THE MAN FROM ETHIOPIA

 By Donnie Swaggart

(26)      “And the Angel of the Lord spoke unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the             south unto the way that goes down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

(27)      “And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an Eunuch of great     authority under Candace Queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her      treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

(28)      “Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the Prophet.

(29)      “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.

(30)      “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the Prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you understand what you are reading?

(31)      “And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

(32)      “The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the           slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth:

(33)      “In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His      generation? for His life is taken from the Earth.

(34)      “And the Eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaks the     Prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

(35)      “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

(36)      “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the Eunuch           said, See, here is water; what does hinder me to be baptized?

(37)      “And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

(38)      “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the            water, both Philip and the Eunuch; and he baptized him.

(39)      “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught    away Philip, that the Eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

(40)      “But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the       cities, till he came to Caesarea.”

 

For the first time in American history we have an African-American man as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. This is an unprecedented moment in the short history of our nation. It is truly the fulfillment of the ideals of our Founding Fathers. If not, then I doubt that Thomas Jefferson would have written, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” And one of those rights is the right to govern if the people desire.

 

 

There are many in this nation who are not ready for a person of color, or even a woman, to be the leader of the world’s most powerful nation. As for me, the question is not color, but it’s the issues that our great nation faces and the person best equipped to handle them. As a Christian, there are two issues that stand head and shoulders above all others. They are: abortion and same-sex marriages; issues that the Bible is so clear on that there is no room for debate. The Bible still says, “Thou shalt not kill” (Ex. 20:13) and, of course, we understand that the Text is referring to murder, which is exactly what abortion is. The Bible still says, “Homosexuality is a sin” and same-sex marriages are an affront to decency and to the sanctity of marriage. The Scriptures, Genesis 19:5-7; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; and, I Corinthians 6:9 are clear, when it comes to homosexuality and what the Lord thinks about it. Once again, let me state, the color of one’s skin is not an issue with me. The issue is the belief system of the individual. Therefore, as a Christian I cannot support or vote for anyone who is pro-homosexual or pro-abortion.

 

 

Let’s be honest, race relations is still a problem in our country. It’s the two thousand pound elephant in the room that too many want to ignore. I have received criticism from African-American ministers who have stated that as a white man I have no right to address things that may concern their people. I reject that argument. For, as a Minister of the Gospel, I have the responsibility to proclaim the Word of God as it relates to the issues of our nation, whether spiritual or social. When it comes to the Lord, there are only two kinds of people — Saved and unsaved, and that’s the way it should be with us also. When I see a Believer or an unbeliever, what I should see is the state of the heart and not the color of skin. When it comes to Believers, the Bible says in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” All Believers are one. There is not black Believers, white Believers, brown Believers, just Believers.

 

The Word of God is to be the sole criteria of our belief system, not color, gender, region of birth, or culture. Yet, there are scores of black ministers espousing from behind pulpits today a teaching called “Black Liberation Theology.” This teaching is a perverted twisting of Luke, Chapter 4. James Cone, a black Liberal Theologian and the father of Black Liberation Theology says, and I quote, “If God is not for us, and against white people, then He is a murderer, and we had better kill Him.” Jeremiah Wright’s hate-filled rants that filled our nation’s airwaves a few months ago, is a disciple of Black Liberation Theology. So it’s easy now to understand where his vitriolic hatred came from. The “Asia Times”, the largest English language newspaper in Asia, which is based in Hong Kong, refuted Cone’s argument this way, “Cone’s argument is as silly as the Aryan Christianity popular in Nazi Germany, which claimed that Jesus was not a Jew at all, but an Aryan Galilean.”

 

Both Cone’s arguments and Hitler’s came from the same source, the pit of Hell.

True Liberation Theology is what the Bible is all about. It’s “Deliverance for all captives” (Lk. 4:18), captives to sin. The real problem for the black man, the white man, or any man, is sin. Racial problems, poverty, crime, war, drugs, and alcoholism, are just symptoms of the real problem, and that problem is sin, and the only solution is Christ and Him Crucified. That’s true Liberation Theology. A sinful man can hate simply because of the color of one’s skin, but a Born-Again man loves regardless of the color of one’s skin. I believe the Lord Who knows all things and in His Foreknowledge said, I’m going to show you the true way, by giving us this account in Acts, Chapter 8, of the man from Ethiopia. So let’s look at it.

 

 

This man was the treasurer for the queen of Ethiopia. As an Ethiopian, he was an African; hence, he was a black man, and a Gentile. He was returning from Jerusalem. He was a Gentile who was a proselyte Jew.

 

 

Philip was instructed by the Lord to find this man. This is the Work of the Holy Spirit, in directing the affairs of a Believer’s life. The Work of God today is to be guided by the Hand of the Holy Spirit and not man.

 

This man was reading the Word of God. The question that Philip asked him is the same question all Believers must answer. “Do you understand the Word of God?” The answer is that some do, but most don’t. I can say that because of the foolish doctrines and teachings in the Church today. If the Body of Christ truly knew and understood the Bible, most false doctrine would fall by the wayside.

There are two ingredients that must be present before one can properly understand the Bible. The first is the Holy Spirit. He is the Teacher, He is the Helper. One should daily seek His Help as you study the Word of God. Ask Him to guard you, instruct you, and He will. The second thing needed is given in the Ethiopian’s answer.

 

 

If you are sitting under the wrong person, the end result can be one of catastrophic proportions. However, under the right person, you will grow in the Grace and Knowledge of the Lord. The fivefold Ministry Gifts have been set in the Church by the Lord for instruction, knowledge, and edification. They are “Gifts” to the Body. The minister and the Holy Spirit are to work together all for the express purpose of seeing you grow in the Lord.

 

 

He was reading the great Book of Isaiah, Chapter 53, Verses 7 and 8. “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His Mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken.” He was reading the theme of the Bible, “Christ and Him Crucified.”

 

 

Acts, Chapter 8, Verse 35, says of Philip, he “preached unto Him Jesus.” This was Philip’s Message, Paul’s Message, Peter’s Message, etc., so shouldn’t it be our Message as well?

 

The man got saved. So, in conclusion, if he was a Gentile, then the very first Gentile convert was a black man from Africa. This is Liberation Theology, the Salvation of a soul.

 

Your Evangelist, Donnie Swaggart