Welcome. Our scriptures this week are found in Isaiah 53:6-12 and John 15:1-8. Our message this week is from Acts 8:26-40.
Acts 8:26-40
Philip and the Ethiopian
(26) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (27) So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, (28) and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. (29) The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
(30) Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
(31) “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
(32) The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
(33) In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
(34) The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” (35) Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
(36) As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” (37) Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (38) And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. (39) When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. (40) Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Last week in Sunday School we had quite a lively discussion on how each of us hear God, the risks in trusting Him and how we respond to His guidance. Some took the opportunity to share in how God has led them to witness to others. While others told of opportunities missed to witness, for one reason or another. One person attending, a firearm enthusiast, stated that they were always at the ready, and their spouse confirmed it by stating they wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the shower wearing his sidearm. Which quickly gave another person the opportunity to say; “All I want to know is, how to you keep your powder dry?
Most often many of us miss and opportunity to witness for God because we are unsure of our own ability to share the gospel and communicate with Him.
So, last week’s Sunday School class led me to title our message today;
God’s plan in witnessing.
In other words;
How to keep your powder dry!
We’re often like the woman who went to see a divorce lawyer. Frantically she told him, “I must have a divorce from my husband immediately!” The lawyer asked, “Do you have any grounds?” “Yes, about five acres.” “I mean, do you have a grudge?” the lawyer questioned. “No, just a carport.”
Then the lawyer asked, “Does he beat you up?” “No,” the woman replied, “I get up before he does.” Exasperated, the attorney demanded, “Madam, why do you want a divorce from your husband?”
“Because it is impossible to communicate with that man!”
In my preparation for this week’s message, God led me to this story of Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8, which may lead us to ask ourselves the question of, how well do we hear God’s voice? Are we armed and ready to act on His promptings? How do I “keep my powder dry?” This text is a call to get the earwax out of our ears, perhaps to get a hearing aid, which Bonne has been after me to do for years, or maybe simply to cup our hand over our ears at least, and listen intently to what God is saying, and how we should respond! Or maybe the question we should be asking is, what’s God’s plan for witnessing?
This account of Philip and the Ethiopian is a spectacular story with miracles galore. A story of how God was acting behind the scenes to make sure what he wanted done got done. Let’s take a look. First, God spoke to Philip and told him where to go. Next there was a pool of water on a dry, desert road right when they needed it. Third, Philip didn’t get to rejoice with the new Christian because he was, for the lack of another word, “beamed” to another town immediately after the baptism. But most impressive there was another miracle: how Philip made a spiritual difference in a lonely man who was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Egypt.
So, who is this Ethiopian eunuch? He was probably an interesting fellow who may have been a new convert who had been circumcised because he was tired of the loose morals and the many gods of the Gentiles and had found out that Judaism gave life meaning. Or maybe this unnamed man was not a new convert, but attended Jewish synagogues and read Jewish Scripture because he was looking for purpose in his life.
We do know that the eunuch was an important and influential person who was a representative of the queen from the present country of Sudan. We know that he was hungry. He was hungry to learn about God, and he had questions. We also know that when God unites a listening ear (Philip) and a hungry heart (the eunuch), God does even more miracles!
I see God’s voice at least three times in this text. In verse 26, the angel tells Philip generally where to go. In verse 29, the Spirit says more specifically to Philip, who must have had his hearing aid turned on, what person to speak to. And in verses 32 and 35, the Holy Spirit coaxing the eunuch to faith in the Messiah.
So today, we should first ask ourselves, how well do we listen to God? Do we hear his voice speaking to us through the Bible? Can we hear his nudges when we pray? Are we in tune with his Spirit enough to know when he is impressing something upon us. To stop, to go, to turn, to speak up? Do we hear God’s voice in the godly advice from fellow Christians? Are we obedient to these directions from God? Why don’t we hear as well as we should? Is it sin in our lives that dull our hearing ? Or is it a combination of many things? Is the Holy Spirit looking in your ears even as you hear or read these words and asking about what is causing your hearing problems:
? Is it because you’re too busy and don’t take time to listen to him?
? Is it because you are afraid you won’t hear him right?
? Is it because you don’t really know God, so how can you know his voice?
? Is it rebellion? You hear him, but you don’t want to follow through?
