God's Holy Fire: 'On His Way Rejoicing'

Saturday, November 28, 2026

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As [Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch] rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?" He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.

Note: The NLT translation has verse 37 only in a footnote.

— Acts 8:36-39 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus. Baptism. The Holy Spirit. Cross-cultural sharing of the Good News about Jesus. Rejoicing. These things go together. In his last words, before he ascended back to the Father, Jesus commanded that his followers share the Good News about him to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). The apostles' first public declaration of the Good News was to Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 2:33-39). Now, as Jesus had commanded, the message was moving out from Jerusalem into other places and being shared with other races in Samaria (Acts 8:4-8, 25) and then with an Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-39). The same joyous results were produced in each case. Where the message of Jesus is received and the Holy Spirit is experienced, people are brought the joy of salvation.

Today's Prayer

O Father, use me and those in my spiritual family to make a difference in the lives of others. Help us introduce them to Jesus and unleash the power of the Holy Spirit into their lives so that they can experience the joy of your salvation. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

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6 Related Resources by Heartlight

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"Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away,..."
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"These words may answer your scruples, devout reader, concerning the ordinances. Perhaps you say, "I should be afraid to be baptized; it is such a..."
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"Dear Friend, Two powerful themes from the Bible converge in this one story in today's Scripture about Philip and the Ethiopian dignitary:After My..."
See All 6 Related Resources about Acts 8:36-39

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 8:36-39 NLT — "Look! There's some water! Why can't I be baptized?"

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About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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