Title: Longing/Acts 8:26-40
Contents
Continue from last time.
From the eunuch in charge of the treasury of the Ethiopian queen Gandage who appears here, we can see how much he longs for the Word.
It can be said that those who long for the Word are truly blessed. The reason is that God gives grace and blessings to those who long for it. God is pleased with such people and loves them. In fact, the very heart of longing is a blessing already given by God.
A healthy person has a strong appetite. So, if there is something to eat, it is an indispensable thing. It's eating and watching regardless. But for those who have no appetite, it is hard work to eat. You can't die, so you have to eat. This is far from unfortunate.
The reason is that the body is sick. If you are ill, you have no desire to eat. However, healthy people have a strong desire to eat.
I know that there are many believers who are pursuing the way of truth and life today. They would do well to learn the following lessons from the eunuch.
1. It is eager to find out.
Those who long for it must have a zeal to go wherever necessary for the sake of acquiring the truth and way they seek. That is why the eunuch went to Jerusalem, where the temple of God was located. It's unpredictable and eager to find out.
1).I am eager to find you no matter how far away.
It takes several days to get from Ethiopia to Jerusalem through hot deserts and wilderness. So it's a difficult road that I seldom dare to dare.
Among our church members, there are people who come from far away places such as Incheon, Uijangbu, Gwangmyeong, Bundang, etc. They know that they have a special love for the church.
It takes a lot of time compared to others, and it is difficult to do it because it takes a lot of time in a busy bus and in the train. .
In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that we give time, sweat, sacrifice and devotion to God from the moment we leave home.
Without this kind of zeal, it is not enough to become a longing person.
2).Even if you are busy with work, you are eager to find out.
The eunuch is a dignitary who manages all the finances of the Queen, so she is busy with work and rarely leaves her seat. Nevertheless, he went a long way to find Jerusalem. He couldn't give up because his ardent Goo Do-yeol was busy.
There are many of us who participate in the worship service all the time, even in the midst of being busy without a break for living, work, or business.
Of course, it takes strength, but it is because the desire for worship takes precedence. Here, the sacrifice and devotion that pleases God are overflowing.
3).I am eager to visit even foreign countries.
I don't know if it's domestic. I know that it is not an easy task if the place you need to visit is a foreign country with a different language and customs. Nevertheless, the bird of prey bravely set off for Jerusalem, not even its own country.
In fact, if you have a longing for janjeong, it doesn't matter if it's far away, busy, or unfamiliar.
Nevertheless, I don't know what excuses and excuses there are for us today to believe in Jesus. May we all learn from the Ethiopian eunuch the zeal of seeking first.
2. They are eager to know.
Those who long for it are those who long for the Word and grace, so their zeal for knowing is great. We can see how desperately he was eager to learn from the eunuch.
He was reading the Bible while he was leaving Jerusalem and returning to his home country.
By the time you return home, your mind and body will be very tired. Nevertheless, the fact that he is reading the Bible on a swaying chariot is enough to guess just how great his zeal is.
In particular, that fact is even more impressive because:
1).I didn't feel full.
The eunuch would have learned profound truths only from the great rabbis during her stay in Jerusalem. So, it is enough to have a feeling of satiety that says, 'That's enough...'.
However, he continued to devote himself to reading the Bible even on the chariot returning to his home country, and was still eager to learn. It really shows a great figure of an investigator.
As soon as we know a little bit of something, we become full of satiety and are prone to starvation of knowledge. This would be very dangerous. Because it is easy to lead to pride.
The more you know, the more you want to know, and the more you learn, the more you want to learn.
2). Overcome fatigue.
Living in a foreign land, no matter how well received you are, you are bound to get tired.
Therefore, the eunuch on the way home is a person who should sleep on a chariot.
But instead of using the chariot as a resting place, he used it as a reading room to read the Bible diligently. He had forgotten even his fatigue because of his zeal to know. That's a lot of enthusiasm.
You can often see people dozing off during bible study or sermon time. Of course, there will be excuses for being tired. But one thing is clear: the zeal to know is lacking. If you have a heart that truly longs for grace, your sleepiness and tiredness will run away.
The devil prevents us from hearing the Word in any way, both now and then. Whether it's drowsiness or choked thoughts, it prevents them from hearing the word in any way.
If you do not listen to the Word, you will not receive grace. That spirit cannot grow. Eventually you will get sick.
Therefore, we need to keep in mind the fact that drowsiness during worship is a dangerous sign, and try to be alert and listen to the Word.
If you are eager to know what everyone is doing, you have no friends.
