Our Part In His Mission.

Good morning! The other day, I was driving through Chico and pulled up to a stoplight next to one of those… party kiosks on wheels. You’ve probably seen them—basically a mobile bar that people pedal together.

The lady serving drinks looked over, gave me a big smile, and waved like we were old friends.

She was mixing cocktails and somehow making it all look like the happiest workout session on earth!

Later, as I was preparing this message on Sharing Our Faith, that scene came back to mind. Now, I know… it’s a leap—from cocktails to the Great Commission—but stay with me.

Let me show you three pictures, and ask you: Which one best represents the mission of the Church?

A single bike—one person, moving forward alone.

A tandem bike—two people, sharing the work.

Or that party bike—a joyful group, pedaling together, laughing, serving, and drawing people in.

All three are moving. But they move differently.

The single bike? The tandem?

But the party bike?

When you think about it, that’s what the Church is called to be.

We’re not a solo act. We’re not just a tight team of two. We call Ed to be a joy-filled, Spirit-powered, Gospel-sharing community—moving forward together, each one playing a part, making an impact as we go.

“The Church Exists for Mission”

From the very beginning, God has been on His mission. He is the Missio Dei—the sending God.

He created the world with purpose and love.

He called Abraham and formed Israel to be a light to the nations.

He declared His redemptive purposes through the prophets.

He sent Jesus on a saving mission—“to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

And when Jesus ascended, He passed that mission on to us—His Church.

The Bible is all a out mission..

So the question is: How do we get involved in His mission? How did the early church live on mission?

In Acts 8, we see that the church didn’t launch a strategic outreach campaign. Rather the mission came through circumstances—

After the martyrdom of Stephen the church is scattered..

lets read our text…

Acts 8:1 ESV

1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

The early church was scattered …everyone accept the apostles are left Jerusalem..

It has been been pointed out that there are two gk words for the word scattering…first is the sense of making something disappear…(throwing ashes in the wind) the other idea is that of sowing seeds.. (scattering to plant.)…

The persecution of the early church became a catalyst for it’s growth… the wind of perscution—advanced the church forward…..

Instead of weakening it became stronger.. we told

Verse 4

Acts 8:4 ESV

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

We told..

They "went about" preaching the word..…

Stott tells us that the we shouldn’t t get stuck on the phrase “Preaching the word”

…because it ..is talking about Proclamation..

They preached through their lives..

St Frances said it like t his. — preach the gospel and if necessary use words..

these are the best sermons.. testimonies of lived that have been transformed..

I love how The Word Come Alive paraphrase Bible puts this vese in Acts 8:4

Acts 8:4 WCANTP

4 So the followers of Jesus who had been driven out of Jerusalem took every opportunity wherever they went to talk naturally about Jesus in their normal everyday conversations.

These Christians — have just lost their homes.. security… stability and yet they are engaging others in the conversation about Jesus… —

The early church didn’t do evangelism… they simply lived it…

…They talked naturally about there faith it was part and parcel of their lives…and the word grew…

How dow we join God on mission.

1. Connect with others— Step into their world.

One of my favorite toys growing up was lego.. — It is amazing what people can build today..—hobbyists now build incredibly detailed replicas of things like the Titanic, the Eiffel Tower, and entire cities.

But what makes Lego bricks so powerful isn’t just their shapes—it’s their ability to connect.

Each Lego brick has connectors and receptors.

Some have many, some just a few. But every piece was designed to attach to others. That’s the whole point. They’re made for connection.

But here’s the problem: a Lego can only connect to so many other pieces.

Once all the receptors are filled—once every spot is taken—there’s no more room to attach anything new.

That’s a picture of what can happen in our lives.

Our receptors can filled up… just like..

Our time—our schedules are packed,

our families demand attention, our work consumes us.

And before we realize it, all of our “relational receptors” are full.

We don’t have space for one more connection…

In Acts 8 we learn about the ministry of Philip.. here is a guy who was busy but … He made room for connection..

Philip was one of the seven chosen to serve the church (in Acts 6) He was chose to help manage daily distribution of food… Hebrew and Greek speaking woman..

When persecution broke out and the church scattered, — his role changed..and

He didn’t wait around for things to return to normal. Instead, he adjusted. Philip.. was able to Pivot with change.

He went to Samaria to share the Gospel..

Let’s read

Acts 8:5–8 ESV

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

This verse is signicant.. there is a majors leap in how the gospel spread..

In the world of evangelism, missiologists often describe three levels of outreach—

three kinds of cultural bridges we have to cross.

Talk of E 1 E2 and E3..

E stands for evangelism.

E1 is the simplest. That’s sharing the gospel with people who are a lot like us—

Those who have the same language, same culture, same basic worldview. Think: friends, neighbors, coworkers.

E2 involves a little more effort. It means reaching people who are somewhat different—maybe they speak the same language, but they come from a different cultural background, a different history, or a different set of life experiences.