? Are all the other voices in the world drowning out the voice of the One who loves you most?
On this fifth Sunday of Easter God is speaking to each of us about listening to him and letting him match us up with hungry, God-starved hearts. When we listen to his gentle urgings, we will find that there are many eunuchs in the world who know about Jesus, but don’t know him personally. How can they unless someone explains to them? God will use you right where you are and help tell the world about Jesus.
George Sweeting, in his book “The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing,” tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1968, Currier’s sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died.
Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier’s plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.
Sweeting concluded that story by asking, “Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message, the most important in your life, and year after year, the urgent message was never delivered?”
We who have heard the good news and experienced freedom through Christ are responsible to proclaim it to others still enslaved by sin. Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message?
I believe Philip and the eunuch give us God’s plan in witnessing, a way to keep our powder dry as we listen to the Spirit:
1. Listen to what God says and act on it: When God nudges you to speak to someone or go somewhere, just do it! It’s a process of learning to listen to the Spirit through the Word and allowing your life to be controlled by Him. Listen and act even if it seems unlikely. The angel led Philip away from a city in Samaria, full of witness opportunities to a seemingly inappropriate place to witness, a deserted road. Because God cares for everyone, no matter how hard or opposed to God he or she might be. When God says, “Go,” go!
2. Ask thought-provoking questions: If you don’t know what else to say, ask a meaningful, spiritual question or play off something they just said to ask a question related to it. All Philip asked was what God gave him, (8:30)”Do you understand what you are reading?” I can guarantee that people are more ready to talk about spiritual things than we are ready to initiate it.
Never to presume a negative response” in speaking to people about Jesus!
3. Listen to them and then answer them with Jesus: You don’t have to have all the answers. Just listen and then tell them about what the Bible says about Jesus. (8:35) “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Philip hadn’t had years of training or school; Christianity had just begun. But he knew and had experienced Jesus. So he listened and then testified. The eunuch knew about God, but now he knew Jesus!
4. Don’t make it harder than it is: Obviously Philip told him more specifics than we have recorded because the hungry eunuch knew enough to ask to be baptized. But he had faith and he wanted to fulfill God’s wishes for him, so he asked to be baptized. (8:36)”Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Yes, why not? God had done his job in giving faith. Don’t add any more than Scripture does to give people assurance of faith!
5. Keep at it: Philip had the privilege of baptizing a new Christian, but he didn’t get to see the eunuch grow up spiritually. That’s okay, Philip just kept on doing what God was calling him to do:(8:40) “preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.” Don’t give up. Every day ask God to help you find a eunuch. Someone to witness to. Keep your powder dry and follow God’s plan for witnessing!
Each morning as you put in your spiritual hearing aids, be sure you turn them loud enough to hear God say to you what he said to his Son at his baptism: “You are my beloved child. I love you and I am well pleased with you!”
In His Service,
Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20210502
Listen To Audio: Service 05022021
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pastor Joe is available at the church every Thursday from 2 to
4pm If you wish to speak with him, his contact numbers are:
570-465-7303 or his cell 570-267-4570.
Loose change offering, (coins & bills), goes to Local Mission.
May 6, a shopping day at Montage Mountain is planned to Montage Mountain. Anyone wishing to go is to meet at theU
United Methodist Church in New Milford at 9:30, or here at the church at 9:10. The plan is to carpool.
Women of the church are encouraged to join together for a catered meal, by Kendra Darrow, followed by an inspirational message from Pastor Susie Burchell. This all begins on Thursday May 13 at 11:00. Please sign-up on the Sheet in the vestibule.
The Care Net Baby Bottle Campaign:
Donations can be noted on your offering envelope or put change in a container to give to Carolyn Pratt. See WEB SITE at care-net.org for much more information. If you did not get a refrigerator magnet last week, please see Mac Elbrecht to receive one.
EMAIL address for the church has been changed to: fhpc400@att.net
The annual meeting of The Franklin Hill Cemetery Association will be held on Tuesday May 11, 2021 at 6 p.m. in the Franklin Hill Community Building.
If you are in the parking lot, PLEASE TUNE YOUR RADIO TO 89.5 FM TO HEAR THE CHURCH SERVICE.
