Celebrating the Miracle of Life Change!
“As they traveled down the road, they came to a place where there was some water,
and the official said, ‘Here is some water. What is to keep me from being baptized?’
Philip said to him, ‘You may be baptized if you believe with all your heart.’
‘I do,’ he answered, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’”
Acts 8:36-37 (TEV)
The Book of Acts is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It is full of miracles as the Holy Spirit moved on the hearts of people, radically transforming their lives! Here’s such a story of life change. It began with an official from the government of Ethiopia coming to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple in a quest for God. But he left as empty as he came. On the road through Gaza, as he was returning home, he was reading from the scroll of Isaiah continuing his search for God. Recognizing his honest quest, God spoke to one of His available servants, Philip. He told him to go and meet this official. Philip caught up with the caravan as they were en route back to Ethiopia.
Immediately, Philip noticed that the official was reading the scroll of Isaiah, so he asked the man if he understood what he was reading. The official invited Philip to join him in his chariot and explain what the prophet was speaking about. It was the most powerful Messianic prophecy in Isaiah, found in Isaiah 53.
God was at work in the heart of this official, and He honored this man’s honest search for truth as He always will. Philip began at that very passage and explained to him all about Jesus. The official’s response was immediate! Look what happens. “Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’" Acts 8:36 (NKJV)
I love it! There was no hesitation in this man’s faith and obedience! He wasn’t waiting to be baptized. He wanted to make a public profession that he was now a Christ follower to his entire caravan of servants traveling with him! Listen to his confession of faith. “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Vs. 37)
The Bible records what happened next in verse 38. “So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.”
Perhaps, like this leading Government Official from Ethiopia, you, too, have pursued an honest quest for God. You tried religion, and nothing changed. Your heart was as empty when you left as it was when you entered the church or temple. It’s not about religion. It’s all about a relationship that is intimate and personal between you and God. You can have that same fulfilling relationship through Jesus Christ, just as this man did! Jesus died and rose again for you as well! When you receive Him by faith, simply confessing as this man did, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” then you can experience His life-transforming power!
When you do, you won’t hesitate to take the next step of obedience, identifying with Christ in baptism. That’s what happened last year at Super Summer Baptism for a man named Roger, who said, “I grew up very religious and even went to a Christian High School. I followed all the teachings trying my best to live a perfect life, but I lived in fear more than celebrating God’s grace. The guilt of sinning was tossed on me like a 500-pound brick and it was impossible to live up to those standards and be human, so I felt mostly like a failure.” Like so many, Roger had only experienced religion with all its demands and rules. What he needed most was a personal love relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. He said, “Through all of this, what I realized the most was I truly wanted Christ in my life, a relationship formed in love and forgiveness versus driven by fear and guilt. … After I was able to fully embrace the grace of God, it has allowed me to have a relationship of love and acceptance versus fear and guilt. Christ, for me, has been a release of those burdens and brought a sense of peace even through hard times when clarity and understanding were not present. … When the day came for Super Summer Baptism, I think I was the most nervous as I had never been baptized. It was one of the most blessed days of my early life! My two granddaughters were baptized with me! It was an overwhelming feeling of emotion!”
If you’ve taken that step, you know how refreshing it was to enter the water as a symbol of Christ’s death for you and come up out of the water with a vivid reminder of the risen Christ who indwells in you now by faith!
What a powerful picture of your connection with Christ! If you haven’t been baptized, I challenge you to take that step of obedience this weekend. If you’re in the Houston area, join us for our Super Summer Baptism Celebration at a Woodlands Church campus near you following every service. You can register now. When you do, check out the video of last year’s Super Summer Baptism and celebrate the miracle of life change with us!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.