WALKING IN THE LIGHT AND REJOICING
Our brother has referred to walking in the light. There is no mention of the light in this scripture, but I can assure you that this eunuch had light in his soul when he went on his way that he never had when he left the palace of the Ethiopian queen. The moral way that he came into it was through the Scriptures; Philip used the Scriptures to enlighten him. The eunuch had been reading the letter of Scripture, but he did not get the import of what the scripture in Isaiah 53 was saying until Philip opened it up to him.
That can happen in the meeting for ministry. We were referring on Lord’s day to the importance of prophetic speaking, when a word is spoken about a scripture that has been read. A certain scripture comes into a brother’s mind, and he opens it up, and you get an impression that you have never had before. It is a great thing to know the Scriptures. We have examples of persons here who studied the Scriptures when they were young. It is a great thing when you are young to memorise the Scriptures, then you are able to bring in a scripture when you are speaking to someone, as Philip was here.
It says, “Philip … beginning from that scripture, announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him. And as they went along the way, they came upon a certain water”. The eunuch had been converted by Philip’s preaching, and he says, “what hinders my being baptised? … And they went down both to the water, both Philip and the eunuch”. Imagine these two men going down into the water together. When they came up out of the water, that eunuch was walking in life, as I am trying to bring out. When he was baptised, when he came up out of the water, what the eunuch had been previously was in principle left behind in the water. That is an important thing. I remember our brother James Taylor Senior saying years ago after being at the baptism of a child, that the water was carried out afterwards almost as if it was a dead body 3. You can see the principle in that.
So the eunuch was a different person altogether. He saw Philip no longer, but what a testimony he would render when he went back to the palace of the queen Candace! He would be a different person; he would have something in his soul that he did not have when he left the palace. He would go back there; what life would be in him when he went back there! Philip had done his job, had done the service that the Spirit of God had told him to do. The eunuch saw Philip no longer; now he could stand on his own two feet. He would be a light bearer, and it says that “he went on his way rejoicing”. I remember Mr Deck saying that it was an evidence that he had the Spirit. It is wonderful to see that. Something had come into that man’s soul and he went on his way rejoicing.
Well, beloved brethren, that was the simple impression I had, and I trust that we will be encouraged. We want to be bright believers, believers who are rejoicing, believers who “appear as lights in the world”, Phil.2:15. May the Lord bless this simple word.
Word in a meeting for ministry, Calgary
6 November 2019
Robert Gray