STOP THE CHARIOT ! Sharing your faith, part 2
January 16, 2011
It’s still pretty early in the new year, and I’m just wondering…how are you making out with any resolutions you made for 2011? Have we started eating better, getting more exercise, quitting any ‘bad habits’, spending more time with family than with TV, creating a budget and sticking to it, etc, etc, etc? Or have we left those resolutions in the dust of the first ½ of the first month which has come, and is now gone.
How about taking on new challenges, like the one I gave to us last week of writing down the names of 5 people we can pray for on a daily basis for their journey with the Lord to begin? How’s that going? Do you have 5 names, have you written them down? Are they in a prominent place where you’ll see them daily? Have we thought about changing our computer desktop to say, ‘have you prayed today?’
Today, as we continue in a group of messages about sharing our faith, I want us to consider how AVAILABLE we are to do just that…share the truth we believe. Because that’s what evangelism is, sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Shaper of the stars, the Prophesy of old, the Messiah, the Saviour of the World who is worthy of all our praise!
Have you ever thought of life as if it going by way too quickly? Does it sometimes or always feel as if you’re on the highway of life and there’s so much going on that you wish you could stop the car and just figure things out, pause and make some serious decisions, pull over and look at a map of where you life is headed? Does that possibly sound like someone you know?
Turn in your Bible to the book of Acts, chapter 8. We’re going to read about a man named Philip, who lived a long time ago, and who was ready, willing, and able to share about Jesus with anyone…and about a man who was headed through life with lots of questions as to what life was about. He was on a chariot trip of discovery that had gone many miles, and was in real need of pulling over. So I’ve titled this message ‘ stop the chariout!’
Acts 8:26-40 (New International Version 1984, ©1984)
Philip and the Ethiopian
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: (Isaiah 53)
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” 37 Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
1) Witnessing begins with listening for God’s voice
Philip was a busy guy. He was preaching the word to the people of a city in the area of Samaria. You may recall that the Samaritans were very much separate from the Jews of that day. They were seen as half-breeds, who mixed their marriages and religions with those who lived in the land given to the Jewish people by God. The Jews despised the Samaritans. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan (the one who acted like a neighbour should), and Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. He reached out in love to those whom the rest of society looked down upon. That’s a lesson right there…And Philip was doing likewise in bringing the gospel to those who needed it, and who received it. And things were going great! Until…
An angel comes and tells Philip to head south…to the road, the desert road, that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza. No small trip! Samaria is in the north, Gaza is on the southern coast…several days from where he’s comfortably having a successful ministry. He’s doing fine thank you very much…but the angel said go. And he didn’t give any more detail than that…little things like…WHY?! Why should I go? Where EXACTLY? A ‘road’ is kind of vague don’t you think? And did I mention that he had to WALK? !
Could this really be God speaking to him? Does God speak that way today? When was the last time God spoke to you about going somewhere, leaving your comfort zone, heading…somewhere, but not being very specific about it? Do we recognize His voice when He speaks to us? Perhaps it is in a dream, like Joseph heard when told to take Mary as His wife, or to leave for Egypt in the middle of the night. Maybe we get a feeling or thought that we just can’t get out of our head…is that God’s voice? Or maybe someone comes to us and says something like, ‘have you ever thought about using your gifts in this area or that?’
These can all be the voice of God speaking to us. And it may not, like it wasn’t for our man Phil here, exactly what the purpose of going somewhere or doing something is at the time. The point is to be listening for that voice, and willing to get up and go and do what it is God is directing us in. Could be as simple like ‘take the bus today instead of driving, why not go for a walk along the beach, how about dropping in to your neighbours and see how they’re doing.’ Simple, non-direct instructions on going, and doing…are we listening for that voice.
Then, like Philip, just do it. He didn’t question the angel, he started on his way. Simple obedience that lead to an opportunity.
2. Watch for Opportunities…then listen for God’s leading
How many people do we meet in a day? The answer to that depends completely on whether or not we get out of our house or not. Because we might not meet anyone, anytime, anywhere if we never go outside our front door. (unless someone comes knocking on our door…but that’s for another time). Have you seen that bumper sticker that says, ‘Been nowhere, done nothing.’? How depressing; to think of sitting around doing nothing. And nothing will happen in our goal of sharing the gospel if we don’t take the opportunities that God has waiting for us just outside our doors.
You see it wasn’t when Philip arrived at the designated point of his journey; remember he didn’t HAVE one! It was ON THE WAY that he met this Ethiopian fellow heading home from a trip to Jerusalem. It was at the point of obedience that Philip was given the opportunity to meet someone who was SEARCHING for the truth. This fellow, likely a black man from Africa who had seen many religions in his day and likely also looked at as different by those in Israel, was trying to figure out Who God really was, and was looking for answers in many places.
