Friday, 18 January 2013

He preached Jesus


Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. – Acts 8.35


When Philip approached the chariot he found the eunuch reading from Isaiah 53. 'Do you know what you are reading?' Philip asked the man. 'How am I supposed to understand this unless someone teaches me?' the eunuch replied.

So Philip opened his mouth...and beginning there in Isaiah 53...he preached Jesus to the eunuch.'

Think about what he didn't preach. He didn't preach about the Law. He didn't preach about the difference between Judaism and Christianity  He didn't talk about any Ethiopian religions and try to reason through that. He just preached Jesus.

And what a passage to start with!

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth. "

Philip didn't mess around. He drove right to the point. He told how the ‘lamb led to the slaughter’ was Jesus. That verse speaks of Jesus’ willing sacrifice. Philip told the eunuch that Jesus died for His sins.

And we know from the following verses that the eunuch was saved.

My problem is that when I talk to someone, with every intention to share Christ, I get distracted with all the pleasantries, I far too often get distracted and never get around to the meat of the issue. I miss the chance to preach Jesus.

With all of the books and seminars and webinars and websites and all of that to tell us how to be a witness might we be better off just to do what Philip did? Might we be better off to just start where they are and preach Jesus? 

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