December 2, 2020

“Philip proceeded to tell him the Good News about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.” – Acts 8:35

In Acts chapter 8 we find a story about an Ethiopian who is reading a passage from Isaiah 53. Philip hears him reading and asks him if he understands it. The Ethiopian responds by saying, “how can I understand it unless someone explains it?” Philip was most likely a Hebrew and he had heard the Scriptures since the time he was little. The Ethiopian, however, was not familiar with the meaning of these prophecies. One of the great things about this story is that Philip does not begin with an assumption that the man already knows the Scripture. Philip begins with that Biblical passage and then goes on to tell him the story about Jesus. And we know this story is told in Philip’s own words and through his own experiences because he did not have access to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John like we do today.

I have recently discovered that only about 10% of the population in America learn best through reading books. The vast majority of us are oral learners. As we walk in our world today, we cannot live under the assumption that the people around us have read and understand the Bible. We need to look for opportunities to speak with them and we need to be ready to share the story of Jesus through not only our knowledge of the Scripture, but through our own experiences with him. God uses his people to tell his story. How can people put their faith in Jesus if they don’t know who he truly is? And how can they know who he truly is if they’ve never heard about him? And how can they hear if no one has ever told them the story? (Romans 10:14) Brothers and sisters, it is our job to tell that story.

Lord, help us delve deep into your Scriptures while looking just as deeply at how you have worked in our lives. Then use what we have gleaned from that endeavor to make us storytellers for the Kingdom.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon