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Sunday of Easter April 28, 2002
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As a result of the martyrdom of Stephen a great persecution broke out that
scattered the church into all the surrounding geographical regions. What seemed
like a disaster was in actuality a fulfillment of Jesus' words: "You
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Though the persecution was great the gospel
continued to expand.
Barbara Brown Taylor highlights this truth: "What their murderers found
out, over and over again, was that trying to get rid of them by killing them
worked about as well as trying to get rid of dandelions by blowing on their
puffs. The harder the wind blew, the further the seeds spread."
The wind of the Spirit blew Philip, another table waiter, to Samaria where
he experienced a fertile field for the gospel. And yet God had bigger plans
for the gospel than Samaria - the ends of the earth was the goal. In ancient
literature the Ethiopians were considered as living in the ends of the earth.
Ethiopia is called Cush in the Old Testament. It corresponds to what is now
southern Egypt and northern Sudan. It was thought to be an exotic land at
the edge of the world. The chances of Philip meeting an Ethiopian eunuch on
a deserted wilderness highway were "slim to none." But "slim
to none" seem to be odds God specializes in.
God gave Philip very specific directions at a very specific time. The Greek
word used for guidance can either mean "south" or "noon"
or both. Either way it seemed to be an unlikely proposition. The issue for
Philip was obedience. Would he follow the odd instructions from God and go,
or would he follow his common sense and stay? Had he opted, even for a short
time, not to heed God's prompting he would have missed a critical divine appointment
with the first "ends of the earth" convert.
This remarkable account underscores that God will go to any extent necessary
to reach just one person. Not only had the Spirit prepared Philip for such
an encounter, the Ethiopian had also been prepared. God's prevenient grace
orchestrated perfect timing with prepared people, even to the text the eunuch
was reading and the sudden appearance of water at just the right time for
baptism!
In the most desperate of situations, God has a plan. Our need is to have eyes
to see and ears to hear the promptings of God for the divinely orchestrated
appointments in our lives. The essential lesson to be learned is that when
the Holy Spirit prompts us to some ministry to others he empowers us to carry
out the commission. Where God guides, God provides. In the eyes of the Lord,
no Spirit-directed task is small.
Praise God, we do not work alone! Prevenient grace is God's good news that
whenever we are engaged in gospel work we are neither the first or primary
presence on the scene. We have the assurance that God is always at work in
people's lives before us and will continue the work when we leave. Spirit-directed
ambassadors are always entering worlds we do not create or sustain. We are
always walking in on a God-moment, which means we must listen before we speak
or act.
Immediate and complete obedience is the proper response to the command of
God in our lives. Hesitation and doubt may become lost opportunities for the
kingdom of God. There is no such thing as a small obedience when it comes
to heeding the voice of the Spirit. If we take the first step of obedience,
the Spirit will guide us and empower us with boldness, because courage comes
with the decision to obey!
(The complete manuscript of this sermon follows)
Do you believe in divine appointments? Have you ever considered the fact that
the traveler you sit with on a plane, the waiter at your table, the clerk
at the department store might be in your life by divine appointment?
Divine appointments are those times when God's providential guidance arranges
lives to intersect at crucial moments and exact timing for encouragement and
even salvation. Divine appointments are those orchestrated interactions when
you know in your heart God is asking you to do something and to do something
now.
Philip understood the truth of divine appointments. He had just preached a
citywide crusade in Samaria. Hundreds had come to Christ! It was so successful
that the mother church in Jerusalem sent a credentialing board to check things
out. You would have thought God wanted him to stay and continue the work.
But this was a Spirit on the move and God had other plans.
The Spirit prompted Philip and said: "Go south to the road - the desert
road - that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza" (Acts 8:26). Talk about
specific! It sounds like a gas station attendant giving directions. "Follow
the paved road down to the four-way stop - turn left until you see the big
metal windmill in the hayfield."
But then again the specifics were important. It was important that Philip
know which road to take. Had he taken another road, he would have missed God's
divine appointment.
While the directions were specific they didn't exactly make sense. The exact
words that Philip heard can either mean a time of day or a direction. It can
mean "south" or "noon" or both. And the road God picked
out didn't make much sense either. It either meant "desert" road
or "deserted" road. Either way it was in the middle of nowhere.
Why in the world would God want Philip to be on a deserted road at the hottest
part of the day on a road that led to nowhere?
My in-laws live in Bullhead City, Arizona, which is just west of nowhere and just east of almost there! I've traveled those desert highways, between Bullhead City and Las Vegas, in the middle of the afternoon and I'm here to tell you that you can travel miles without seeing so much as a turkey buzzard!
Traveling down a desert road at high noon is crazy today with an air-conditioned
mini-van and a case of Evian water in the back. But for someone in the first
century, on foot, it was absolutely absurd! These were strange directions
to say the least.
