SEIZE THE CHANCE TO BE FREE FROM YOUR BURDEN
Philadelphia is a good place to visit for remembering how our land of the free came into being and then moved forward to become the home of the brave - due to the sacrificial efforts on the part of so many through the years to keep us safe from enemies who would take away our freedom, and to keep on becoming a nation that guarantees freedom for all its citizens - as long as its citizens understand the guiding principle we were taught in Political Science 101: “Liberty is not license!”
America’s symbol of freedom is the Liberty Bell on display in Philadelphia. The infamous crack in it occurred by accident. In 1829, our government tried to sell it but there were no takers due to its zero salvage value – my point being that there was a time when no one wanted the Liberty Bell.
Today, though, the Liberty Bell is priceless – NOT because of its value as a bell that rings but because it had once been rung at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“Let freedom ring!” is the resounding declaration symbolized by the Liberty Bell. And the people who helped make freedom a reality are our nation’s heroes.
Throughout the New Testament we are told stories of people who became heroes of our Christian Faith because they were used by the LORD God to declare a new kind of freedom in Christ Jesus . . .
Just as there have been many unsung heroes in our nation’s history, there have been many of such heroes in the history of the Christian Movement one of whom was a deacon named Philip --- Acts 8:26-35 . . .
Not much is recorded about Philip except that he was a deacon “known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom”. He, like so many of Christ’s followers, had no high profile resume but was simply “known” as a devoted follower of Christ.
How does one get to the point of being “known” as a true disciple of Jesus? Permit me to suggest two ways, two ways btw which apply to any worthwhile endeavor: (1) Live it yourself. (2) Talk about it.
We know that Philip lived it because he, along with other believers who dared to declare, “Jesus is Lord”, fled Jerusalem after James was executed and Peter was imprisoned - to go to other cities and regions. Philip wound up just 35 miles north of Jerusalem in an unnamed city in Samaria where he preached Jesus and led almost the entire city to Christ.
Cannot help but think of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well . . . Jesus said He needed to cross the boundary into Samaria . . . Philip followed in His steps . . .
When we follow in His steps and serve the Lord effectively, each success leads to yet another open door of opportunity, as does each failure inasmuch as our Lord is the God of as many chances as it takes to get it right in His sight. We learn from our mistakes as God works in and through us to turn the negatives into positives for His glory.
Because Philip had been open to God using him in a city within the borders of Samaria, thereby crossing boundaries – national, racial, cultural, religious – and had succeeded in this mission endeavor, Philip was then directed to go meet up with a high official from Ethiopia – not the country known today as Ethiopia but back then a part of the kingdom of Cush located on the Nile River - today named Nubia.
That the Lord would use a low profile individual - to break a barrier that had long existed between two factions that had long hated or at least despised each other - is encouraging.
Of special interest to me in researching Bible characters through the years have been those lesser known folks – who “played second fiddle” but were nonetheless instrumental in bringing others to the Lord, or were used by the Lord to anoint or appoint or point to someone who was destined to become one of the “greats” among leaders of the Christian Cause. For example:
Paul was told to go to Damascus and wait in a certain place for someone to come talk with him, thus the one-time mention of Ananias . . . Little ole Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus . . . there were others like the Samaritan woman whose life was turned upside down by Jesus and then she went to tell others about her experience with the Lord. Word of mouth witness! One beggar telling another beggar where to get bread!
Serving the Lord in a lesser capacity yet effectively - in a one-on-one situation - Philip approached the chariot of an Ethiopian Enquirer - returning from a “searching for something” pilgrimage to Jerusalem - and obviously, while there, obtaining a copy of all or part of the treasured Scroll of Isaiah.
Philip approached this opportunity with excitement - simply because there was no mistaking that this encounter was “of the Lord” . . . We all have had or may have such encounters. Be excited about any encounter with anyone searching for meaning in life! You know the answer to their deepest longing! Jesus!
Philip was prepared to give an answer because he knew Jesus . . . he knew the Scripture being read and its intent . . . he knew what Isaiah meant . . . having personally experienced the power of the blood of the Lamb unto salvation, Philip was prepared to talk about it, and he did. So must we tell the good news about Jesus by living it and talking about it.
Folks, Jesus died to set us free from slavery to sin . . . sets us free to live for Him a life that is true . . . liberates us for eternity. “So, if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!” Amen.
