2022-05-29 – Acts 8:26-40 – The Ministry of Reconciliation

2022-05-29 – Acts 8.26-40 – The Ministry of Reconciliation, pg 974

Good morning everyone. I am so pleased that you chose to spend the morning with us here today. God bless you all.

Let me remind you that tomorrow is Memorial Day. I hope you are able take a few minutes out of your busy day and pause and pray in honor of those who died for our country.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, because many people visit cemeteries and place flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes. My family and I did that last week in Oskaloosa, IA. Other ways we observe of Memorial Day is by:  [SLIDE]

-Visiting memorials
-Flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff tomorrow until noon
-Flying the ‘POW/MIA flag
-Participating in a “National Moment of Remembrance”: at 3 p.m. to pause     and think upon the true meaning of the day
-And by renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen heroes, and to aid the disabled veterans of our communities.

Jesus Christ told us in John 15 “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”, then He did just that, as did so has many in uniform.
That is what Memorial Day is for, to recognize them. So I encourage each of you to observe and enjoy this national day of reflection tomorrow. [pause]

Today I am going to talk to you about what it means to be an Evangelist.

Pastor Adrian Rogers once gave an illustration where a sales manager was trying to motivate of some of his sales force. He went into a meeting and lifted up a big piece of white poster board that had one big black dot in the middle. He asked them, what do you see? and all of them quickly responded that they saw a black dot on that paper. The manager then said I find it interesting that all of you saw the black dot but failed to recognize all of the white space around it.

So many times we get so captivated at looking at our situation, that we fail to see the opportunities. That’s what an Evangelist does, they look for the opportunities.

As recorded in John 4:35, Jesus said “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest”.

Brothers and sisters, God has a plan for you and I, and He wants us to get our minds off of self, and on to others. That is what an Evangelism is all about.

There are three takeaways for today’s message I would suggest: [SLIDE]

Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s direction.
Be brave and obedient, for God is with you.
Your faithful effort can change the world.

Origin of word EVANGEL (Greek e-u-angélion) That word-part Angelion or Angel is really just another word for messenger. And so, as we Evangelize, we are actually bringing the message or the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ and Salvation.

Jesus calls all of us to be bringing His good news to the world. That is what is referred to in our Bibles as His Great Commission. Therefore, if you are truly a Christ follower, then you are also an Evangelist of sort. Jesus has chosen to use All Christians to carry on His mission of saving souls for all of eternity. God came to Earth in human form, to save us, and now he wants to employ you and I to be part of His outreach mission. That is what we are going to learn more about today. How can you and I become more effective about sharing the Good News message to the people that God sends our way. [SLIDE]

In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 The Apostle Paul wrote, 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

So here it says very clearly that Jesus gave us the “Ministry of Reconciliation”. The word reconcile means to bring back together. Jesus wants us to help Him bring back together, those that sin has separated them from the Kingdom of God.

You will recall also in Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said himself “Therefore go and make disciples” – That wasn’t just a kind request, that was an order by Jesus Christ himself to me and to you. I have said frequently, that if God has you on this planet one more day after you have accepted His saving grace, then it is for you to play an active role in His “Ministry of Reconciliation”. Jesus chooses us to serve as His ambassadors, His hands, His feet, and His mouthpiece, to love people enough to step-into this most essential and important work and calling.

Listen clearly, and please choose to believe, that Jesus want’s us all to help save people from an eternity in hell. That is serious business. Our Bible says that Hell is where there is darkness and pain, solitude and suffering. God doesn’t want that for anyone, but unfortunately many will still choose for themselves to go there, and that really breaks my heart.

So now with that background..
Please turn in your Bibles to Acts 8:26, pg 974 in the Inspired, Infallible and Living Word of God, and let us start with prayer.   [Prayer]

Before reading our sermon verses today, I will first introduce you to the main character which is a Deacon and Evangelist in the early church named Philip. Many people confuse the Apostle Philip with the Evangelist Philip, but they are two different servants of the early church.

Earlier in this chapter of Acts 8, it indicates that the Evangelist Philip was very actively serving and winning souls for Jesus. [SLIDE] Verse 5 says:

5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

Philip must have been a very good Evangelist. It says that crowds were paying attention to him and many were being be saved. I can’t say that from my experience it is always so successful. When I go out and talk to people, it surely isn’t crowds, but maybe only a few at a time. And frequently it is challenging to get their attention. But we are responsible to be faithful to our calling, and leave the results to God. If we can get the attention of even a few, then it is a success.

Now our main verses today start at verse 26 gives us an amazing twist.. [SLIDE]

26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went.