Has God ever asked you to do something you thought didn't make sense? But
Philip knew the Spirit's voice, and he had faith enough that when God spoke
he didn't ask why, he just obeyed!
And his obedience was immediate. The verbs for "going" are in the
aorist tense which means prompt, immediate action! But had he delayed for
any reason, he would have missed God's divine appointment.
In her wonderful little book When the Pieces Don't Fit, Glaphre Gilliland,
tells the story of waking up one night with a start. Immediately she thought
of an elderly lady with thick snowy hair and a smile that hugged you. Her
name was Mrs. Graystone and Glaphre knew that she was in the hospital. She
said: "I felt God saying to me, 'She's dying and she feels alone. I want
you to go be with her. Now.'"
She said, "I held my little clock with the fluorescent hands close so
I could see the time without putting on my glasses. It was three o' clock
in the morning! 'God,' she said, 'I barely know her. She might not even know
who I am.' It's so late, it can probably wait until morning. Maybe it isn't
God speaking anyway." And she pulled the covers back over her head and
went back to sleep.
The next morning she called the hospital to check on Mrs. Graystone. She had
died at five o' clock that morning . . . alone.
Glaphre said, "I was shaken. There was no way to make that up. Not to
Mrs. Graystone. Not to God. It scared me to think how easily, how casually
I'd dismissed what God had told me to do. How noncommittal I'd been about
his directions in the small things."
Philip was obedient in the small things because he knew the voice. The direction
he received may have been strange, but the voice wasn't. He knew the voice
through prayer, study of the Scriptures, openness, and a willingness to obey.
He followed the directions exactly and went to the desert road. And on that road he met a man!
The first thing we're told about the man is that he was from Ethiopia. Ethiopia
is called Cush in the Old Testament. It was located in what we today would
call Sudan, Africa. Ethiopia literally means "burnt face" meaning
he was a black man. In the Greco-Roman world Ethiopians were a revered and
exotic people, because they were considered to live at the very end of the
earth.
The second thing we're told about this man is that he was a VIP. He was an
important man of position. The fact he was riding in a chariot was an indication
of his status and affluence. He was the secretary of the treasury for Queen
Candace of Ethiopia. He was a eunuch because any man working in close quarters
with the royal household, particularly the queen, paid the price of emasculation
to serve in the palace. But he was neither despised nor deprived. To the contrary,
he was smart, intelligent, and well-respected.
If you think Philip was caught off guard to see anyone else on the desert
road, imagine his surprise when the Holy Spirit spoke to him again and said:
"Go to his chariot and stay near it" (Acts 8:29).
This chariot was not a war chariot with one or two horses out front. This was probably a riding carriage with a covered top and several seats inside. The chariot was moving, and so the only way to stay near it was to run alongside of it. Talk about feeling silly. Jogging alongside a chariot, on a desert road, in the heat of the day doesn't make a lot of sense. Particularly when there are secret service men with no necks riding shotgun! But when God says chase a chariot, you chase a chariot.
And so he did. And as Philip ran alongside the chariot we find a third thing
about the Ethiopian - he was a religious man. Luke tells us he was returning
from a pilgrimage to worship in Jerusalem, a good indication that he was probably
a Jewish proselyte.
Philip overheard him reading aloud from a scroll, another indication of his
status (the poor usually couldn't read), and he happened to be reading from
Isaiah 53. At a time when not one line of any New Testament document had been
written I can't think of a better starting point for the good news of Jesus
Christ than Isaiah 53.
And the Holy Spirit was prompting Philip all the way. "OK, kid, now's
your chance. You've heard what you need to hear. Go talk to him." And
so Philip poked his head inside the carriage and asked: "Watcha readin'?
I mean, I couldn't help but overhear. Especially, since we're the only living
things out on this highway!"
Not a bad opening line! It was just a natural question to start up a conversation.
The Ethiopian said: "Listen, man! I've got to have some help here. I've
been studying this passage this for hours and I can't figure it out. Know
anybody who can interpret it for me?"
The Bible doesn't say this, but I imagine Philip said something like this:
"Well I'll tell you what, I can teach better than I can jog. Mind if
I hop in?" Do you see what's happening here? Philip has the good sense
to start right where the man was. He didn't say: "Hey forget this passage.
Let me show you the four spiritual laws and the bridge illustration."
No! He started right where the man was and worked from there. And the conversation
was just as natural and easy as can be. The man practically begged Philip
to explain the Scriptures to him.
And just like the risen Jesus with the two travelers on the Emmaus road, Philip
opened the Scriptures and shared the good news of the crucified and risen
Christ. Before Philip could even spit out the diagnostic question, "If
you were to die tonight do you know for sure you would go to heaven,"
the eunuch said, "I'm in."
Philip said: "What?"
"I'm in. You've convinced me. I believe! In fact, there's some water,
why don't I just get baptized right now?"
And Philip smiled and answered: "Why not?"
