Title: The Hitch Hiking Deacon
Introduction: There are three requirements to be a deacon mentioned in this verse:
Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
1. Honest. He is to be a man of The Word and a man of his word.
2. Full of the Holy Ghost. This is not a beauty contest. This is a fruit contest. (Fruits of the Spirit)
3. Full of wisdom. He sees everything from an eternal perspective. A deacon is not to be a knee jerk reacting Christian. He needs to help the Pastor calm the ship during the time of the storm.
God desired the Church to bring about world wide evangelism. We find evidence of that in Acts 8, 9, and 10. Noah had three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japeth. In Acts 8, a descendent of Ham is converted (The Eunuch). In Acts chapter 9, a decedent of Shem is converted (Paul), and in Acts chapter 10, a decedent of Japeth is converted (Cornilius).
Their are five interesting things about the text regarding Phillip, the hitch hiking deacon in today’s text. (All the verses found in Acts 8)
1. Not everyone who is rich is happy.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians
The eunuch was in charge of the queens treasury. His desire was to know the King. There was an emptiness in his heart and he had come to Jerusalem to find God.
2. Not everyone who goes to Church is saved.
"...had come to Jerusalem for to worship,"
There were at least eight thousand Christians living in Jerusalem and yet no one had sought to reach out to the eunuch with the gospel of Christ. There are many people who come to Church to worship on Sunday and yet they leave Church still unsaved.
3. Not everyone who quotes the Bible understands it.
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
Although the eunuch had the scripture in his hand, he did not have a clue as to its message. I wonder how many "preachers" stand in their pulpits each Sunday and do not have a clue as to what they are talking about?
4. Not everyone we win to Christ will join our Church.
"that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."
Everything about what takes place in this text seems wrong by today’s standards. It was a deacon who was doing the baptizing of this convert, not a Pastor. The baptism took place in a desert place, not in the comfortable surrounding of a Church baptismal tank. The eunuch did not join Phillips Church, he simply went on his way rejoicing.
We need to realize that the Kingdom of God is much bigger than the privacy of our own back yards! That is why I am involved in television ministry. That is why I send out this email message every week!
5. Not everyone who wants to be a deacon can be a deacon.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Today was "Deacon Sunday" in our Church. We took nominations for men to step forward to become deacons. Philip is a great example of a deacon mentioned here in Acts 8. He seems a bit like superman to me. One moment he is preaching a great revival in Samaria, the next is baptizing a new convert in the desert. At the end of the chapter, he is again on the move in Caesarea.
If you aspire to be a deacon, you must be willing to engage in the work of the supernatural. That is why you must be a man who is honest, full of the Holy Ghost, and full of wisdom.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to see the lost and to see that I may be their last opportunity to hear the gospel. Make me to be a fisher of men.