So, Philip who was in the middle of what could be considered a great revival for the area around Samaria, now was instructed by an angel of the Lord to just drop everything that he was doing and just go. So Philip went from Samaria, to a road that leads down toward Gaza, just south of Jerusalem. Just to give you a perspective that is about 60 miles or probably a three-day journey by foot.

Notice though that the angel didn’t even give Philip any specific location, just someplace between Jerusalem and Gaza. And the Angel didn’t even tell Philip why he was going, just go and go now, so Philip did. He got up and went.

When I was in the military years ago, I was part of what was called a Rapid Deployment unit, where we were supposed to be prepared to ship out on a moment’s notice, but in reality, it never was immediate. We generally got a 24-hour notice, to give us time to get your lives in order and be ready to go. Even though we had our bags packed, it still took a little time to get things together. But that isn’t what Philip did, He just got up and went, on that moment’s notice. Question: What would you do if an Angel of the Lord told you to get up and go?

This story also reminds me of Abraham in the Old Testament, who even before Israel was Israel, God told him in Genesis 12, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” And Abraham did just that. Great men of God listen to the Holy Spirit’s calling on their lives. I should be more like Abraham, I should be more like Philip. Learn to listen and follow the Holy Spirits leading in your life, and in that you will surely be blessed.

So let’s see what happens next as verse 27 continues,[SLIDE] Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 

So, Philip leaves the city, leaves the revival, leaves the new Samaritan believers, and is now standing alone in the midst of a desert, waiting for the purpose of God to reveal itself. Although Philip didn’t know why, he trusted that God always has a reason. Likewise, many times we don’t know the why of our situations either.
But I promise you that God always has a purpose and a plan. May I suggest, that as Christ followers, a big part of our joy is the journey. Part of our purpose is to figure out God’s purpose and plan for our lives. But many times, God wants to see you to step-out in faithful obedience.

I could just imagine as Philip was out there in the center of that desert land, then all of a sudden, after three-days of travel, this Ethiopian statesman drives by in his chariot. I don’t suppose that there were many Ethiopian Eunichs driving by that day. But some how the Holy Spirit connected those two, and God did what God does and presented an opportunity for the Gospel message to be shared.

Many times, as I am in my chariot, maybe at a gas station or downtown someplace, I frequently find opportunities to engage with other people. I am sure some might find it a bit strange, but most folks are generally happy to talk with me. You never know how God might be using even those situations for His purposes. I can’t tell you how many times I have had the privilege of praying for people while even just pumping gas. Like Philip, you never know what difference you might make in somebody’s life. Always be ready to serve as Christ’s ambassador, as it might even be a God ordained opportunity. [SLIDE]

29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

Wow, Now Philip knows what the Lord intended by directing him to this desolate place. Philip was at the right place, at the right time, and the situation was perfect for sharing God’s Word. Maybe you too have had that same kind of revelation? Where maybe after going through something in your life, you then can look back and see how God used that situation for His purpose or for your benefit. Here, I believe, Philip understood that the Lord was exercising amazing mercy on a man whose nationality and status might have made him think the God of Israel would never care about him. And now God was showing him that he was important, he was valuable, and he was loved. And not only that, Philip might have also realized that the Lord was going to great lengths in orchestrating a perfect opportunity to evangelize this Ethiopian, and subsequently maybe even the whole country of Ethiopia through him. We can’t know for sure, but a Greek cleric named Irenaeus wrote in the second century that this same Ethiopian became a great missionary among his people. Brothers and sisters, we can trust that the Lord knows what He is doing. We may not fully understand it sometimes, but we can trust the Lord in all things. I like what the Profit Isaiah wrote “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”. And to that all I can say is Amen.

Another key point from these verses we just read, notice it says that Philip “ran up to the chariot”, we should be so responsive in doing God’s will. We need to be prepared, and we need to be sensitive to God’s leading. Amen? Verse 32 continues, [SLIDE] it says:

32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” [PAUSE]

Can you imagine a better setup than this for the Great Evangelist Philip? This Ethiopian eunuch was already reading from an Isaiah scroll that was written about 800 years earlier about the coming Messiah. When this kind of thing happens I call them affirmations, as it affirms that God is with us. Rest assured that even now God is setting up great works for His glory and purpose through me and you. It isn’t too often that we get these types of perfect set-up opportunities, but when it does happen, it is wonderful to realize. God wants you to know that, as we are working for Him, He is working with you. You are not alone. If you want to truly feel God working in your life, then start faithfully and obediently working for Him. I promise that in that you will not be disappointed.[]

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this? About himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 

I would speculate that the Ethiopian man was in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Somehow he got a copy of that ancient scripture scroll of the Old Testament, Isaiah 53 & 56. The Ethiopian was asking Philip who it was that Isaiah wrote about. To which, Philip told him that Jesus was that man. Philip saw with his own eyes how Jesus became the answer to what Isaiah prophesized about some 800 years earlier. That like a “silent lamb” Jesus paid for all our sins on the cross. That is the Good News ladies and gentlemen, Good News Indeed.
Make no mistake, what happened that day was such a blessing, both for the eunuch and for Philip as well. Philip saw God actively working through him that day. And you and I can have those same holy experiences if we choose to step out in our faith journey.

