Eastertide
April 27, 2015
Scripture Reading: Acts 8:26-40
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.) So 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 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. –Acts 8:26-31
What does it mean to make disciples? Merriam Webster describes a disciple as one who receives instruction from another: one who accepts the doctrines of another and assists in spreading or implementing them.* Visions of altar calls and mass baptism may come to mind when thinking about making disciples. It even seemed at times that churches competed with each other to see who could get the most. While confessions of faith and baptism play an important role in the development of a follower of Christ, it is an ongoing and lifetime process for all of us. While we are responsible for making disciples we are continuing to grow as disciples ourselves.
Philips experience with the Ethiopian is a great example of this process. First, we have the story of his being led by God to go out into the world where he could encounter someone who was not a disciple but was open to learning a new way. Where do we meet new people? Where do we find people who hunger for something more to their lives but may not know exactly what it is? Where do we find people who were perhaps raised in the church but have drifted away?
Second, Philip had the courage to approach the traveler. This man was apparently a practicing Jew for he was returning home from worshiping in Jerusalem. Philip heard him reading from Isaiah, which provided Philip and entry into a conversation. The two shared a common background that made the contact more meaningful. Philips was then invited, given permission, to share his thoughts and understandings.
We can all learn from Philips’ example of making disciples. I wouldn’t be surprised, if we could talk to Philip today, he would tell us that he became a better disciple because of the same discussion.
Prayer: Lord, open our lives to exchanges with people that help them become or grow as your disciples as they help us grow as your disciples. Amen.
*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/Disciple
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.