I recently read the story in Acts 8:26–40 about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip was told to take a specific road and he encountered a man desiring to understand the Scriptures.
Philip took the time to sit with this man and explain what he was reading. Upon understanding, the eunuch enthusiastically asked Philip to baptize him.
After reading that story, I asked God to help me and my team to be led and used by God in the same way – basically, to be Philip in the Philippines. Here, the majority of people know about God because of their Catholic backgrounds, but most of them haven’t encountered him personally nor do they seem to understand the Scriptures.
This month, we have dedicated ourselves to help the church in Balacbac. We’ve found that the best way to do this has been spending lots of time with church members having Bible studies, praying together and accepting their invitations to home-cooked dinners. Rough life, I know.
Preparing for these Bible studies is something I look forward to. It has been really encouraging for my own spiritual walk with the Lord. I find myself digging deeper into the word of God, looking up commentaries and praying about what these Scriptures mean to me personally. We do this as a team and take turns leading, and hearing what God has given them also builds me up. The Bible studies don’t always go smoothly and we often don’t know whether the church members understand everything we’re saying but this keeps us reliant on the work the Holy Spirit.
One Bible study we started is with a lady named Vivian. She had heard me share my testimony at a Social Services workshop and handed me a note afterwards. In it she told me that she was touched by my testimony and desired to hear more about Jesus. I texted her immediately to set up a time. A few days later, we had our first Bible study with Vivan and her husband. We found out that they were members of a church at one point but their faith was shaken and they left the church. Two other women joined the Bible study. As we met together, Vivian kept saying to me, “I know God brought you to me here.” I know he did too. I really look forward to our next Bible study.
Experiences like this help me understand why God sent us to the Philippines. The more time we take to share the word of God with people and plant and water seeds of the Gospel, the more I see God answering our prayer to be Philip in the Philippines.
