Answering the Call 2/19/04
Acts 8:26-40
The hot topic, at least for me, has been about Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion”. There has been a lot of excitement over the release of the movie that we have heard about for so long. From the Actor getting struck by lightning, to the deepening of Mel’s faith. My phone has been ringing constantly with the question of “Do you have any more tickets left?”
I don’t know if I can ever think of a time where there has been so much excitement over any event of this kind. It is not only in this community, but all over the world. This event has the potential to blow into something bigger than I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
I’m excited. This church is excited. Our Association is excited, (over 1000 tickets sold). But when I think about it, I have to ask why are we so excited. It’s like having these big expectations and I want to make sure that I’m not let down. Even though I should be use to it with going to the WVU bowl games. So tonight the Lord laid on my heart a sermon to deal with what I expect to happen after the viewing of this movie.
Tonight we will look at a story in the New Testament and from this we can learn how to be prepared for the reaction of the release of this movie.
The Calling (vs. 26-27)
Here we find Philip receiving the call to go to Gaza. The call was to arise (Vs 26) and he answered the call by arising (vs.27). Little did he know what God had prepared for him, and when God calls us, our job is to answer the call and find out what he has prepared for us as well.
a. It is a calling for us all.
Before He ascended into heaven he left us with these words in Acts 1:8, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
We find the same words at the end of each one of the Gospels.
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Some people think that every preacher is the “ye”. My mom didn’t name me ye, but if you have accepted Christ into your heart, you can say your name is ye. It is our job to do our part to reach the lost.
A lot of times we have selective hearing. We only hear what we want to hear.
A true story about a job opening for a telegraph operator in the late 1800’s. Times were tough and many were lined up to apply for the job. As they all stood out there waiting to be called in for an interview, one man abruptly went to the inside of the office and came out a little later with the boss who said the position had been filled. Others complained that they had not had the chance to even interview. The employer replied that had put out a message in Morse code, that the first one to come in the office had the job.
He was looking for a good listener. Are you a good listener to God’s calling or do you use that selective hearing that our kids use?
b. It is a choice for us all.
Now Steven could have not responded to the call. He could have said, I think that I’ll just sit this one out. This is a sin that is not talked about much. The sin of silence. Some times it’s not what you say, it’s what you don’t say. When the Holy Spirit calls you to do something then we must obey. When Phillip heard the call in verse 30, we read that he RAN to answer the call. We should all willingly run to our call as well.
c. It will be a prepared call.
He heard the call; he obeyed the call; God prepared the call. God will never ask you to do anything that He has not prepared the way for you to do it. Sometimes we may question, but as we mature as Christians we trust God to prepare the way for us to do it. Think about Noah and the Ark. Can you imagine the call of God to build a boat when there was no water even close.
But can you imagine what would have happened if Philip had not answered the call. Not only did his obedience affect this Ethiopian but no telling how many others as well. And the same is true for us as well. You might be the only sermon that someone might see.
The Need (vs.30-31)
Not only is there a call but a need as well. This Ethiopian was searching for something and he needed a guide. There are many people in our world today that are searching and they need a guide.
I think there will be a lot of people who will go to this movie searching. There will be questions. There needs to be guides.
The song that Teresa sings that has so much truth in it, “People need the Lord”. There is so much truth in that statement. There are people, men, woman, boys and girls, who are dying and going to hell everyday. Our family members, our fiends and coworkers; our neighbors and people who we don’t even know; the ones we are in the check out line with. There are so many people who have the need for Christ.
Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
We are to be the light for those who need to be out of the darkness.
The Result (36-37)
We see here that by answering the call, guiding this Ethiopian to his need for a relationship with Christ, we see the result of him accepting Christ and getting baptized. Now it does not always happen this way. Sometimes you may answer the call without any results. You answer the call, you show the need, but you don’t get the result. That’s okay.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planted any thing, neither he that watered; but God that gives the increase.
Just because you don’t see immediate results all the time does not mean that you have not done what you should do.
Isaiah 55:10-11 For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
So with these three points in mind, what should we expect after the viewing of this movie?
I think there is going to be an awakening. I think there are a lot of professed Christians who are asleep in their pews and they need to get off their butts and answer God’s call and have a heart to reach the lost.
Some think that it is the lost that will be touched by this film, not the Christians. But in order to be touched you have to believe that it really happened, and the lost, not the Christians, don’t profess that they believe it really happened while Christians do profess to believe it.
My hope and my prayer is that when Christians see how much He did for them, they might be a little less selfish is doing something in return. I pray that Christians will be a little bit more faithful in there Church attendance; putting priorities where they belong.
I pray that the Christians will have more of a heart to reach the lost. You see I believe that if the Christians will get to where they need to be, the lost will get to where they need to be.
I think you will see a change in how we view things. Work parties will become more active. Christians will mature. We will take the Lord’s supper in a way that we never did before.
I pray that we all will see the reality of the price that was paid to each of us. Saved or lost.
