TAG, YOU’RE IT!
Notes
Transcript
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.
27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
TAG, YOU’RE IT!
TAG, YOU’RE IT!
BASIC RULES OF TAG
1. CHOOSE SOMEONE TO BE “IT”
ONE PLAYER IS SELECTED TO BE “IT.”
THAT PLAYER’S JOB IS TO CHASE AND TAG THE OTHER PLAYERS.
2. THE OTHER PLAYERS RUN
EVERYONE ELSE TRIES TO AVOID BEING TOUCHED OR TAGGED BY THE PLAYER WHO IS “IT.”
3. TAGGING TRANSFERS RESPONSIBILITY
WHEN THE PLAYER WHO IS “IT” TOUCHES ANOTHER PLAYER, THE TAGGED PLAYER BECOMES THE NEW “IT.”
IN MANY VERSIONS, THE PREVIOUS PLAYER IMMEDIATELY JOINS THE RUNNERS AGAIN.
4. STAY WITHIN BOUNDARIES
PLAYERS MUST REMAIN WITHIN AGREED-UPON BOUNDARIES OR PLAYING AREAS.
ANYONE LEAVING THE AREA MAY AUTOMATICALLY BECOME “IT” OR BE DISQUALIFIED.
5. NO DANGEROUS CONTACT
TAGGING IS USUALLY DONE WITH A LIGHT TOUCH OF THE HAND.
NO PUSHING, TACKLING, OR ROUGH BEHAVIOR IS ALLOWED.
6. THE GAME CONTINUES
THE GAME KEEPS GOING AS PLAYERS CONTINUE TAGGING AND TRANSFERRING THE ROLE OF “IT.”
THERE IS USUALLY NO OFFICIAL ENDING UNLESS:
TIME RUNS OUT,
EVERYONE STOPS,
OR ANOTHER VARIATION IS INTRODUCED.
THE MOMENT GOD SAVED YOU,
HE TAGGED YOU.
SALVATION IS NOT JUST RESCUE
—IT IS RECRUITMENT.
GOD DID NOT SAVE US MERELY TO SIT IN CHURCH;
HE SAVED US TO PURSUE PEOPLE WITH THE GOSPEL.
USING THE STORY OF PHILIP
I WANT TO ESTABLISH
THE “RULES” OF GOD’S TAG
RULE #1: YOU MUST ENGAGE THE UNLIKELY
RULE #1: YOU MUST ENGAGE THE UNLIKELY
IN TAG, YOU CANNOT STAY STILL AND CATCH ANYBODY.
PHILIP HAD TO LEAVE A THRIVING MINISTRY
IN SAMARIA AND GO SOUTH—TOWARD A DESERT ROAD.
HE LEFT
COMFORT AND CROWDS,
HE LEFT
VISIBLE SUCCESS,
AND FAMILIARITY.
THE LORD TOLD PHILIP TO GO TO A DESERT THAT HAD
NO CROWD,
NO CONGREGATION,
AND NO CORE GROUP,
HE WENT BECAUSE GOD TAGGED HIM
IN THIS DESERTED PLACE
HE FOUND AN UNLIKELY SEEKER
HERE WAS A MAN OF INFLUENCE,
A MAN OF INTELLIGENCE,
A MAN WITH AN INCOME,
YET THE EUNUCH WAS:
ETHNICALLY DIFFERENT,
SOCIALLY DIFFERENT,
RELIGIOUSLY EXCLUDED,
POLITICALLY POWERFUL,
SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY.
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST,
WE HAVE BEEN TAGGED
TAG TO ENGAGE THE UNLIKELY
SOME OF THE MOST PREPARED HEARTS
ARE RIDING ALONE,
READING SCRIPTURE,
ASKING QUESTIONS,
WAITING TO BE TAGGED
BY YOU
YOU CAN’T BE STILL
YOU’RE IT!
YOU CAN’T LINGER
YOU’RE IT
GOD HAS TAGGED
HIS CHILDREN:
TO GO ACROSS CULTURAL LINES
TO LEAVE COMFORT ZONES
TO PURSUE OVERLOOKED PEOPLE
JESUS DID IT
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
YOU HAVE BEEN TAG,
YOU ARE IT
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
HOW
RULE #2: YOU MUST UNPACK THE SCRIPTURES
RULE #2: YOU MUST UNPACK THE SCRIPTURES
REMEMBER IN TAG,
GETTING CLOSE TO THE PERSON MATTERS.
PHILIP HEARD THE MAN
READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH OUT LOUD
THEN THE SPIRIT MOVED
THEN THE SPIRIT PROMPTED HIM
TO ASK A SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL QUESTION:
LOOK AT VERSE 30
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE READING?”
DO YOU SEE MY BROTHERS AND SISTER
YOU HAVE TO GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO ENGAGE.
LOOK AT VERSE 31
THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH RESPONDS HONESTLY
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
THE EUNUCH HAD SCRIPTURE
BUT LACKED UNDERSTANDING.
HE HAD ACCESS TO THE SCRIPTURES,
WITHOUT EXPLANATION
PHILIP DID NOT OFFER PERSONAL OPINIONS,
HE DID NOT ENGAGE IN THEOLOGICAL DEBATE,
HE DID NOT RELY ON TRADITION
OR HUMAN PHILOSOPHY.
