, but also ourselves in the process.
Others of us are that eunuch – trying to figure out how and where we belong. And it’s made us God chasers. We might not even have realized initially that that’s who we are, but God does. And God’s grace got room for us all. The condition – accept and believe. Even if we’re already ‘in the household of faith’. I guarantee, God loves people like us. God may not like our behavior all the time – hey, we might not always like our behavior. But that has little to do with God loving us. That’s why we chase after God – for in God, we belong! Just like the eunuch.
That next step is up to each of us.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