And then there’s E3 evangelism. That’s where the differences are significant—language, worldview, religion, culture—everything. Crossing into that space requires deep understanding, humility, and a long view of ministry.

Now here’s what’s remarkable: In Acts 8, Philip becomes the first Christian recorded in Scripture to do E2 evangelism. He crosses a cultural boundary—and it’s a big one. He takes the gospel from Jerusalem to Samaria.

Samaria wasn’t an easy place to share the Gospel..

There were centuries of religious and cultural conflict between Jews and Samaritans…

The Samaritans had their own version of the Scriptures (more conservative),

their own place of worship on Mount Gerizim, and their own expectations for how God would act…

 But Philip doesn’t let that stop him. He meets then where they are at an and shares Jesus.

. Philip starts where there’s common ground.

Jews and Samaritans didn’t agree on everything, but they shared some key beliefs:

Both groups traced their roots back to Abraham.

Both accepted at least part of the Old Testament Scriptures.

And both were waiting for a Messiah—someone to come and rescue, restore, and make things right.

So what does Philip do? He builds on what they already know and hope for—and he connects the dots to Jesus. Acts 8:5 says.

Acts 8:5 ESV

5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

That word “Christ” isn’t a name—it’s a title. It means “Anointed One.” It’s the Messiah they had been waiting for.

So Philip meets them in their story and then shows them how Jesus is the fulfillment of it.

And here’s the result: they listened.. God spirit is poured out.

Acts 8:6–8 ESV

6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

God used Philip — as he spoke about Jesus .. and When people heard the message many were .. healed… delivered… set free…

The CITY WAS FILLED WITH JOY….

Joy —is not surface-level happiness.

It means deep gladness, lasting cheer, the kind of joy that sinks into your bones and stays.

ONE OF THE GREAT MOTIVATIONS FOR EVANGELISM IS JOY..

If you look arround in culture today..we are busy then ever… the pressure on families to raise children…pressures of the economy…. Pressure gro politics..

This is where the church..in difficult times… We can find Joy..

Joy should be the the Catylist for mission…

How can we bring joy into our relationships?

Into our community….

T/s How do we Join God on Mission..

1. Connect with other — Step into their world.

2. Communicate Clearly — Speak the Truth with Compassion

After Philip preaches Revival comes to Samaria..

The sick are healed and demon cast out... And people are responding.

The city is being transformed. Joy is flooding the streets…

At this point in the story luke introduces us to Simon..… Simon the sorcerer .. well know Magician in Sameria..

lets read

Acts 8:9–13 ESV

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

Simon was a practitioner of sorcery he amazed the people of Samaria for a long time with his magical acts.

Some even declared him to be "the great Power of God,"

Basically gave him a messianic title …

You see..

The Samaritans wrongly assumed that because Simon had supernatural power, it was from God—

yet that simply wasn’t the truth..…. We need to know that ..the enemy is master counterfeiter…

— We need to be discerning… We have to judge the fruits of the spirit..

You couldn’t find two different people Simon and Philip ..

Philip didn’t come to make a name for himself.. to gain wealth or notoriety…

He Came to serve to preach about the kingdom of God

— His ministry was an extension of his love for God and for others…. And because this humilty..

Philip message came with powerful and in word and demonstation of Spirt….

People heard and saw the miracles and believed in Christ. and the y were baptized…

We told that Even Simon himself believed and was Baptized…

At this point there is nothing to indicate that Simon’s belief was… insincere… It only later

When Peter and John come from Jeruslem— that it becomes apparent that Simon’s

Faith was shallow at best… after being baptized simon followed Philip — was to learn how to get more power....

T his happened..

When Peter and John are sent by the apostles to confirm the work that God was doing… Was God really saving the Samaritans… big deal.. and

What they noticed that the Christians had genuine conversion without the receiving the gift of the H.S…

Acts 8:14–18 ESV

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,

You can imagine the Church in Jerusalem wanting to know more about Samaritans… The gospel crossing culture lines..

… and the H.S. filling these new Christians was added conformation.. of the genuineness of their faith..

But this is where the story takes an unexpected turn.

When Simon— sees the Holy Spirit is poured out in power….

He wants that kind of power for himself..

So what does he do? He offers the apostles money ..to busy the gift.l

Simon essentially says, “ I want that ability—

the power to lay hands and give the Spirit.”

Name your price.

But Peter responds immediately, and firmly. He doesn’t dance around it.

Acts 8:20 ESV

20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

Peter confronts doctrinal error.. … it kind a harsh rebuke… he basically saying..

paraphrase Bible..

… ‘I hope you and your money rot in hell, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

Here is the thing.. The gospel is missional in the sense that it meets us where we are…

but it is transformational because it doesn’t leave us there..

It confronts our sin, awakens our need, and offers us a new way of life through Jesus.

