In Acts, Luke describes how Philip was led meet a government official from Ethiopia who was reading God's Word on the way home from worship in Jerusalem. As they discussed a passage the man was reading from Isaiah, he asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” And what comes next is what always makes me smile. Luke says that “Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” It's a remarkable passage as we'll hear. But I suspect that Philip could have begun with any passage of Scripture and shared the Good News of our Savior’s rescue. That’s_ because _all of Scripture points to our Savior and the salvation God prepared for us in Him.

It’s the pipe dream that we, and our faith, can flourish apart from Christ. Jesus used the example of branches on a grapevine. He said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. ” And then He points out, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” Why? Because God is the source of our life and salvation. In these weeks following Easter, it’s good for us to hear these words. Abiding in Christ, or remaining Christ, reminds us that we can never “go it alone” when it comes to our new life in Him.

Episode artwork in Public Domain.