Prepared to Share
Acts 8:26-40
A few months ago Melissa and I along with our youngest daughter, Bethany, were visiting our oldest daughter in Lexington, Kentucky and I wanted to go to the Fayette Mall so I could check out the deals in my favorite store, “Wildcat Warehouse.” When we got to the mall Melissa and Bethany went one direction and I went another. As I was walking down the mall I saw a man who looked very familiar to me just sitting on a bench outside the Apple store. It didn’t take but just a second for me to recognize him and I realized it had been over a decade since I had seen him. His name is Orville Griffin and he was one of my childhood heroes. Brother Orville served on the staff for the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio for many years and I can’t tell you how many sermons I had heard him preach in my younger years.
As we were catching up he told me he had been retired for about 15 years and when he shared that, I really began to thank God for the opportunity to see him and I realized this could be the last time I ever get to have a conversation with him. So I decided to take a minute to thank him for his impact on my life. One of the things for which I thanked him was his constant pursuit to challenge believers to share their faith. That truly was the passion of his life; he loved to tell people about the difference Jesus can make.
Later that week, I was thinking about my conversation with Brother Orville and I began to pray for God to not only help me to be a better witness but to also do a better job at challenging you to share your faith, and hence we have this sermon series on witnessing.
What I would like to do this morning is to encourage you to see witnessing from a different perspective. First, rather than being intimidated by witnessing, begin to see it as an opportunity to share a part of your life that you are excited about. My point is that we are never intimidated to share something that we are excited about. If your kids do well in school, or if a grandchild scored the winning goal in soccer match, or if you get a promotion at work, we are ready and eager to share. Could it be that the reason we are not witnessing is because we are not excited about our walk with God? Perhaps you need to focus on cultivating your walk with God and in the process of rejuvenating your walk with Him, you once again regain an excitement that you cannot contain any longer.
Second, I want you to remember that God is already at work and it all doesn’t ride on you. I know what it feels like to think that the eternal destiny of a person rides on my ability to articulate the Gospel. That is a ton of pressure we put on ourselves, but that is just not necessary. What you have to know is that salvation is God’s business and it is over your pay scale to be able to save a person. Only God can do that. God simply allows us to be a part of the process by telling our story. And what I have discovered over the years is that God is able to save, regardless of how well I articulate the Gospel. Once we learn to trust that it is God’s job to save and not ours the freer we will feel to share.
This morning I would like for us to talk about how we can be prepared to share. There is a great story in Acts 8 that I think will provide some good insight on what makes us prepared to be a witness. So let’s look at this text and open our hearts to what God has to say and perhaps when we leave here today, we will leave better prepared to share the Good News of Jesus with others.
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 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 before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:26-35 ESV)
Before we delve into this I want you to understand the context. As you can see in Acts 8:1, great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and many of the apostles began to scatter. Now when I read this, at first I think what an injustice this was but the further you read you begin to see right before your eyes the development of a Romans 8:28 moment. You know, Romans 8:28 that says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” You see; God turned this injustice into an opportunity to further spread the Gospel. Acts 8:4 says, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”
Now Philip was one of those followers that fled for his life and God used him to be a very capable witness for him. What I would like to do this morning is take a look at how Philip was a prepared witness.
PHILIP WAS SENSITIVE TO THE PROMPTINGS OF GOD
One thing about this story is that it is clear that salvation begins with God. In verse 26 it says “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.” (Acts 8:26 ESV) It all starts with the Lord getting the attention of Philip and the angel of the Lord gave Philip very clear but also vague instructions. The instructions were clear in that the angel told Philip to go south down the desert road but they were also vague in that the angel didn’t tell him why or for what purpose. But Philip did something that most men would not do; he headed down the road with no questions asked.
What I am most impressed with here is Philip’s sensitivity and his flexibility to follow the promptings of the Lord. I do admire that in Philip because I am typically not that flexible. If I were Philip I probably would have said, “I will come back that way but right now I am going to press on because I have a plan and I want to make good time.” From all indications Philip simply follows and he takes a path that he had not planned on taking.