And it’s in the midst of this trip that God brings someone into HIS path who can give him some of those answers. Now God gets specific with Philip. The SPIRIT now tells him, “Go to THAT chariot and stay near it.”
Here is the specific opportunity God had in mind for Philip. He was obedient in following God’s initial direction, now he has a specific plan for him, that was only revealed once Philip was on his way. It was then that he was given the opportunity to share.
When we pass someone while you walk the streets and paths of this area, when we’re at a bus stop or on the bus or in line at a store, when we’re having friends over for dinner, or whenever or wherever we find ourselves going, do we see people that you don’t know? We don’t know their names, their history, their relationship status or Facebook status. We don’t know if they’re doing great or living at the edge of anxiety. But God knows.
And maybe there are times when you feel God whispering in your heart to notice someone, to stand closer, to look in their eyes, to hear their voice…to take a step of faith and trust that God may have you in that place at that time near that person so that God can use you to change a life! Philip didn’t know this guy, and he was a high official who likely had a rather large entourage of guards and servants and all that goes along with that, and out of that crowd, God says…HIM…go to HIM. God had a plan, Philip was ready to obey…are we?
3. Ask a good question, and be ready to give a good answer
Here a man is reading the word, and can’t figure out what it’s about. And God brings to the man another, who just happens to know a bit about what that passage is about. The eunuch was seeking, God supplied Philip for him. Philip was obedient, and God brought him to the eunuch. One person had questions, another gave answers. A divine appointment.
There are many, many people who are seeking answers about God. And many, many people are not necessarily going to come through the doors of this or any evangelical church to find the answers. They, like the eunuch, may try many different things to fill the void in their life that they are seeking to see fulfilled. And many people have never heard anything about Jesus Christ and the good news of His saving mercy and grace.
They travel through life seeking answers wherever they think they’ll find them. They may look to possessions, money, drugs, alcohol, sexual pleasures, idols of many kinds. They may even try being a great humanitarian and do wonderful things for people but somehow it never brings real satisfaction, real peace, real comfort.
What they need is for someone to come alongside their chariot and ask them a good question like Philip did. He asked, ‘do you understand what you’re reading?’ Maybe a simple ‘hello, how are you?’ could lead to someone actually giving us an honest answer and telling us that they are really feeling somewhat empty inside and don’t know how to fill that void?
I believe that one of the main reasons that people do not come to faith in Christ is because they do not understand what it means to be a Christian, a Christ-follower, a child of God. The fact that this generation, and the one previous to it, have been much less exposed to the gospel than many before them is a huge contributor to the fact that more kids can identify the logos of most fast food restaurants than can name the four gospels, much less know who Jesus Christ is.
Those a little older may have preconceived ideas about ‘the church’ and think it’s all about religion, a bunch of do’s and don’t, when the truth is that it’s all about relationship between us and God.
Some have been hurt in the past by someone in the church, or the church as a whole. Perhaps love and forgiveness, mercy and grace, hope and truth, were not evident in the lives and ministry of people they had once trusted…and that broken trust lead to broken faith.
Maybe they need someone to come alongside and ask them what they understand about God, about Jesus, and then listen to their answer, and then tell them what they know about God, about how have all hurt God by living lives for ourselves; lives of sin, how he loves us so much that Jesus died to pay for our selfishness and sin, that He rose again, and that He is still alive and will be forever, as can we if we will put aside our selfishness, accept His forgiveness, and live our lives for Him and for His glory.
Those who have not become full devoted followers of Christ need to meet up with someone who has. People need to know that God really does make the difference between being fulfilled, and just cruising through life on a chariot that’s headed nowhere.
And once they come to that point of belief, once they get some questions answered (not all of them necessarily) and understand what it means to be a Christian, it’s a that point, like the man from Ethiopia said…STOP THE CHARIOT!
Philip had spent some real time explaining the gospel to that man, he understood it, he believed it, and he wanted to STOP where he was going and START a new direction in his life. Here’s water, why shouldn’t I be baptized? He made a statement of faith…he believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God…and right then, right there, with all the entourage in full view, he was baptized…and Philip was transported away…how cool would that be?!
Philip was the answer to that man’s questions, and was ready to lead him to the point of putting faith in Jesus Christ. Are we ready to do the same? Are we listening for God’s leading, looking for opportunities, and ready to answer the questions that will come?
Are we committed to get better at doing those things, to deepening our faith, to learn the scriptures, to pray for those we know need to put their faith in Jesus, and for those who we may simply meet on the road of life? Jesus said, GO and make disciples…let’s go and do that today, and every day.
