Acts 8:36-38

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

 An African, a Jew, and an Italian walk into a … no, no, no, that’s not it.

An African, a Jew, and an Italian get converted. Yep, that’s it!

Acts chapters 8-10 are a turning point in the church.

The first seven chapters of Acts describe the goings on at the church in Jerusalem.  At that time the early church was made up mostly of Jews. Acts chapter 7 ends with the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

Then chapter 8 begins with Saul/Paul standing there holding the coats of the guys stoning Stephen.

The next three chapters are unique in that they are a turning point in the church.

The church is transitioning. It will no longer be known as just another Jewish sect. It is changing to what will become a worldwide church that now includes Jews and Gentiles.

And here’s the cool part. Each chapter tells a conversion story. Three conversion stories.

Three completely different people from different backgrounds, races, and professions.

Three completely different conversion experiences.

First is the African, the Ethiopian eunuch. This is a rich man who had a lot of power. He was in charge of the treasury for Queen Candace of Ethiopia. We also know he’s rich because he is traveling in a fancy chariot and reading the book of Isaiah. Books (scrolls) were rare in those days, and you had to be rich to own them.

So, Philip finds him reading scripture and one thing leads to another, and then Philip is baptizing him, because he believed in Jesus and there just happened to be some water right there.

Chapter 9 is the famous Damascus road experience and the conversion of Saul/Paul the Jew, the Pharisee, the tentmaker, the persecutor of the church. Jesus appears to Saul out of a bright light and speaks to him, “Saul, why are you persecuting me.” Saul immediately submits to the power of Jesus Christ, the son of God, and follows Him. Saul becomes the apostle to the Gentiles, and he preaches the gospel far and wide throughout Asia and Europe.

In chapter 10 an Italian named Cornelius, a Roman centurion, who commanded 100 soldiers in the Roman army, had a vision one afternoon. An angel came to him and told Cornelius that he had found favor with God for his prayers and his help for the poor. The angel told him to send for Peter, and Peter came and shared the gospel with him and his family and friends, and they were blessed with Holy Spirit. They believed and were baptized.

These three: the African, the Jew, and the Italian, represent the world Jesus was talking about in John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus is teaching Nicodemus that God came to save the whole world, not just the Jews. God loved the Gentiles, too. The Africans, the Europeans, the Asians, and, yes, also the Jews.

These three conversion stories represent all of the conversions of the whole world. All three are sons of Noah, as we all are. And each is a descendent of a different son of Noah, representing the whole world. The Ethiopian eunuch is a son of Ham, Paul is a son of Shem, and Cornelius is a son of Japheth.

The church would never be the same again.

Yes, Jesus came to save the whole world. Every kind of people in the world, there is no difference now. Saved out of every nation, family, race, and language.

All of God’s children, Jews and Gentiles alike, are now free from the penalty of God’s law, because Jesus paid the penalty for all.We are saved by grace. Hallelujah!

May God Bless You