Part of the Club

It was last school year, and I was at the playground with the kids letting them work off some energy in the afternoon.  There were a few other moms there, and I started talking to one.  She brought up a few things about it being her first year there - she'd transferred her kids from a Christian school to ours - and it came up in conversation about kid's sports and the Upwards program.  Once she found out I went to a Christian church, she asked me if I was a believer and I said I was.  Her reaction kind of freaked me out, to be honest.  She grabbed me by the arm, and led me excitedly over to a couple other women and introduced me by name and told them I was a believer too!  It was a little strange, and I've never been able to quite figure out why she reacted that way...

Reading today about the church in Antioch kind of shed some light on that for me.  When Barnabas and Saul went to Antioch and taught the people there - it was the first time people were called Christians.  My study notes tell me that "the young church at Antioch was a curious mixture of Jews (who spoke Greek or Aramaic) and Gentiles (non-Jews who previously didn't worship God).  It is significant that this is the first place where the believers were called "Christians" (or "Christ-ones"), because all they had in common was Christ...not race, culture or even language.  Christ can cross all boundaries and unify all people."

So that's what got me thinking about that lady on the school playground...it wasn't that she was some crazy person after all.  Although I was weirded out by her reaction...she was just really excited to know she had found a connection to other believers in a school full of unknown faith.  She was probably feeling very alone at a new school and when she found the one thing that united us (being believers), she latched onto me and knew we were both part of the same club.

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.

Choice for Today

Yesterday, our pastor at church said "You're as close to God today as you choose to be."

I've been running that phrase through my mind all day, thinking about where I'm at in my relationship with God.  Just thought I'd share in case it makes you think about yours too...