“Follow that Chariot”
Acts 9:26-40
For several years I really struggled with this thing called witnessing. Sharing my faith. Largely because I didn’t really know what to say. I put a license plate on my car that simply said Jesus. I put a bumper sticker on also that read, warning in case of rapture this car will be unmanned. I carried a keychain… it was leather, in the shape of fish as I want others to know that I was a fisher of men. But still I wasn’t leading very many people to Christ. Maybe you have struggled with this also. Across the years church members have given me some of their reasons for not being able to share their faith.
Some have told me that they just don’t know the right words to say. That makes sense to me because we all want to be sure we say the right words. After all, we are inviting someone to make a decision that will change the rest of their life.
Others have told me they lacked personal confidence. I can understand that as well. For some of us it is like entering uncharted territory-like going to a place we have never been before and we simply don’t know what to expect.
A third comment I hear is that some are afraid they might be asked to answer a question about something in the Bible and they would be embarrassed if they couldn’t. Yet upon further conversation, individuals tell me that somehow they wish they could get through all these difficulties because they know it is God’s will-because God wants us to share our faith. All of us would agree with this statement... It is God’s will that his lost children be found.
In this passage, Philip, one of the early deacons in the church is now entering a new level of ministry. He has been doing ministry in Jerusalem and now God is sending him to Gaza, about 50 miles away. The timing seems odd because his ministry is going well in Jerusalem. But God of course was looking at the bigger picture and it was time for Philip to make this move. This is not the only time we see this sort of thing take place in the Bible. In fact there is a pattern I think in the Scripture-----it happens many times unexpectedly.
• God spoke to Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh to preach the gospel. The Bible says that Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed in the opposite direction. God said, go this way. Jonah said, I’m going that way.
• God spoke to Moses and said I want you to go to Pharaoh and I want you to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses said, Lord I don’t know what to say besides that I have a speech problem. He likely stuttered. God said, you’re the one I’ve chosen..
• God spoke to Abraham and said leave your country, leave your people, leave your father’s house and I want you to go to a new land that I’m going to show to you. Essentially you leave and I’ll tell you when you get there.
In all of these situations, Jonah, Moses, Abraham all were given directions as to what they were to do but they all three had major questions as to how they were to go about it. There is story after story in the Scripture where God asked his people to do something but He doesn’t give them all the details. In fact he gives them very few details. And there is a reason for that. It is called faith. God does not do anything outside of the realm of faith. If you want God to act, you must have faith. And it is our faith that God has called us to share with others.
There is a guiding principle we must understand as we begin and it is this: we cannot separate our spiritual lives from our physical lives. Here’s what I mean. If I ask you, how much time you spend with the Lord each week? What portion of your life does God occupy? You may say well at least 15 minutes a day, Bible study, prayer, maybe 2 to 3 hours a week total. That would come to about 30 minutes a day. But there are 1440 minutes day. So what about the other 1400? God wants to be involved in every minute of your days you share your faith. Look at these principles with me.
1. God will direct us to lost people. It is believed that at least one half of the United States population is lost, without Jesus. That comes to about 160 million people. If that group of people were a nation by themselves it would be the fourth largest nation in the world. We do not lack for people to talk to about Jesus.
2. God is already at work in the lives of these people. Verses 27 through 29. God is drawing the net, bringing in the lost. This man identified in this passage as being from Ethiopia had just been to Jerusalem for worship. Just as you are here today. So he was apparently a religious man; looking for the truth. And here he sits in the parking lot and he is reading from the scroll of Isaiah.
There are at least five methods we see that God uses to draw people to him. First of all God uses the church. God uses Eagle’s Landing Church. We’ve seen 246 people baptized since our beginning. But we have only scratched the surface. (2) God uses prayer. Every one of you should have a list of unchurched/lost people you are praying for. (3) God uses the Holy Spirit. It is his spirit that will prepare the hearts of loss people. (4) God uses our circumstances. There are people all over our area going through very trying, difficult circumstances in need of Jesus. One member of our church told me years ago that they received the terrible news that his wife’s daughter, in her 30s had been killed in a tragic car accident. He said while sitting at the funeral he realized he did not know Christ and that moment he prayed received Christ as his Savior. At a funeral. I baptized both he and his wife in our first baptism service. God uses our life circumstances. (5) God uses the Scripture. It’s a set of directions. We see him using the Scripture here in this man’s life. God will direct you to someone. God will already be at work in their life when he does.
(3) When God directs you to someone, is often best to begin with a question. Philip went over and stood by the chariot and said to him... Verse 30. Do you understand what you are reading? Listen to his response. How can I unless someone explains it to me? You are that person. Come up with a question that is natural for you to use to open the conversation. That leads us to number four.
(4) When God opens the door, step in. When God kicks the door open for you, that is not the time to wait. If you get an opportunity to share the gospel, do it. Timing matters. Next week I’m going to go over what to say when you have this opportunity. But basically you should share your story-how Christ changed you. Share some Scripture. And offer to pray with them.
(5) Be patient. God is in charge, not you. We want to see a genuine desire on their part to receive Christ. We do not want to pressure someone to make a decision they are not ready to make. For those of you fish, you know that there are several requirements to catch fish.
• There have to be fish in the lake. If there are none then you can fish all month and you will not catch a thing.
• You have to use the right bait. Years ago I took my daughter fishing in one of the ponds near our home. I took a chunk of honey-baked ham, placed it on a hook and she tossed it in.
That day we caught almost 25 fish and that will pond. You know what? Over 20 times we caught the same one. He was so beat up by the time we finish with him. But he was loving him some Honey-baked ham. When you find an approach that works for you, use it. If God blesses it, use it.
• Be patient while you learn.
(6) Begin right where they are and then lead them to where they need to be. Vvs. 34-35. Philip met him right at his point of need and then he took him straight into a conversation about Jesus. Tell them about your church. Tell them about your friends at church. Hey, tell them about the pastor if you want to but in all of our conversation, be sure you tell them about Jesus-the one who changed your life.
(7) Follow-up. Encourage them to get into the word. Encourage them to get into the water and be baptized. Look at verse 36.
Who has God placed in your path that he would have you share your faith with Is God saying to you, follow that chariot, follow that car, go to your neighbor, go to your children, go to someone at work...
Who has God placed on your heart?
Story of Warren Henderson. Or other. Pray about this.