What do we take from this part of the story? I think if anything we take away an understanding that we need to be sensitive to the promptings of God. I think back to that morning in Lexington with my daughters and I wonder, “Why did I feel such a need to go to Wildcat Warehouse” whenever there were several other things we could have done that morning? But in retrospect, I am so glad we went because it gave me the opportunity to see a dear friend and hero.
We have to learn that when God prompts we need to respond even if His directions may seem vague or the timing seems bad. You just never know how your sensitivity to the promptings of God may impact the life of another, or even impact your life.
“And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.” (Acts 8:27-28 ESV)
So as Philip is travelling down that desert road, he comes across a man who is sitting in his chariot reading. Now verse 27 gives us some great insight into who this man was. We know that he was an important man. He was an Ethiopian who was in charge of the treasury for Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. We know that he had been to the temple in Jerusalem, so he was either a Jew or he was seeking the God of the Jews. And we learn that he had a copy of the book of Isaiah, and he is reading it. He was probably just reflecting on the incredible sermon he had heard in the temple that morning.:-)
It really is interesting to see how God works. Why would God choose this Ethiopian? I can’t answer that question, but I do know that God had a purpose for his life. We just never know what God is going to do or even when He is going to do it. This is why we have to be sensitive to His promptings and willing to follow when He leads.
I will always cherish my childhood pastor, Bro. Jack Tichenor. Bro. Jack was a wonderful pastor, preacher and witness. After accepting my first pastorate at the ripe old age of 21, my first order of business was to invite Bro. Jack to come and do a revival at our church. The morning service was great! We had a few people come forward to pray and ask God to send a revival to our church and community. Back then the evangelist didn’t just come to preach the service but they also came to assist in the work that week. Bro. Jack showed up on Monday morning and said to me, “After lunch can we go and visit Marie?” I didn’t really know Marie but she had filled out a visitors card Sunday morning and evidently Bro. Jack had the chance to speak with her at the door. Bro. Jack said, “All night I have had her on my mind and I really feel like God wants us to go and see her.” So at about 2:00 in the afternoon we pulled into her driveway and I had the privilege of watching that precious pastor lead that mother of three to Jesus.
When you feel the prompting please don’t ignore it… That prompting is evidence of God already at work. Let that inspire you to be a faithful witness to His work in your life.
PHILIP OBSERVED WHAT GOD WAS ALREADY DOING
“So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:30-31 ESV)
As Philip pulls up to the chariot, he sees the Ethiopian reading from the book of Isaiah. Now I have to tell you, I really like the approach he takes here. He simply asks him a question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” What a great way to break the ice! But because Philip was observant he was able to start a natural conversation with the Ethiopian and not have to force a conversation.
So the Ethiopian responds in such a honest and transparent way, “And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:31 ESV) God’s timing has always amazed me; because not only was the Ethiopian willing to talk with Philip but it just so happened he was reading the passage about the suffering servant. “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” (Acts 8:32-33 ESV)
Now I don’t believe for a moment this was luck. I believe with all of my heart that this was a divine appointment that God had scheduled for Philip. And because Philip was sensitive to the promptings of God, he found himself in the perfect position to answer the question, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” (Acts 8:34 ESV)
But here is the lesson that you and I have to understand. You and I will never invest in a person’s life that God has not already invested in. God is already at work and just the fact that God has brought you into that person’s life is clear evidence of the sovereign work in that person’s life.
I personally take great comfort in that truth and it should encourage us as we pray about sharing our story with others.
PHILIP STAYED FOCUSED ON THE GOSPEL
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35 ESV)
I love how Philip kept the main thing the main thing. I think that is an essential quality of an effective witness. We have to keep our focus on the cross, because it is in the message of the cross that we find the Good News of the Gospel that changes lives.
Another thing that jumps out to me about Philip was his ability to meet this man and immediately begin to talk with him about what he was reading. That really is a remarkable quality, and honestly, it is a quality all of us are capable of possessing. Like Philip, we have to take the time to get familiar with the Bible.
