the immaculate Rendezvous

Immaculate Rendezvous could describe the story of God’s predestined grace on behalf of His elect. This unfathomable mercy of heaven manifested this side of God’s glorious throne through His angel is an awe inspiring encouragement for all the remnant, speaking of the magnificence and greatness of His grace.

This awesome act of God’s grace is told to us in Acts chapter 8 beginning from verse 26.

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “ Arise and go towards the south along the road which goes dawn from Jerusalem to Gaza, this is desert. Philip after finishing his ministry in Samaria and Jerusalem now is lead by an angel of the Lord to a desert location in furthering God’s Kingdom and to proclaim the message of salvation through faith to a gentile.

“ So he arose and went, and behold a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of 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. In this we see a man who is a worshipper of God in all his earthly authority, looking to find God and in doing so he is searching the scripture.

The heart of this man was in a deep search to find his object of worship and the Lord is prepared to send His ready vessel to reveal the truth to a seeking worshipper.

In verse 29 of chapter 8 the scripture says
“ Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and overtake this chariot.”

This is an amazing story of the manifest Kingdom of God in the supernatural realm.

This is why many call the Book of Acts, the Acts of The Holy Spirit.

You see how God’s ready vessels are hearing His voice through His elect angels and later on obey Him through yielding themselves to The voice of the precious Holy Spirit for guidance. What an amazing combination to bring God’s will to pass.

The word in verse 29 to overcome the chariot is an inspiring word to us also. I believe it meant to overcome them not only in stoping them physically by interrupting their voyage, but that to overcome them with the sovereign grace of God in giving them the revelation God’s eternal truth.

It meant to stop their ignorance in regards to their unknown worship. The place is a desert, the timing is after his stay in Jerusalem and the miracle is that God is never too late in fulfilling His plans. The involvement of angels and men in His sovereign plan is the beauty of His grace.

In Verse 30 we read… “ So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the Prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said How can I unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. This I believe means that now that Philip is on the Chariot He has overtaken this Chariot for God.

The place in the Scripture which he read was this;
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent. So He opened not His mouth, in His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. Isaiah 53:7 & 8. “

So the eunuch answered Philip and said “ I ask you , of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”

Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning at this Scripture preached Jesus to him.

It is beyond human reasoning and the fallen nature of sin to see and comprehend the scripture the way it is done here. Unless it is the work of the Holy Spirit no one could see through this Old Covenant reading that it speaks of our Lord Jesus. Besides the remnant elect many in Jerusalem remained blinded to such magnificent truth, yet to the predestined elect He met them in His own

Predestined places of mercy and grace. The chariot of this one man was chased to be overcome by God’s eternal love and grace, how much more to you and me He wants to show His mercy through revealing His Son in us by the power of His holy Spirit.

Now in verses 36 dawn the Scripture is telling us the following. “ Now as they went dawn the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said. See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?” I believe by this time this man knew more about the power of God than any other, since Philip through the Holy Spirit was his private instructor. Then Philip said “ If you believe with all your heart, you may”. Wow! Do you see this revelation of God’s unfathomable love in accepting all who truly believe from the heart?

The true Hindrance is not the sin in man, but the hardness of his heart in unbelief.

The true hindrance is the sin of unbelief.

Through this very simple explanation of necessity of faith in being baptized in the water we can once again slam the door over so many false doctrines that has crept unnoticed in the Church of Jesus Christ. Just like the revelation we had about the Lord’s supper few weeks ago, this too is the majesty of His grace to us. Many hinder believers from being baptized by human false humility and doctrines of men. They hinder the innocent in what they themselves have not understood.

Some deny water baptism to genuine God fearing men pointing to their sin, what they themselves might be walking in. Yet the sovereign grace has made men free from the man made religion. As we heard and read only a whole hearted faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is enough to bring us to the waters of baptism. Nothing more and nothing less. God is calling, the angel is directing and the Spirit is commanding, yet men in ignorance are standing in the way of God’s unfathomable grace.

So after the eunuch heard Philip on this matter he answered and said to him. “ I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”.
So he commanded the Chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went dawn into the water and he baptized him.

Notice the Bible says both went into the water for complete immersion.

Interesting enough the Scriptures continues to say in verse 39, “ 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.”

Here once again the purposes of God had been accomplished by His vessel and now he was caught by the Spirit to continue his service to the Lord in a different place and in a different dimension.

The Bible does not tell us that Philip remained with the eunuch to watch the manner of his life. He finishing his part trusted the eunuch to the Lord.
In verse 40 the Scripture tells us that Philip was found at Azotus and passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. In this way the word of God confirms the validity of the works of the precious Holy Spirit more trust worthy than our own methods of self rightousness through our humanistic mindsets. This also proves that through this obedient act of humility the Ethiopian eunuch was counted among the ones that are called from all nations of the world.

This also proves again that God will travel to any distance to meet His elect in their times of need. Yes I believe this was after the day of Pentecost and this eunuch could have been in Jerusalem when many were baptized by Peter, but here again the Lord is showing us that He will go all the way to any length to save anyone who seeks Him.

This also tells me no ministry in itself t no matter how small is insignificant to God.

The greatest news is the joyful return of this predestined elect. I can see how He might have changed the lives of those in Ethiopia, since the Bible tells us, he was an man of great authority. The Ethiopian Church is very famous to many and in all its divine grace received from the Lord this particular Eunuch could have been the founder or the apostle of that region.

Now having heard this much would you not want to be commissioned and sent by Him just like Philip the evangelist to men and women of authority to have this world changed upside dawn for Jesus?

The Choice is yours. To chase the Chariot of another man to overtake them in an immaculate rendezvous.

May God bless you and keep you and shine His face upon you.

May we too become partakers of His divine grace to endure to the end in the pursuit of Him in all truth.