Do You Understand?

Acts 8:29-31 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
 
IN faithful anticipation of God’s good work, Philip runs to the eunuch.  A true disciple represents the Lord’s will to those God has chosen. He knows what he must do. And he does so with joy.
   Yes, Philip has an advantage over most of us. God has spoken audibly and directly to him. How good it would be to have those explicit instructions each day! We could know and then go with absolute certainty, “This is God’s assignment today!”
   There are many examples of God doing this for his leaders, prophets and disciples. These specific instructions were to demonstrate to the Jews that God is very intentional to do his will as he says he will.
   The Spirit seldom tells us directly what to do. But God has taught us to live under Jesus’ commands. Consider his sermons. Understand his teachings. His will is that we be faithful, be salt, be light, be obedient, be sacrificial, be loving and more. We may often be uncertain of how we specifically fulfill these commands. But we do know what to do when we filter each circumstance through the Bible’s lessons.
   The apostles and evangelists had learned from Jesus, and  they lived for him. They had the advantage of seeing God’s remarkable work come upon Israel. There was nothing that kept the church from a joyful response to Jesus’ commands.
   The same must be true for each of us today. Very few of us have heard God speak audibly. None of us have touched the resurrected Jesus. No tongues of fire have come upon us. Still, we have the Spirit’s anointing us to faith. He opens God’s Word to you, so you can understand what you are reading. The apostle Paul prayed each member of Jesus’ church would personally understand the power of a glorious relationship with God: Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.
   God’s life power has not diminished since Pentecost. When we listen to his Word we will know enough to go where he is pointing us to go. With each step, our purpose will become more clear. Be as Philip. Eagerly run where the Spirit tells you to go.