Luke tells us they stopped the chariot, and the Ethiopian was baptized in
the fresh spring water, cleansed of his sins, and began a brand new life.
In the meantime, Philip is whisked away to chase another chariot and the Ethiopian
goes on his way rejoicing as the first missionary to Africa.
This is an amazing story to me. Do you know what's so amazing about it? I'm
amazed at how simple it all is. I'm amazed at how far God will go to win one
person. God will pull out all he's got for just one person! Think about it!
God has Philip, a major leader in the church, leave Samaria where there were
hundreds of people getting saved to go to the middle of an isolated desert
to bring a man from another country into the kingdom. Amazing!
But God had prepared that wonderful man. Long before Philip ever arrived on
the scene, God had been at work. Or was it just coincidence that the Ethiopian
had traveled 750 miles one way (over a month on the road) to be there at that
particular time? Was it only a coincidence that Philip managed to be in the
exact place, at the exact time the Ethiopian was also on the road? Was it
merely coincidence that the man just happened to be reading from Isaiah 53
when Philip chased down his chariot? Was it merely coincidence that at just
the time the Ethiopian was ready to make a decision for Christ that water
appeared in the desert for baptism? I don't think so.
Coincidence is really nothing more than God undercover. It was grace all the
way - from stem to stern. You and I have never been to a place where God has
not already been. Whether it be the highest mountain or the deepest valley,
God has already been there. You and I have never met a person that God has
not already loved and been reaching out to.
We're not working solo in this Gospel adventure. Witness is not a one-person
operation. It is orchestrated from start to finish by God. God is in charge!
And as God leads us to be his witnesses we can be assured that God has prepared
both hearer and evangelist for that encounter.
I'm amazed at how far God will go to win one person. I'm also amazed at the
obedience required to win one person. Almost all Philip had to do in this
situation was not get in the way. But he had to obey! And he had to obey immediately,
because God had a divine appointment for him. If he had hesitated even an
hour he would have missed it. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to some ministry
to others he empowers us to carry it out. Where God guides, God provides.
But for the provision to come we have to obey!
How often have you heard it said that the key to being a witness is boldness?
And because of that, some say, if you're not bold, you're off the hook. Some
claim they don't have to witness because they don't have boldness. I think
that's got it all turned around! The key isn't boldness - the key is obedience!
If we take the first step of obedience, the Spirit will guide us and empower
us with boldness, because courage comes with the decision to obey! And so
most of the time we miss out on opportunities to witness simply because we
don't take the first step to turn a conversation into a divine appointment.
I can almost hear God saying: "My children want me to give them a plan
to change the whole world. THEN they'll be obedient. But they don't have the
time to obey what they consider a small assignment."
You have to be faithful with the seemingly small tasks before you will hear
his voice clearly enough to be trusted with other responsibilities. Because
when the Spirit moves, there are no small assignments!
I'm convinced that the more we respond to the thoughts we never considered to be God's leading - the impulse to write a note, phone a friend, or pray for whoever comes to our mind - the more clear God's plan becomes. Just as a baby's legs become stronger with each new step, we find that the more we act on those inner promptings, the more of God's direction we receive.
If Philip had hesitated, even for an hour, in what God was asking him to do,
even though it seemed like a small thing, he would have missed God's opportunity
for a divine appointment! It makes you wonder if there really is any such
thing as LATE obedience.
There is a man in our church named Ron Pfingston. His father, in his 80's,
was experiencing kidney failure and wasn't expected to live through the week.
Ron was concerned for his health, but more than that he was concerned for
his soul. He wanted him to be physically well, but more than that he wanted
his father to be spiritually well.
His dad had never shown any real interest in spiritual matters and had avoided
the subject for most of his life. Ron wanted to go and be with him, but Ron
had cancer surgery the same day and so all he could do was pray.
On Tuesday morning a high school buddy of Ron's named Darrel, another Christian, woke up with a burden for Ron's dad. He sensed God calling him to go and pray with Ron's dying father. The only problem was Darrel lived in Phoenix, Arizona and Ron's father was hospitalized in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rather than arguing with God or asking questions about convenience and timing,
he just obeyed. He knew the voice. He purchased a ticket, hopped on a plane,
and left that morning. Not sure how he would be received, he spent several
hours talking to him about his spiritual condition. And when he felt it was
time to go he invited him to pray the sinner's prayer and to repeat it after
him. He did, and last Tuesday afternoon, Ron's father became a Christian.
That's called a divine appointment! It's hard to imagine how far God will
go for one person and it's amazing how much obedience is required to win one
person.
Let me ask you something: Who does God have on your appointment schedule?
Where has God strategically placed you for a divine appointment?
You are not where you are by accident. Not in your neighborhood, not at your
work, not at your school. God is orchestrating a divine intersection between
you and lost and broken people, and all he's asking from you is obedience.
Sometimes it won't make sense, but we can't afford to hesitate! There is too
much at stake.
Let's start chasing some chariots!