our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Jun 20, 2017, 12:00:17 AM6/20/17

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Finding Waldo

The [Ethiopian] asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Acts 8:34

Waldo is the cartoonish star of “Where’s Waldo,” a now-classic best-selling children’s book series. Waldo hides himself in the crowded scenes on each page, inviting children to find where he’s hiding. Parents around the world love the moments of sweet discovery when their children’s faces signal they’ve found Waldo. They also enjoy the occasions when they’re invited to help find him.

Shortly after Stephen, a deacon in the early church, was stoned to death for proclaiming Christ (see Acts 7), widespread persecution broke out against Christians, causing many to flee Jerusalem. Another deacon, Philip, followed these fleeing Christians into Samaria, where he proclaimed Christ and it was well received (8:6). While there, the Holy Spirit sent Philip on a special mission to “the desert road.” It must have seemed a strange request given the fruit his preaching was producing in Samaria itself. Imagine Philip’s joy, then, when he met and helped the Ethiopian court official find Jesus in the pages of Isaiah (vv. 26–40).

We too are often given the chance to help others “find Jesus” throughout the Scriptures so they may know Him more fully. Like a parent witnessing the joy of discovery in their child’s eyes and like Philip helping the Ethiopian find Jesus, it can be exhilarating for us to witness the moment of discovery in those around us. As we go through our days, may we be prepared to share Christ as the Spirit leads us, whether they are people we know well or those we meet even just once.

The biggest work a Christian can do is to find his friend and introduce him to Jesus Christ.

我找到了！

埃提阿伯人]对腓利说：“请问先知说这话，是指着谁？是指着自己呢？是指着别人呢？”-使徒行传8章34节

儿童游戏图书《威利在哪里？》畅销全球，或许你也曾经玩过。威利会藏在复杂的场景里，让小朋友寻找。父母喜欢看见孩子找到威利时的欢乐，他们也乐意帮忙孩子，一同寻找威利。

初代教会的执事司提反因宣扬基督被石头打死（使徒行传7章）。之后，基督徒受逼迫逃离耶路撒冷。另一位执事腓利也随众人逃到撒马利亚，宣扬基督，许多人都愿意相信（8章6节）。福音在撒马利亚传开，但正当腓利结了许多福音的果子时，却得到指示前往旷野。在那里，圣灵带领腓利遇见了埃提阿伯的太监，并帮助他在以赛亚书的经文中找到耶稣（26-40节）。我们可以想像，那时腓利是多么喜乐啊！

我们也能帮助人从圣经“寻找耶稣”，好让他们能对耶稣有更全面的认识。当我们帮助周围的朋友找着耶稣时，我们所感受的喜乐，就如同腓利帮助那个埃提阿伯人找着耶稣时，或父母看见孩子找到威利时，那样令人无比振奋！愿我们在生活中的每一天，无论是面对熟识的或只是偶遇的朋友，都能预备好自己让圣灵带领，与他们分享基督的福音。

天父，感谢祢差派人来帮助我们找到祢、认识祢。
愿我们也能蒙圣灵差遣，引导人找到祢。