Holy Spirit YEET

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

So we’ve been to Jerusalem in chapter two, the next few chapters were Judea, the first half of chapter eight was Samaria, guess where now!

Philip is once again a great example for us of what Christians are called to do. Every day, normal Christians called to be witnesses for Jesus. We are his ambassadors, his messengers, given the responsibility and the privilege to deliver this message with the importance of eternal life and eternal death. Here’s what we will see in this story…

Christians should be obedient to the Spirit and ready with the Word for evangelism.

PRAY

Evangelism is incredibly important

Evangelism is a word that some of you may not know. It comes from a Greek word…

Why is evangelism such a big deal?

We have been commanded.

Matthew 25:46 ESV

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Colossians 1:16 ESV

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you are a Christ follower, you have a responsibility and a privilege to tell lost people about salvation through Jesus Christ. You should feel compelled to tell others!

1 Corinthians 9:16 ESV

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

Phillip felt this! We should feel this. Philip was ready…

read Acts 8:26-40 full

Philip was obedient

We need to be obedient when the Lord tells us to go.

It’s really exciting to be a part of the Lord’s work. To be involved when He brings someone to life from death. It’s a blessing. But if you are not obedient when He tells you to go, you may miss the blessing.

Anybody have FOMO? I get FOMO pretty bad because I worry that I’m going to miss out on some experience. There have been times in the past where I was lazy and skipped out on something and missed a great experience. It happens! I bet there were some ladies who skipped on an offer recently and were really upset with what they missed. If you haven’t heard, the football player Travis Kelce has started dating this artist named Taylor Swift and he’s really helping her career take off! So they started dating and then she showed up to his game in a luxury box. You know there were some rich dudes in that box who invited their wives or girlfriends to the game and they were like, “no, football’s boring, why would I go there?” Then their mans got home, “Babe, you won’t believe who was in the box tonight!”

A lot of you won’t believe, but being there when someone meets Jesus is cooler than meeting Taylor Swift! This is what you should have FOMO of!

We need to be obedient when the Holy Spirit is telling us to move!

John 16:7 ESV

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

The Spirit is our helper. He wants good for us. So how do we know if it’s the Spirit calling us?

Is it in line with God’s Word?

Prayer

It’s hard to explain, but usually you just know when the Holy Spirit is giving you a specific direction.

So have Jesus FOMO and be obedient! And you never know when it’s going to happen, so be ready!

Philip was ready with the Word

We need to know the Gospel and the Word.

This guy gives Philip a wide open layup! I play basketball with some guys a couple mornings a week. We played yesterday and I had a wide open layup. Not much is more exciting than that. But it was on the left side of the goal and I tried to finish left handed and I missed the wide open layup.

If you don’t know the Gospel, if you aren’t studying the Word and learning it so you can share it, you may miss a wide open layup!

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Be prepared mentally, emotionally, and… knowledgeably? There are so many reasons that you need to be studying the Bible, and this is another one!

But also, don’t let not knowing the Bible be an excuse for not sharing the Gospel.

Matthew 10:19 ESV

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

But don’t let that be an excuse to not be in the Word! Trust the Spirit as He leads you into situations, and prepare yourself for those situations!

Philip was obedient and he was ready with his knowledge and understanding of God’s Word, and he was blessed to be there to lead this man to Jesus…

And you never know what kind of Kingdom impact you are having when you are obedient either. Tradition says that this man went back and spread the Gospel started the church in Ethiopia. This is the region that produced one of the great theologians of the early church Augustine of Hippo.

Where is the Spirit leading you?

Are you preparing yourself to share the Gospel by growing in your knowledge and understanding of the Bible?