I know many people who will tell me that they could never do that. Let’s just be real honest with each other for a minute this morning. The truth is that we know the things that interest us. I am reminded of a man who just a few years ago told me that there is no way he could get familiar enough with the Bible to speak about it comfortably. “Really?” I said, “That is interesting because you know the batting average of each of the Cincinnati Reds starting line up for the past decade.” The issue isn’t that we can’t… the issue is that we won’t. But if it interests us we certainly will invest the time and energy to grow familiar with the scriptures.
So as Philip takes the time to engage this Eunuch on what he was reading from Isaiah something wonderful happens. The Bible tells us “And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” “And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.” (Acts 8:36-38 ESV)
Baptism isn’t optional for believers. Baptism is the first act of obedience to Christ. Baptism is our public confession that we identify with Christ and that we trust in His life, His Death and His Resurrection for eternal life.
One of my favorite memories was when we are on a mission trip in Northern Ohio right along Lake Erie. During the week one of our ladies at church told me that she was a Christian but she had never been baptized and basically asked me, “Look, here is water. (Lake Erie) Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Since baptism, Biblically, isn’t about church membership but rather a testimony of identifying with Christ, we gathered the 30 or so church members together and went down to the beach and had a baptismal service in Lake Erie. I will never forget the joy on her face when she came up out of the water and the celebration that took place on that beach. But her testimony that day stuck in the minds of two of our students and before the week was up God used that testimony to draw them unto Himself.
CONCLUSSION
The point is that you may never know how or when God is going to use you. If anyone has ever been taken off guard it was Philip. But because Philip was prepared and responsive, God used him to impact the life of this well respected Ethiopian. I can’t help but wonder (using my glorified imagination) how God might have used that well respected Ethiopian to influence his countrymen. If you stop and think about it, could it be entirely possible that God could have brought about a spiritual awakening in his country?
Just imagine what God could do through us if we all took the time to be prepared to give a witness about God’s work in our lives!
Acts 8:26-40
A few months ago Melissa and I along with our youngest daughter, Bethany, were visiting our oldest daughter in Lexington, Kentucky and I wanted to go to the Fayette Mall so I could check out the deals in my favorite store, “Wildcat Warehouse.” When we got to the mall Melissa and Bethany went one direction and I went another. As I was walking down the mall I saw a man who looked very familiar to me just sitting on a bench outside the Apple store. It didn’t take but just a second for me to recognize him and I realized it had been over a decade since I had seen him. His name is Orville Griffin and he was one of my childhood heroes. Brother Orville served on the staff for the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio for many years and I can’t tell you how many sermons I had heard him preach in my younger years.
As we were catching up he told me he had been retired for about 15 years and when he shared that, I really began to thank God for the opportunity to see him and I realized this could be the last time I ever get to have a conversation with him. So I decided to take a minute to thank him for his impact on my life. One of the things for which I thanked him was his constant pursuit to challenge believers to share their faith. That truly was the passion of his life; he loved to tell people about the difference Jesus can make.
Later that week, I was thinking about my conversation with Brother Orville and I began to pray for God to not only help me to be a better witness but to also do a better job at challenging you to share your faith, and hence we have this sermon series on witnessing.
What I would like to do this morning is to encourage you to see witnessing from a different perspective. First, rather than being intimidated by witnessing, begin to see it as an opportunity to share a part of your life that you are excited about. My point is that we are never intimidated to share something that we are excited about. If your kids do well in school, or if a grandchild scored the winning goal in soccer match, or if you get a promotion at work, we are ready and eager to share. Could it be that the reason we are not witnessing is because we are not excited about our walk with God? Perhaps you need to focus on cultivating your walk with God and in the process of rejuvenating your walk with Him, you once again regain an excitement that you cannot contain any longer.
