Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Rev. Stephen Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Vinton, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Acts 8:26-40.

The Lord continues to direct the growth of His Word as He sends His angel to instruct Philip to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. There Philip sees an Ethiopian eunuch; he was a Gentile who had been brought to faith in the God of Israel through Judean refugees. As a rich official of the queen, he is reading from the scroll of Isaiah when the Spirit sends Philip to him. The Ethiopian eunuch asks Philip to guide him in the proper interpretation of the text from Isaiah 53, and Philip begins from that text to proclaim the good news about Jesus. Philip’s teaching includes the centrality of Baptism, leading the Ethiopian eunuch to request the gift upon the sight of water. Philip quickly agrees, and the Ethiopian eunuch is incorporated into the family of God. After the Spirit whisks Philip away to continue the proclamation of the Gospel elsewhere, the Ethiopian eunuch continues on his way with great joy.

“To the End of the Earth” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Acts. In his second volume, St. Luke records all the things that Jesus continued to do through the ministry of His Church. By the end of the book, the proclamation of the Lord’s Word that began in Jerusalem grows all the way to Rome. By God’s grace, even now, that same Word is proclaimed to us.