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Study Insights of Philip the evangelist and Ananias
by Bobby Bruno Philip the Evangelist Philip kept himself available to the Holy Spirit and quickly responded when he was told to go and talk to the eunuch travelling in a chariot many miles away (Acts 8:26-39). When Philip found that the eunuch was studying the Scriptures, he was amazed that God had already done the work in this eunuch's heart. All Philip had to do was explain to the eunuch what it was he was reading and what it meant for his life. May we all be as excited and available as Philip had been after the eunuch accepted Jesus, because on his way back from the encounter with the eunuch, Philip preached the gospel to all the towns he walked back through gaining many more souls for Christ through his words (Acts 8:40). Philip loved Jesus more than anything else in his life. Philip knew that he was a servant of his Master, Jesus. Philip went to do as the Spirit said even before the voice of the Spirit had left his ears, and he ran the whole way for as long as it took to meet the person the Spirit was sending him to. Philip's zeal was great for the Lord and knew no boundaries and no limits. He gave his all to Jesus and never held back. I could see Philip running to the eunuch one hundred miles away and not even stopping to eat or drink until he got to his destination because his zeal was that great for showing others the life-giving forgiveness of Jesus Christ. I pray that we all can admit that we haven't developed this zeal to its maximum in our own lives, including mine. I pray that we will all allow the Spirit to use everything we have to do the work that Jesus has sent us out to do. Let's open our hands and our hearts to Jesus so that He may put in them the excitement that He feels for the lost and struggling of this broken world. Ananias Ananias the man for the moment. Even if this was the only time Ananias obeyed the Lord, it was a big one. If Ananias had said "no" to the Spirit would Saul have continued on to become the Apostle Paul? Yes, Ananias did question the Spirit about going to the killer of many of Ananias' brothers and sisters in the Lord, but the Spirit convinced Ananias that things were about to change in the life of Saul, which would have a direct impact on all of his present and future brothers and sisters in the Lord. I like that we can question God when we don't understand something that He is telling us. God likes our questions and will answer only those ones that He needs to that will help us to be obedient to Him. But, in the end, God wants us to obey Him no matter what questions we have, or what we feel about the person He is sending us to. If Ananias refused to go to Saul, did God have another person in mind to do His bidding in this matter, or was Ananias it. Thankfully we will never know because Ananias stepped up to the plate, went to his enemy, and showed him what being a follower of Christ was all about. May we always obey the Sprit and go where He tells us to. Who knows: the next Billy Graham may be the person the Sprit sends us to for life and salvation. Bobby Bruno was saved 15 years ago in a way that left him no doubt that Jesus wanted him to reach others with His great and abounding love. He started writing at the age of 12 and hasn't stopped since. He achieved Associates Degree in Biblical Studies from Ohio Christian University in early 2014. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |