An Open Mind and Honest Heart

by Jeff Curtis

The story of the Ethiopian eunuch is the story of an open minded official that people with honest hearts – people who recognize their need for God – can be found in the world if we simply look for them. We may fail to see these people because, like the eunuch, they hold important positions, and we think they will not see their need in Christ. We may fail to see them because, like the eunuch, they are strong in their religious beliefs, and we think they won’t listen to us. Let’s prejudge any man but earnestly search for good and honest hearts. When we find them, we need to guide them to the Lord.

Consider the conversion from the standpoint of the eunuch. He knew nothing about the divine messages given to Philip. For him, the story started with a passage in Isaiah that was difficult for him to understand. Philip asked the question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The eunuch invited Philip to join him in the chariot, and as they travelled along, Philip “preached Jesus to him” (v.35). Philip preached the gospel, God’s saving power to save. When the eunuch heard this message, he believed and obeyed (vv.36-39). He wasn’t saved by some “feeling better than told,” but through the preaching which produced faith in his heart (Romans 1:16; 10:17). God’s plan was to get an honest sinner and the preacher together – and then let the Word do its job. If you desire to eb saved, don’ wait for some mysterious “experience,” but rather hear the gospel, believe it, obey it.

Although God’s intervention in this case doesn’t prove that the alien sinner must have a miraculous experience, it does show God’s concern for the lost, especially the lost who have “honest and good hearts” (Luke 8:15). It is implied that God will help honest searchers for the truth find the truth (Matthew 7:7-8). Many examples come to mind of men and women honestly trying to discover God’s truth who came in contact with the very person who could teach them truth under circumstances that cannot be explained as coincidence.

A preacher tells of meeting a young man at a retreat in Texas. The young man grew up on the streets of Brooklyn but had moved to Dallas. One day, not long after he had arrived in Dallas, he was travelling on a bus and started talking to a young woman seated beside him. She invited him to church. The young told her he wasn’t a church-goer, but he didn’t know anyone in Dallas, so he went. The people were so friendly that he thought it had to be an act. He went back the following week to see them again. Soon he became a Christian. The preacher said that at the retreat, the young man went around the camp, asking “Are you a Christian? Let me tell you how I became a Christian!” Think about this story for a moment. What are the odds against the young man’s sitting on this specific bus beside this specific young woman who invite him to the worship services? Both Scripture and experience should convince us that if one is an honest searcher, God will providentially make a way for that one to learn the truth.

An Immediate Response

by Jeff Curtis

Acts 8:36-38

The Ethiopian eunuch eagerly desired to obey the gospel in baptism. He took the initiative by spotting the water deep enough to accommodate his immersion. He asked if there was any reason that would prevent his immersion. He also called for the chariot to stop.

Philip didn’t tell the eunuch that they would have to “wait until the next Sunday.” Neither did Philip say, “We will have to wait until the church can vote on you.” Instead, Philip went down into the water with the eunuch and immersed him into the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Decision to Believe

by Jeff Curtis

Throughout the book of Daniel, we see his faith put to the test. He was required to make choices that were contrary to the prevailing wisdom. He had to act against the standards imposed upon him by ungodly people. Other captives were submitting, however reluctantly, to the Babylonians’ commands.

The name “Daniel” means “God is my judge.” Daniel is surely referred to in Hebrews 11:33, among the great examples of faith. The concepts of faith and judgement are inseparably linked. Daniel trusted (believed) in God. He believed in God’s providence, and he trusted in God’s power. We will see these manifestations of his faith again, specifically in chapter 6.

How did Daniel know that God would give him and his friends a better appearance and better physical and mental health (Daniel 1:15-20) than the other young people under the same tests? Daniel didn’t know, based what he new from life, but he had assurance (Hebrews 11:1) because he did know his God. Therefore, Daniel consistently made the right choices. This is what our faith should cause us to do.

Every day we are confronted with choices. Some require mundane, routine decisions, and some are more significant. The Bible is full of stories of people who made choices – some bad (like Cain, Lot and Judas) and some good (like Moses, Daniel and Paul). God has a way of letting us experience consequences of our choices, even in this life. Of course, the ultimate consequences of our decisions will be seen in the life to come. God rewarded Daniel on this occasion and the following years.

The importance of one right choice cannot be overemphasized. Thousands of lives, over many years, are affected. Only God knows the power of a right decision.

Even bad choices, though unfortunate, can be amended if we act in time. While we have no example in the Book of Daniel of the main character making a bad choice, we know of many others who made poor choices. Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son shows the possibility of our coming to our senses and correcting a bad decision (Luke 15:17). As God gave Daniel favor because of his faith, so God will give us favor if we repent of bad choices.

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Jesus, the Master Teacher

by Joe R. Price

“And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples” (Mark 4:33-34).

Jesus was the Master Teacher. He used parables to teach the gospel of the kingdom to the multitudes that gathered to Him in Galilee (Mark 4:1-2). Then, away from the crowds, He explained the parables to His disciples (Mark 4:10-12).

Jesus knew His audience. He spoke the word “as they were able to hear it” to the crowd (v. 33). He did not impress them with scholarship or eloquence (a healthy reminder to preachers and teachers today, 1 Cor. 2:1). He was not condescending toward His audience. His goal was to teach them by planting the seed of God’s word into their hearts (Matt. 13:34-35). A godly woman once told young preachers, “Put the hay down where the calves can reach it, and the cows will have no trouble getting their fill.” Good advice.

The parables challenged the crowd to ponder and prioritize God’s will. How people responded to Christ’s teachings exposed their hearts, and it still does (Mark 4:11-12, 13-20). Away from the crowd, Jesus also took the time to explain the parables to His disciples (v. 34). He unraveled the parables’ meanings to them as He prepared them to take the gospel to the world (Mark 16:15-16).

We benefit from Jesus’ teaching style as we listen to His words and the explanations of truth His apostles, in turn, gave to the world (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:8-13).