As Timothy Keller once said,

“The gospel is not, ‘Live a good life and try to be like Jesus.’

The gospel is not ‘What would Jesus do?’

The gospel is ‘What has Jesus done?’ That’s what changes you.”

What Jesus has done—His death for our sins, His resurrection for our hope—changes everything.

It changes our relationship with God, restoring what was broken. And it changes our relationships with others,

calling us into a community shaped by grace, truth, and love.

In our text Acts 8, Peter doesn’t stop with a rebuke. He doesn’t cancel Simon the Sorcerer.

He doesn’t shame him into silence. No—he offers him grace. He calls him to repentance:

Acts 8:22 ESV

Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

This is the heart of gospel evangelism.

Truth matters. The apostles weren’t interested in shallow, emotional responses or quick conversions. rather..

They were calling people into a right relationship with God based on a right understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done.

Because when the truth of the gospel is rightly understood, it changes how we live.

Orthodoxy—right belief—leads to orthopraxy—right practice.

What we believe determines how we live

1. Connect with other — Step into their world.

2. Communicate Clearly — Speak the Truth with Compassion

3. Cooperate with the Spirit — Follow the Spirit’s Promptings

If we’re honest, we love to be comfortable…it feels good to sit in our favorite recliner—feet up, warm blanket, cup of coffee in hand, everything you need within arm’s reach.

That’s human nature. We naturally drift toward what’s easy, familiar, and safe. What we find in Acts is God disrupting comfort..

One of the most surprising parts of Philips journey is what happens after the revival in Samaria…

You would expect.. the Lord to say settle down.. build a church.. disciples the people..

but I stead.. The Lord directs Philip to leave the revival in Samera and head for a desert road in Gaza…

Acts 8:26–29 ESV

26 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.

God directs Philip Towards Gaza…

When Justin and Emma lived in Boise — we went to visit them…

It is one of the most desolate road that I have been on…

but between Reno — and Boise there is last stop to get gas at Winnemucca…nv. It’s the later stop….

… Well that was Gaza… it was the last watering hole before getting to Jerusalem..

thats where Philip is sent…..

Philip doesn’t argue. He doesn’t say

“But God, revival is happening here!” He simply gets up and goes.

Here is the thing we often miss…

Gaza represents much more than a trip — This isn’t just a geographic description —God is about to do something unexpected in the middle of nowhere….

Acts 8:26–29 ESV

27 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 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

As he travels he comes across this Royal Caravan….

“And there was...an Ethiopian Eunuch …

this phrase is actually a literal Device.. to get our attention…. Preparing us for the unexpected… listen up…

Philip comes a cross The Ethiopian Eunuch ..

A high-ranking official — the royal treasurer of Ethiopia.

A seeker — he had traveled all the way to Jerusalem to worship

A God-fearer — a Gentile who honored the God of Israel.

On top of this is — sitting in his chariot, reading Isaiah aloud…

And he happens to

He reading about the Suffering Servant — the Lamb led to the slaughter..

What are the odds…

This is not random. This is orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.

Philip simply asks …

“Do you understand what you are reading?” (v.30)

Sometimes all it takes is the right question…

And the eunuch replies:

“How can I, unless someone guides me?”

that one question..opens up a beautiful opportunity to share the Gospel…

You can t but help noticed..God is going before a Philip.…

 Philip starts with Isaiah shares all about Jesus..

Acts 8:35 ESV

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

The eunuch believes. And when they come across some water, he says:

“What prevents me from being baptized?”

Nothing. Nothing at all. So they stop, and Philip baptizes him right there….

What is significant ..,about t his journey …is that Philip the Revival…

It was a much big get mission to the one..

This one accounter… is going move the Gospel E2 to an E3.

 Where Gospel crosses language, worldview, religion, culture— barriers…

According to early church tradition, the Ethiopian eunuch. After He saved.. he carried the Gospel back with him to Ethiopia.

Early church father Irenaeus, writing in the second century, said this:

“This man was also sent into the regions of Ethiopia, to preach what he had himself believed.” (Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 12)

Some of the oldest churches in the world are found in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia became one of the first nations to officially embrace Christianity. .

This is how God works.

When we follow His lead, when we speak up, when we walk in step with the Spirit—God does more than we could ever image..

Conclusion

What does it look like to do mission together?

One thing’s for sure: It’s not a solo act. It’s not two people doing all the work.

It’s a joyful, Spirit-powered movement— Everyone pedaling. Everyone participating. Everyone sharing the good news of Jesus.

It look a more like that party..bike…

Particpating mission take a personally commit me t.. The story of Philip remind me of William Borden, the young missionary who gave up wealth and comfort to take the gospel to China.

Before he ever got there, he died of illness.

But what he left behind in his journal are these three simple words:

“No retreat. No regrets.”

That’s the heart of someone fully surrendered to God’s mission. That’s the kind of Church we’re called to be.