Second, I want you to remember that God is already at work and it all doesn’t ride on you. I know what it feels like to think that the eternal destiny of a person rides on my ability to articulate the Gospel. That is a ton of pressure we put on ourselves, but that is just not necessary. What you have to know is that salvation is God’s business and it is over your pay scale to be able to save a person. Only God can do that. God simply allows us to be a part of the process by telling our story. And what I have discovered over the years is that God is able to save, regardless of how well I articulate the Gospel. Once we learn to trust that it is God’s job to save and not ours the freer we will feel to share.
This morning I would like for us to talk about how we can be prepared to share. There is a great story in Acts 8 that I think will provide some good insight on what makes us prepared to be a witness. So let’s look at this text and open our hearts to what God has to say and perhaps when we leave here today, we will leave better prepared to share the Good News of Jesus with others.
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 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 before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:26-35 ESV)
Before we delve into this I want you to understand the context. As you can see in Acts 8:1, great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and many of the apostles began to scatter. Now when I read this, at first I think what an injustice this was but the further you read you begin to see right before your eyes the development of a Romans 8:28 moment. You know, Romans 8:28 that says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” You see; God turned this injustice into an opportunity to further spread the Gospel. Acts 8:4 says, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”
Now Philip was one of those followers that fled for his life and God used him to be a very capable witness for him. What I would like to do this morning is take a look at how Philip was a prepared witness.
PHILIP WAS SENSITIVE TO THE PROMPTINGS OF GOD
One thing about this story is that it is clear that salvation begins with God. In verse 26 it says “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.” (Acts 8:26 ESV) It all starts with the Lord getting the attention of Philip and the angel of the Lord gave Philip very clear but also vague instructions. The instructions were clear in that the angel told Philip to go south down the desert road but they were also vague in that the angel didn’t tell him why or for what purpose. But Philip did something that most men would not do; he headed down the road with no questions asked.
What I am most impressed with here is Philip’s sensitivity and his flexibility to follow the promptings of the Lord. I do admire that in Philip because I am typically not that flexible. If I were Philip I probably would have said, “I will come back that way but right now I am going to press on because I have a plan and I want to make good time.” From all indications Philip simply follows and he takes a path that he had not planned on taking.
What do we take from this part of the story? I think if anything we take away an understanding that we need to be sensitive to the promptings of God. I think back to that morning in Lexington with my daughters and I wonder, “Why did I feel such a need to go to Wildcat Warehouse” whenever there were several other things we could have done that morning? But in retrospect, I am so glad we went because it gave me the opportunity to see a dear friend and hero.
We have to learn that when God prompts we need to respond even if His directions may seem vague or the timing seems bad. You just never know how your sensitivity to the promptings of God may impact the life of another, or even impact your life.
“And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.” (Acts 8:27-28 ESV)
So as Philip is travelling down that desert road, he comes across a man who is sitting in his chariot reading. Now verse 27 gives us some great insight into who this man was. We know that he was an important man. He was an Ethiopian who was in charge of the treasury for Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. We know that he had been to the temple in Jerusalem, so he was either a Jew or he was seeking the God of the Jews. And we learn that he had a copy of the book of Isaiah, and he is reading it. He was probably just reflecting on the incredible sermon he had heard in the temple that morning.:-)
It really is interesting to see how God works. Why would God choose this Ethiopian? I can’t answer that question, but I do know that God had a purpose for his life. We just never know what God is going to do or even when He is going to do it. This is why we have to be sensitive to His promptings and willing to follow when He leads.
I will always cherish my childhood pastor, Bro. Jack Tichenor. Bro. Jack was a wonderful pastor, preacher and witness. After accepting my first pastorate at the ripe old age of 21, my first order of business was to invite Bro. Jack to come and do a revival at our church. The morning service was great! We had a few people come forward to pray and ask God to send a revival to our church and community. Back then the evangelist didn’t just come to preach the service but they also came to assist in the work that week. Bro. Jack showed up on Monday morning and said to me, “After lunch can we go and visit Marie?” I didn’t really know Marie but she had filled out a visitors card Sunday morning and evidently Bro. Jack had the chance to speak with her at the door. Bro. Jack said, “All night I have had her on my mind and I really feel like God wants us to go and see her.” So at about 2:00 in the afternoon we pulled into her driveway and I had the privilege of watching that precious pastor lead that mother of three to Jesus.
