Welcome back to the best place on the internetosphere for insight with inversions, it's Tuesday's Musical Notes coming from the palatial 2nd story offices of Cross & Kin productions. If you haven't been over to Cross & Kin's YouTube channel in a while (Cross & Kin - YouTube.com) and you just happen to be a fan of Star Wars, click on over and see the month-long celebration we have going on over there. We're posting material every Thursday (2nd favorite day of the week!!!), and inserting some "Solo" projects that the "Kin" (daughter Kristen) shot that are extremely engaging...Yup, fatherly bias kicking in. Anyway, go check out Star Wars Month over at Cross & Kin, and of course... "May The Force Be With You". (Ok, shameless self-promotion out of the way...at least for now.)
As you drop out of lightspeed from that "galaxy far, far away" we'd like to welcome you to Tuesday's Musical Notes once again! This is the place where you may very well find wisdom and wind chimes, as well as the aforementioned insights and inversions in the same sentence. It is a musical land that isn't just satisfied with lyrics and licks, but wonders if those tones and tunes could have another meaning than the ones intended. Don't judge, folks have been looking for "super secret" messages in lyrics since well, music lyrics were created. So Tuesday's Musical Note is simply following a trend, granted The Notes messages rarely have a possible insidious motive, drug suggestion, or entendre. We tend toward a positive, and encouraging interpretation of our favorite songs that hopefully stimulate your brain cells while still allowing your toe to tap.
Now let's "Get Up And Go" and get on with your regularly scheduled blog, already in progress...
Coming from the #8 Billboard Album Chart, Certified Gold, 2nd studio album, Vacation, is the single "Get Up And Go" by The Go-Gos. "Get Up And Go" was the second of four singles released from the album. It peaked at #50 not fairing as well as the previous #8 title track single. The song was given good reviews even though it didn't live up to its predecessor in chart success or sales. It featured the Charlotte Caffey/Jane Wieldin penned "Speeding" as its B-side which was not included on the Vacation album.
Lyrically, the song presents listeners with a challenge to make changes to their lives if they are dissatisfied. It suggests being an active participant rather than just yammering on about the things you wish would happen. The adage "actions speak louder than words" seems to have been a foundational thought as Belinda Carlisle's vocals ring through the "beachy" sound that permeates the band's beat, which they got. With its throwback to 60s beach movie sounds, "Get Up and Go" makes for a perfect song to launch into summer activities or at least as a part of your Vacation playlist. It's all you ever wanted in a song to start the summer!
"Get Up And Go" can also serve as the perfect song to challenge a friend or family member into changes that perhaps they don't see that need to be made. There's no telling what you'll find as you encouragingly guide them to action...their action might even see them find someone trying to understand the Bible better!
It is amazing as you wind your way through the book of Acts how the Gospel of Jesus was dispersed around the world. The church was actively being persecuted in Jerusalem which caused the disciples of Jesus to be scattered throughout the region, thus causing the very thing the persecution intended to prohibit. We see in today's passage the direct result and furtherance of the Gospel spread as Philip encounters an official of the Ethiopian court.
In verse 26, the Amplified Bible version of today's Scripture leads with: "But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” Philip was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and would have been present when Jesus had told the apostles and disciples to go into all the world and teach this Gospel to all nations...(The Gospel of Jesus as recorded by Matthew, a tax collector, chapter 28, verses 19-20 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV, The Gospel of Jesus as recorded by Mark, an evangelist, chapter 16, verse 15 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV) The angelic visit described in today's passage would have been an extension or direct application of this instruction the disciples including Philip had received. Notice that the angel didn't tell Philip specifics. He only told Philip to head south into the desert towards Gaza.
What did Philip do? He went. He Got Up And Goed? He was obedient to what God needed him to do. As a believer, what has been your response when given direction by God, audible, by one of His agents, or through Holy Spirit's inclination, to do things that may not include all the specifics you desire? We don't read any hesitation on Philip's part, just an intense immediate obedience to what he was told to do.
Philip's obedience paid off as he soon encountered a eunuch from Ethiopia. For more background on this encounter click on the links: "Who Was the Ethiopian Eunuch in the Bible?" by Sam O'Neill, August 10, 2018 for learnreligions.com, "Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians" by Louis Rushmore for gospelgazette.com The Ethiopian was returning from Jerusalem where, possibly as a proselyte to Judaism, the Bible indicates he had been to worship. As Philip came upon him, the Ethiopian was reading Scripture, specifically the portion of Isaiah that has come to be known as the passage about the suffering servant. (in its entirety, so beautiful we had to see it all...Isaiah 53 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV)
Philip was instructed to go and join himself in the procession and as he did he heard the Scripture being read. He inquired of the Ethiopian official about the understanding of said Scripture and soon learned that the Ethiopian was curious as to whom the passage referred. "...So get up and go..." And Philip got up and went! He immediately began unpacking the Scripture, beginning at Isaiah 53, and "preached" Jesus to the official. The results? Every indication is that the official in the court of the Candace got saved as we soon see the entourage encounter a body of water large enough and he was baptized.
Our Ethiopian brother went away "rejoicing" as he returned to his home, where it is easy to imagine, he began preaching Jesus to the court in which he served.
Philip's job in this area was complete and Luke records that the Spirit took him to Azotus, a city to the slight northwest of Jerusalem. From there Philip continued preaching Jesus up the coast to Caesarea. "...Go ahead and take a ride. No telling what you'll find..."
It seems that the takeaway from our look into today's great story of the Bible is pretty obvious. Do what God tells you to do when God tells you to do it. That seems simple enough until you consider that God may very well be telling you to go to a desert and once you're there preach Jesus to someone who is very much different from you. But the results of your obedience can be a changed life, and possibly more... So no matter how you receive the message, don't wait, just Get Up And Go!
"...I was on the inside
Just looking out for youBut you're the one to make a change
There's nothing I can do
Now's the time for you to move
Actions shout out loud
So cut the talk and move your feet
'Cause words get lost in crowds..."
So Get Up and Go...
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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