In Acts 8, the Holy Spirit portrays a thrilling encounter, which the Providence of God designed, between Phillip, the evangelist and the Ethiopian eunuch! Acts 8:26-­‐28 & 35 -­‐ Now the angel of the Lord spoke to Phillip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza”. This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet…. Then Phillip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him... .

The world falsely thinks that this natural world is the only realm which exist. They mindlessly assume that there is not a supernatural realm. But oh, brothers and sisters, we know that there is another supernatural, eternal, Kingdom of God. We are entirely persuaded that the Ruler of both, the visible and the invisible realm, is the Lord of all history! Our omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Savior possesses all authority over both the natural and the supernatural realm. Furthermore, we can be assured that our great and glorious God is working out His majestic agenda in this world. He is calling out a people for His great name’s sake, from every tribe, tongue and people group.

So friends, there is absolutely no need to be consumed with pessimism or despair, as we live in this fallen and materialistic culture. Instead, we should be consumed with the glory of our God; and we should be intimately involved in the Lord’s eternal agenda, that He is carrying out in this fallen and depraved nation and world! Our Lord Jesus is still building His church! The Father is still drawing in the bride of Christ! The Holy Spirit is still breathing life into spiritual corpses, in the graveyard of this “present world”! Our conquering King continues to put the glory of His love, grace and mercy on display; in the salvation of those who deserve His just and eternal wrath!

Notice the amazing agenda of the glory of God’s providence unfolding, in the life of Phillip, the evangelist. Remember, at this time, great persecution had risen up against the church at Jerusalem. But this was all a part of God’s over-­‐arching agenda, to send out the disciples to be witnesses unto Jesus in Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth! Those who were scattered, went everywhere preaching the Gospel. Phillip, in particular, had gone down to the city of Samaria and was faithfully preaching a “Jesus-­‐focused” message to the people. God was granting scores of spiritual heart transplants! The Lord was delivering many Samaritans from the tyranny of sin, and transferring them into the kingdom of God’s dear Son! And there was “much rejoicing” in this city. But, as Phillip was ministering in the middle of a “spiritual awakening” in Samaria, God sent a heavenly messenger to him. This angelic being told Philip that he needed to leave the revival meeting and go to a remote location in the Gaza desert! Friends, how many Southern Baptist evangelists do you know, who would obey that order? But, Philip was willing to hear and obey. Oh friends, the Lord had a specific timetable to extend the Gospel far beyond the city of Samaria! The astounding providence of God had arranged for Phillip to have a “Divine Appointment” with a man from the “horn of Africa”.

Think of it! Phillip approached the chariot, at just the precise moments that this eunuch was reading aloud from Isaiah 53! You could not pick a better text in the entirety of the Old Testament, for a declaration concerning the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ! Friends, this was no coincidence! This was no happenstance! This was a ‘Divine Appointment’ that was orchestrated, by the amazing providence of our Lord and God!

Oh brothers and sisters, do you understand that our God has a providential timetable, in which He is orchestrating ‘Divine appointments’ for you? Have you stopped to consider this spiritual reality? It may be with that person at your place of employment; or a neighbor who is in the midst of a crisis; or that waiter who is serving you at the restaurant. It may be someone else that God has placed in your life by Divine appointment! There are multiple occasions in our walk with Jesus, when the providence of our Savior has arranged for our lives to intersect with others, at a crucial moment or at a critical crossroads in their lives. Will you be sensitive and submissive to Him, so that you may be ready, willing, and equipped to preach JESUS to them? If we will walk in prayerful intimacy with our King, we will be amazed at how our Lord will direct us to be used as His witness, to gather in His bride!