When you feel the prompting please don’t ignore it… That prompting is evidence of God already at work. Let that inspire you to be a faithful witness to His work in your life.
PHILIP OBSERVED WHAT GOD WAS ALREADY DOING
“So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:30-31 ESV)
As Philip pulls up to the chariot, he sees the Ethiopian reading from the book of Isaiah. Now I have to tell you, I really like the approach he takes here. He simply asks him a question, “Do you understand what you are reading?” What a great way to break the ice! But because Philip was observant he was able to start a natural conversation with the Ethiopian and not have to force a conversation.
So the Ethiopian responds in such a honest and transparent way, “And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:31 ESV) God’s timing has always amazed me; because not only was the Ethiopian willing to talk with Philip but it just so happened he was reading the passage about the suffering servant. “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” (Acts 8:32-33 ESV)
Now I don’t believe for a moment this was luck. I believe with all of my heart that this was a divine appointment that God had scheduled for Philip. And because Philip was sensitive to the promptings of God, he found himself in the perfect position to answer the question, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” (Acts 8:34 ESV)
But here is the lesson that you and I have to understand. You and I will never invest in a person’s life that God has not already invested in. God is already at work and just the fact that God has brought you into that person’s life is clear evidence of the sovereign work in that person’s life.
I personally take great comfort in that truth and it should encourage us as we pray about sharing our story with others.
PHILIP STAYED FOCUSED ON THE GOSPEL
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35 ESV)
I love how Philip kept the main thing the main thing. I think that is an essential quality of an effective witness. We have to keep our focus on the cross, because it is in the message of the cross that we find the Good News of the Gospel that changes lives.
Another thing that jumps out to me about Philip was his ability to meet this man and immediately begin to talk with him about what he was reading. That really is a remarkable quality, and honestly, it is a quality all of us are capable of possessing. Like Philip, we have to take the time to get familiar with the Bible.
I know many people who will tell me that they could never do that. Let’s just be real honest with each other for a minute this morning. The truth is that we know the things that interest us. I am reminded of a man who just a few years ago told me that there is no way he could get familiar enough with the Bible to speak about it comfortably. “Really?” I said, “That is interesting because you know the batting average of each of the Cincinnati Reds starting line up for the past decade.” The issue isn’t that we can’t… the issue is that we won’t. But if it interests us we certainly will invest the time and energy to grow familiar with the scriptures.
So as Philip takes the time to engage this Eunuch on what he was reading from Isaiah something wonderful happens. The Bible tells us “And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” “And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.” (Acts 8:36-38 ESV)
Baptism isn’t optional for believers. Baptism is the first act of obedience to Christ. Baptism is our public confession that we identify with Christ and that we trust in His life, His Death and His Resurrection for eternal life.
One of my favorite memories was when we are on a mission trip in Northern Ohio right along Lake Erie. During the week one of our ladies at church told me that she was a Christian but she had never been baptized and basically asked me, “Look, here is water. (Lake Erie) Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Since baptism, Biblically, isn’t about church membership but rather a testimony of identifying with Christ, we gathered the 30 or so church members together and went down to the beach and had a baptismal service in Lake Erie. I will never forget the joy on her face when she came up out of the water and the celebration that took place on that beach. But her testimony that day stuck in the minds of two of our students and before the week was up God used that testimony to draw them unto Himself.
CONCLUSSION
The point is that you may never know how or when God is going to use you. If anyone has ever been taken off guard it was Philip. But because Philip was prepared and responsive, God used him to impact the life of this well respected Ethiopian. I can’t help but wonder (using my glorified imagination) how God might have used that well respected Ethiopian to influence his countrymen. If you stop and think about it, could it be entirely possible that God could have brought about a spiritual awakening in his country?
Just imagine what God could do through us if we all took the time to be prepared to give a witness about God’s work in our lives!