I won’t say it is always easy but it is essential to our calling. Many of times I struggle with how to properly introduce Jesus to the folks I meet along the way. Seldom have I experienced such an amazing setup like Philip. But I realize that nobody comes to God unless God first prepares their hearts, just like God prepared the Ethiopian man’s heart. As we have the privilege to witness to people, we need to be sensitive to present the Good News Gospel in a way that they might be prepared to receive it. This Ethiopian accepted the Gospel message that day, the next verses here make that plain and clear: [SLIDE]

36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

It is obvious Philip told the Eunuch that just as Jesus was baptized, He instructs all believers to be baptized as well. So right then and there, with no special preparation, the eunuch was baptized by Philip. They both now loved and obeyed Jesus, the Lamb of God, their Savior, Messiah and Lord. What wonderful and Extraordinary act of Obedience they demonstrated. In the middle of the desert, God provided a body of water, and they both jumped in.

Our last verses today, starting at 39 says:[SLIDE]

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Interesting to note here that after they came up out of the water, Philip didn’t then walk just away, it says the Holy Spirit “snatched” Philip away. I am sure the eunuch was surprised, but it probably also further excited him, solidifying his understanding and belief that this was not just a chance encounter. God performed a miracle using Philip that day. The eunuch was rejoicing whiles Philip kept evangelizing.

This His-Story lesson today is truly a great example of Extraordinary Obedience, and God’s Omnipresence and love. We all should be more like Philip, and be willing to carry out God’s will as He makes it known to us. And in so doing, your life, as well as your family’s life, will be fuller and more blessed than you could ever imagine. And like Philip and the eunuch, get to know God’s Word. Set the example, and let your children see you studying God’s word. Like it says in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Our wonderful Father God wants you to know that He is paying attention, and He loves you so. Just like He did for the Ethiopian Eunuch, He is watching over you right now as well, and He desires for you to draw closer to Him. He never forces Himself upon anyone, but He offers a blessed life to those that will call upon His son Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior.

Jesus Christ’s Great Commission commands us to step-into our faith mission to bring others the Good News of Salvation. Blessed is the one who brings the Good News of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..

Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Acts 1:8 “‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”

Matthew 9:37-38 [Jesus said] “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Isaiah 6:8 I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

As an evangelist, how you do it is different for each situation. But do it we must. I can suggest some simple steps you can take in that regard.
First look at the person and just say hello with a smile. You would be surprised how many opportunities open with that simple gesture. Maybe open the door for somebody, and maybe let them get in front of you in line. Acknowledge something about their person that you can compliment. Maybe their hat their coat, their car, or their beautiful children. Like the old saying, “People don’t care what you think, until they think that you care”. Shot them you care.

If the Holy Spirit leads you, then you might ask a simple question like where they are from, or say something about the weather. Those types of unthreatening questions or comments then could lead to questions about their faith, or maybe where they go to church. Or you can just give a simple greeting like, God bless you today. Or just ask them sincerely “How can I Pray for you Today?”. You would be surprised at the impact of that simple gesture. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in each situation. Show uncommon grace, show uncommon mercy, show uncommon kindness. That will break down barriers faster than anything else.

Be brave for Jesus brothers and sisters. And in that you will certainly be blessed. Don’t look at the black dots like the salesmen in the story I told earlier.. Instead look for the opportunities and I promise that you will find them..

Again he three takeaways for the message I would suggest are: [SLIDE]

Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s direction.
Be brave and obedient, for God is with you.
Your faithful effort can change the world.

 

But all this means nothing if you are not first a believer..

And that is what some people will say when you talk to them. Why should I believe? Then maybe tell them your story. You don’t have to be a theologian to do that. And maybe you can remind them of John 3:16, say it with me now. “God so loved the world that Sent His only Son. That whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life”. Jesus spent more than three years showing people the miracles.. and then He died for you and me..

Will you please stand with me now.    Let Us Pray: Heavenly Father..