3). Overcame curiosity.
Although it has been a long time since he has been on a journey, he is curious about the view of the mountains and rivers that spread outside the window, and is even close to the scenery of a foreign country. However, the eunuch seemed not to be interested in the scenery outside the window, so he was absorbed in reading the Bible from beginning to end. Because his interest was not in the tourism of the landscape, but in the quest for truth. What a great attitude.
Today, most people say that they long for grace and truth, and they are more interested in miracles than Jesus, blessings rather than salvation, and worldly prosperity rather than the kingdom of heaven.
That's why the eyes are ridiculous and they're selling it. Today we must imitate the zeal of the eunuch.
3. They are eager to receive.
It is said that God gives good things to those who ask. There is nothing for those who are not prepared and willing to receive. God gives grace and blessings to those who are eager to receive it, in other words, to those who long for it. Let's see how the zeal to receive is shown in detail.
1).You must be zealous to receive the guidance of the leader.
The eunuch was reading the Bible on the chariot while an unidentified stranger approached and talked to him. ?쏡o you understand the meaning of the words you read???From the eunuch's point of view, my pride must have been hurt. Because it was a first-person interview and the question could have sounded too bold and rude.
But the eunuch answered honestly and modestly. You don't know how humble it is to say, 'How can you understand its meaning without a guide?'
So he begged Philip to get him in a chariot, and he asked Philip to teach him.
This proves how well he accepted the leadership of the leader even though he was a high-ranking person in a country.
Some members of the church accept the leadership of their leaders well, while others are the opposite. The former is a person whose faith is right, but the latter is not. You must have the heart to humbly receive guidance from the leader, rather than needlessly raising your pride.
Such a person can develop, grow, and become a great leader in the future.
Joshua was able to become a good leader in Israel because he was a humble man who was well guided by Moses from the beginning. That's right. To be a good leader, you must first be a good servant.
2).You must have a zeal to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The eunuch is the attitude of ?쁓peak, Lord, and your servant will hear??
That is why his heart was wide open in front of the Word. So, while listening to Philip's sermon, my blind eyes were opened, my ears were opened, and I received Jesus as my Savior and came to believe, and I also gained the assurance of salvation.
In fact, if you immediately accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you do not need to take a long time to gain the assurance of salvation.
Often, there are people who have been going to church for decades, but are always hovering outside the perimeter of salvation. This is because such a person does not accept the guidance of the leader, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or the altar. We must learn the humility and wisdom of the eunuch.
3).You must be zealous to do what you believe.
When he found water on the way out, he wanted to be baptized. Baptism is a sign of regeneration. Therefore, there is no reason to withhold baptism if it is clear that you have been regenerated.
It is because of a problem with this conviction that today's churches qualify members for baptism after one year of registration.
Here we can see the zeal of the eunuchs, who immediately believe what they hear and do as soon as they believe. Faith and works always go together. For example, if your faith is like the root of a tree, your actions are like the fruit of that tree.
A tree with living roots must grow and bear fruit. But if the tree is dead, it cannot grow and bear fruit.
Likewise, if you have a living faith based on the Word, you will surely bear the fruit of your works. That's why James said that faith without works is dead.
If a miner is convinced that there is a lot of gold in his land, he is eager to dig it out as quickly as possible. That's why we have to dig up the ground and dig for gold with all preparations within the shortest possible time.
If you have this kind of faith and confidence, you can immediately put it into action. It is unbearable without action. I'm sure, how can I be patient and wait?
Everyone! When I'm full, how can I just watch without eating even though I know that delicious food is in front of me? It can't be. Eat right now. You don't even need to watch it.
The same is true. If you have the faith and conviction that if you obey the word of God, it will come true as it is, then you can act and see it right away. But why not do it?
It doesn't even need to be asked. Because they lack faith and confidence.
If Abraham was able to obey God's word, it was nothing else. Because he had faith and confidence in God.
There are people who have started to believe for a long time but still do not have the assurance of salvation. This is not all normal. If it is normal, like a eunuch, you will immediately believe and act immediately upon hearing.
Ethiopia is the only Christian country on the African continent.
This is probably due to the influence of eunuchs. He was the firstfruits of Ethiopia. If the first fruit bears right away, the next good fruit will bloom in abundance.
If one person realizes right away and stands on the right faith, my family will be evangelized, and if my family lives on the right faith, my country will be evangelized.
Dear saints, May each one of us become a saint who truly longs for God's grace like a eunuch, and truly believes in God and obeys His Word to receive and enjoy all of God's promised grace and blessings. I bless you in the name of