Do You Understand What You're Reading?

Acts 8:30-31 "...Do you understand what you're reading? Philip asked.  How can I, he said, unless someone explains it to me?..."

I often wonder that myself when I'm reading my Bible.  There's no way I could get what I do out of it without having someone explain it to me.  For me, having a Life Application Study Bible is the only way to get more out of the daily readings and not let this challenge fade into something I check off on my "to do" list each morning. 

Here's an example. 
So...after Philip shared the Gospel with the Ethiopian man, they were traveling along the road and when they came to some water he asked Philip why he shouldn't be baptized.  My Bible (NIV) actually skips from verse 36 right to verse 38.  It's only when I look at the footnotes that I see verse 37 which says "Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.'  The eunuch answered, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."   After that Philip baptized him.

Baptism is a sign of identification with Christ and with the Christian community.  Even though Philip was his only witness, it was still an important step for the Ethiopian man.  Back in chapter 2:38 Peter says "...Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."  When we turn from our sin (repent) and change the direction of our lives from following our own selfish desires...we turn to Christ in understanding that we cannot save ourselves and rely on Him for forgiveness, leadership, and purpose.  Being baptized in the name of Christ is a sign of our faith and is a condition of discipleship...an outward sign of commitment that is accompanied by an inward change.

Without my notes/study guide, I wouldn't have been able to put all that together.  Also, I wouldn't have been able to figure out why it was so important for us to know that this random Ethiopian on a dirt road heard the Gospel and was baptized.  Turns out, because Philip was obedient, the Gospel was shared with with the man in charge of the treasury in Ethiopia...and Christianity was brought into the power structures of another government.  This was the beginning of the witness "to the ends of the earth" (1:8).  Isaiah 56 talks about this too, and I learned that eunuchs and foreigners were often excluded from worship...so for Philip to go an talk to the Ethiopian eunuch - that was a big deal back then.