“Unless someone guides me”

by Jon

“So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ “ Acts 8:30-31a

We were at a worship service in the village. Five believers gathered in the open air veranda of a house on a Sunday morning. Praise and worship was singing along YouTube worship videos played from a phone.

We had heard their testimonies and have been impressed by their perseverance in Christ despite difficulties in their families and rejection by neighbours. For three years this small group of five meet every Sunday to pray and encourage each other in their faith.

After singing songs of worship, they opened up their Bibles to continue reading where they left off last Sunday. Today it was Chapter 27 of the book of Ezekiel. Despite most of them not having had much opportunities for education, they managed to each read a few verses and complete reading the chapter.

Then they closed their Bibles and started to share testimonies.

When we saw this, we asked them if they understood what they had read. They replied that they did not because there was no one to explain the meaning of the passage to them. Their only goal was to faithfully finish reading the book of Ezekiel week by week, chapter by chapter, before proceeding onto the next book.

When we offered to share a few simple insights into the passage and how we could apply it to our lives, they listened with interest and eagerly asked questions. We left the house wondering how long it has been since anyone explained the Word of God to them.

This is the reality of many small, isolated villages in Thailand. With limited means to travel to churches in bigger towns, believers gather each week without anyone to share the Word, encouraging each other in their faith in Christ.

This reminded me of the account in Acts where the Spirit led Philip to explain to the Ethiopian eunuch the meaning of the Scripture he was reading. This in turn prompted him to be baptised by Philip at the next body of water they passed by.

We recognize that the Bible is God-breathed and powerful. But the Gospel is only Good News if it is understood by those who hear it. And just as the Spirit led Philip to open the Word to the Ethiopian eunuch, we are thankful for the opportunity to be able to share the Word to strengthen the believers.

We pray that in the same way, the Word of God will take root in the hearts of this small group of believers and move them to action through the power of the Holy Spirit.