Caught by the Spirit to catch with the Spirit

NORSK
Philip must have lived an exciting life. The first time he appears in Luke’s narrative is when he was elected as one of the deacons in Jerusalem. From then on, his life must have been very unpredictable. He had to flee to Samaria because of a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, a move that led to a great revival. In the midst of the revival an angel came on a visit and sent him to Gaza. There he saw a chariot with an Ethiopian eunuch. The Spirit told Philip: ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’

The deacon was more than eager to do the Lord’s will, so he ran to the chariot instead of walking. I believe he ran because he understood that the moment was a divine appointment, which immediately was confirmed when he saw what the eunuch was reading. The interaction between Philip and the eunuch is an interesting study in itself, but the relationship between Philip and the Spirit is even more interesting.

My personal experience confirms that the more access I give the Spirit, the more the Spirit takes over my life. I recognize this in the relationship between Philip and the Spirit. Through following the Spirit’s instruction, it is as though the Spirit understands that Philip trusts him, and therefore he takes over Philip 100%. That is very evident in what happened after the eunuch’s conversion and baptism:

Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8:39-40

I wish I could have heard Philip’s personal account about the experience of being 'caught away' by the Spirit of the Lord. The supernatural disappearance does not seem to have troubled the eunuch; he just 'went on his way rejoicing'. The effect of being moved in space and time does not seem to have effected Philip in a negative way. On the contrary, the effect of the Spirit is the same as elsewhere in Acts: Every encounter with the Spirit releases more need to share the gospel with the unsaved.

‘Manna’ for today:

I am caught by the Spirit to catch with the Spirit