To this day Ethiopia remembers the evangelist Philip as the man of God who preached the gospel to their first convert. We know him as the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts 8. This man was the treasurer of Queen Candace and a proselyte (a non-Jew who had converted to the Hebrew faith). My guess is that it was a prayer for insight into the Messianic passage (Isaiah 53) that brought Philip (sent by God) to his chariot to explain the passage to him. If you seek you will find! The gospel was preached and responded to. Both men went down into the water where Philip baptised this man-without-a-name into Christ, and he ‘went on his way rejoicing’ (Acts 8:39). Of today’s 110 million Ethiopians, 62% claim a connection to the Christian faith. If we were honest, we would admit that Ethiopia is basically off our radar of everyday consciousness. The average person I know would probably have a fair idea where it is on the African continent, but beyond vague memories of famine and civil war, not much else would come to mind. Recently, I read an article that stated that 81 people were killed in riots. The gunning down of popular singer-songwriter and activist, Hachalu Hundessa, sparked an outbreak of violence and death. You would have to be a keen follower of international news to know that 81 souls were killed in those riots. 81 Ethiopian mothers wept for their babies lost to mob violence. It is the Spirit of Christ who heals nations. Therein is hope. If one Bible study could plant the spiritual seeds that changed Ethiopia 2000 years ago, why can’t we today? We must pray that specific joy felt by the royal treasurer can once again come to Ethiopia. Only then can sorrow be turned to joy.
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