Daily Bread – September 9, 2023 (The Seventh Day – Genesis 2:1-3) Acts 8:39-40 – And when they came up from the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away and the Eunuch saw him no more, so he went on his way rejoicing. However, Philip found himself at Azotus, and he went about preaching to all the cities until he reached Caesarea. The book of Acts records a constant display of the extraordinary power of God in the Church and the life of the believers. In this event during the ministry of Philip, the Greek word ‘harpazo’ is used, which may be translated “seize, catch away, or snatch away.” This is the same word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which speaks of the time when the Lord Jesus returns to meet His saints in the air, “Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught away together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…” These events in the life of Philip communicate to us how the ministers of the Church lived by the immediate influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. The same display of power manifested in the life of Jesus when He and His disciples were translated should still be observed in the many different miraculous ways of Jesus’ ministry today (John 6:19-21, 14:12). When God’s ministers are so under the control of the Holy Spirit that God translates them from one place to the other, then there can be little question as to the reality of God. The Church is supposed to have a reputation for great exploits and the demonstration of the power of God so the world around us can fear and tremble at the awesome reality of God. As the saints of God, it is essential we return to such holy communion with God that we live more in the heavenly than in the earthly (Colossians 3:1-4; Ephesians 2:6, 3:10; Hebrews 11:16, 6:4; 2 Peter 1:3-4). The great exploits and power of God were demonstrated in many different ways in the lives of those in the Old Testament as well. Among other things, Enoch, Elijah, and Ezekiel are examples of those who were translated by the Spirit of God (Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11; Ezekiel 3:14). Evidently, it was somewhat common for Elijah to be translated by the Spirit to different locations and the nations around him trembled at the awesome power of His God displayed through his life (2 Kings 2:16; 1 Kings 18:12). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 9/9/2023
