Acts 8:26-40
Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch
26An angel from the Lord spoke to
Philip, “At noon, take the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a
desert road.) 27So he did. Meanwhile,
an Ethiopian man was on his way home from Jerusalem, where he had come to
worship. He was a eunuch and an official responsible for the entire treasury of
Candace. (Candace is the title
given to the Ethiopian queen.) 28He was reading the prophet Isaiah
while sitting in his carriage. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Approach this carriage
and stay with it.”
30Running up to the
carriage, Philip heard the man reading the
prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you really
understand what you
are reading?”
31The man replied, “Without someone to guide
me, how could I?” Then he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. 32 This was the passage of scripture he was reading:
Like a sheep he was
led to the slaughter
and
like a lamb before its shearer is silent
so
he didn’t open his mouth.
33In his humiliation justice was taken
away from him.
Who
can tell the story of his descendants
because his life was taken from the earth?
34The eunuch asked
Philip, “Tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? Is he talking about
himself or someone else?” 35Starting
with that passage, Philip proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36As they went down the road, they came to some
water.
The eunuch said, “Look! Water! What would
keep me from being baptized?” 38He
ordered that the carriage halt. Both Philip and the eunuch went down to the
water, where Philip baptized him. 39When
they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The
eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip found himself in Azotus. He traveled
through that area, preaching the good news in all the cities until he reached
Caesarea.
1
John 4:7-21 –
New International Version (NIV)
God’s Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love
one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because
God is love. 9This is how God showed
his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might
live through him. 10This is love: not
that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice
for our sins. 11Dear friends, since
God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No
one has ever seen
God;
but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13This is how we know that
we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14And
we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of
the world. 15If anyone acknowledges
that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for
us.
God
is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17This
is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the
day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There
is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do
with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first
loved us. 20Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother
or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom
they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Anyone who
loves God must also love their brother and sister.
John 15:1-8
I am the true vine
151“I am the true vine, and my
Father is the vineyard keeper.
2He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims
any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you.
4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit
by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit
unless you remain in me. 5I am the vine;
you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. 6If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.
