Wednesday, April 28, 2010
By Dave Sonnenberg
One of the blessings in life is to have another person walk with us and show us the ropes. Someone who does this well does not view themselves as an expert but rather, a “fellow learner”. Phillip in the story today comes alongside the Ethiopian man who is seeking to understand scripture, but remains baffled. Philip comes up to him and simply inquires “how’s it going? Whatcha reading?” It is a very simple introductory comment but opens up to a lengthy conversation in which Phillip can share his understanding of faith. The door was opened by a simple question; a good question. That question led to the Ethipian growing in his faith and his desire to explore more. Philip was a great catalyst; a great spark.
Christianity is not always about having all the answers; it’s about asking good questions . Good questions open people up to conversation, soul searching , and encourages them to connect to others. Good questions are a catalyst on the journey of faith.
What are some of the good questions that have sparked you to explore your faith with more passion?
Acts 8: 26-40
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) 27So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ 31He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.’
34The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ 38He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
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