Blog

We’ve just had two consecutive weeks of baptism ceremonies at Island ECC and we’re going to have one more next week! That’s how much a typhoon can change our schedules.

We love Baptism Sunday at our church. It’s always so encouraging to see people share their life changing stories and then go in the water to boldly declare their faith in Christ. What always interests me about their stories are the little details. The small and seemingly insignificant moments that happen in a person’s life that point them to God. It could be a book, conversation, or small interaction between two friends or strangers. These little things can have a tremendous impact on people’s lives.

I’ve been studying the book of Acts over the last couple of months and something jumped out at me in the story about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. It’s a very brief encounter between these two but there’s so much for us to learn from this interaction.

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?”… 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 baptised?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him. — Acts 8:26-38

Everything in this episode hinges on one moment. In one flash of an instant, Philip has a choice. When the Spirit says to him to go join the chariot, he could have said no. He could have ignored this prompting. But he didn’t. He ran over to the eunuch and shared the good news of Christ with him. And upon hearing this news, the eunuch believed and immediately wanted to be baptized.

Isn’t that wonderful?

Just a quick conversation changed a life.

Saved a life.

How many times during the day do you sense the Spirit directing you to do something? If you’re hearing it, do you respond? If you’re not hearing it, are you listening?

Today, be open to what God would impress upon you by the Spirit. It could be anything. Giving up your seat on the MTR; opening the door for someone; saying hello; helping someone with a task; inviting someone to church; or… starting a conversation that could eventually lead to someone’s baptism!