The Holy Apostle James, Brother of Saint John the Theologian (c. 44)
Read
Acts 8:26-39; Acts 12:1-11
John 6:40-44; Luke 5:1-11
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Think of a time in your life when you were struggling to understand something. Maybe it was some difficult mathematical concept in school or some challenging skill at work. You sat there, trying to figure it out, but could not get it. Then, a friend or a colleague came by, noticed your struggle, and explained it to you in a way that clicked in your mind. Suddenly, you got it! You understood! And, I imagine, you were very grateful to that friend or colleague.
Something like this happens to the eunuch in today’s epistle reading. But it is not a school or work issue. Instead, it was about his salvation! Just imagine his thrill at finally understanding the prophecy he was reading, and that it was about Christ. He gladly accepted baptism and salvation, and ‘went on his way rejoicing’.
There are lots of people around us who are in a situation like the eunuch. They probably are not combing through the Old Testament, but they are seeking for something spiritually. They have some idea that there is something beyond the visible world, they may even believe in God. They are open to the salvation that Christ offers. But they do not yet know Christ. We have an opportunity to be the Philip in their lives.
But, in order to be this Philip, there are two major requirements, both of which Philip demonstrates. First, he follows the word of the Lord. When the angel told Philip to go, he went. When the Spirit told Philip to catch up to the chariot, he caught up to the chariot. When the Lord moves us in our heart to act, or to speak to someone, even if we do not understand why, then we should follow that voice. Did Philip know what was going to happen? Likely not—there is no indication that he did. But he did, and that resulted in this eunuch’s salvation.
Second, we need to know our faith and be able to give an account of our faith at any time. An atheist will have a question about the existence of God. A ‘spiritual but not religious’ person will have a question as to why Jesus is any more special than Muhammad or Buddha. A Jehovah’s Witness, who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, will claim that Jesus is not consubstantial with the Father. We will encounter all these people. We need to know our faith in order to explain it regardless of the circumstances.
Both of these requirements, to follow the word of the Lord and to be able to give an account of our faith at any time, require us to have a meaningful prayer life and regular study of our faith. Our prayer does not need to long and complicated, and our study does not need to be high-level and academic. But they both need to be meaningful and enriching. Take a moment to reflect on how you can make your prayer a little bit deeper and how you can learn about your faith a little bit more effectively.
If you do this, you will be a step closer towards being the Philip to the eunuch that God will place before you.