INSTEAD, VERSE 32
TELLS US
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
BEGINNING WITH THE VERY PASSAGE
WHERE THE EUNUCH WAS READING
HE PROCLAIMED JESUS.
SCRIPTURE RIGHTLY EXPLAINED
LEADS TO CHRIST BEING PROCLAIMED.
PHILIP SHOWED HIM JESUS FROM THE WORD.
AS ROMANS 10:14 TEACHES,
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
GOD CALLS US NOT MERELY TO QUOTE SCRIPTURE,
BUT TO EXPLAIN IT FAITHFULLY,
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO UNPACK THE SCRIPTURES
TO RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH,
BECAUSE THE SCRIPTURES TESTIFY OF JESUS CHRIST.
SAINT YOU ARE IT!
GOD TAGGED YOU
THE UNLIKELY ARE
CONFUSED,
SEARCHING,
QUESTIONING,
READING,
HURTING.
HEAR THEIR STRUGGLES
AND HELP THEM
THEN LEAD THEM TO CHRIST THROUGH SCRIPTURE.
DID NOT DEBATE,
DID NOT PHILOSOPHIZE,
DID NOT ENTERTAIN,
EXPLAINED THE WORD
SHOW THEM JESUS.
“GOD DID NOT TAG US TO STAY SILENT.”
STOP RELYING ON OTHERS
YOU ARE IT!
YOU ARE SAVED
YOU HAVE BEEN TAGGED
YOU ARE BORN AGAIN
YOU HAVE BEEN TAGGED
TAGGED TO ASK YOU RIGHT QUESTIONS LIKE PHILIP
Have you ever wanted to understand the Bible better?
Are there spiritual questions you’ve been wrestling with lately?
Do you ever feel like something is missing spiritually?
Have you ever read the Bible for yourself?
Is there anything keeping you from pursuing God more seriously?
What are you searching for in this season of life?
TO UNPACK
YOU NEED
TO LEARN SCRIPTURE.
EXPLAIN CHRIST CLEARLY.
HOW?
ARE YOU IN A BIBLE READING GROUP?
ARE YOU ATTENDING BIBLE STUDY?
ARE YOU ATTENDING CHRISTIAN GROWTH CLASSES?
YOU KNOW
YOU CAN HEAR
BUT NOT HELP
YOU CAN LISTEN
BUT NOT LEAD TO CHRIST
THE TAG IS INCOMPLETE UNTIL THE TRUTH IS EXPLAINED
RULE 1- YOU MUST ENGAGE THE UNLIKELY
RULE 2 - YOU MUST UNPACK THE SCRIPTURES
RULE #3: YOU MUST USHER IN THE SURRENDERED
RULE #3: YOU MUST USHER IN THE SURRENDERED
AFTER PHILIP EXPLAINED THAT
JESUS IS THE WAY OF SALVATION,
AS THEY CONTINUED TRAVELING,
THE EUNUCH SAW WATER AND ASKED THE RIGHT QUESTION: “WHAT HINDERS ME FROM BEING BAPTIZED?”
PHILIP HAD CLEARLY TAUGHT HIM
THAT REPENTANCE AND FAITH
ARE FOLLOWED BY BAPTISM.
EVERY BARRIER THAT ONCE EXCLUDED HIM—
HIS RACE,
HIS STATUS,
AND HIS CONDITION—
HAD NOW BEEN REMOVED.
FAITH HAD BEEN BIRTHED,
AND SURRENDER FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY.
HE DID NOT DELAY,
HE DID NOT NEGOTIATE,
HE DID NOT ASK FOR MORE TIME;
HE SIMPLY RESPONDED IN OBEDIENCE.
BAPTISM DID NOT SAVE HIM,
BUT IT CONFIRMED HIS SURRENDER TO CHRIST.
HE DENIED HIMSELF, TOOK UP HIS CROSS, AND FOLLOWED THE LORD JESUS.
JAMES 2:17 REMINDS US
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
THAT FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD,
BAPTISM BECAME THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION
OF HIS INWARD FAITH.
THIS MOMENT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AGREEING WITH A DIAGNOSIS AND SUBMITTING TO SURGERY.
THE ETHIOPIAN OFFICIAL DID NOT MERELY BELIEVE INFORMATION—
HE SURRENDERED HIS LIFE.
WHEN CHRIST IS TRULY EMBRACED,
OBEDIENCE IS PUBLIC, CLEAR, AND IMMEDIATE.
The goal of tag is contact.
The goal of evangelism is surrender to Christ.
The eunuch respondED immediately:
no delay,
no excuses,
no negotiation.
“God never tagged us merely to inform people; He tagged us to invite them to surrender.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
“The gospel demands a response.”
Have you truly surrendered?
Have you publicly obeyed?
Are you helping others surrender?
CONCLUSION:
IN TAG, ONCE YOU ARE TOUCHED,
YOU BECOME RESPONSIBLE FOR PURSUING SOMEONE ELSE.”
JESUS TOUCHED PHILIP.
PHILIP TOUCHED THE EUNUCH.
THE EUNUCH LIKELY CARRIED THE GOSPEL TOWARD AFRICA.
THE GOSPEL REACHED YOU BECAUSE
SOMEBODY TAGGED YOU WITH TRUTH.
A PRAYING GRANDMOTHER TAGGED SOMEBODY.
A PREACHER TAGGED SOMEBODY.
A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER TAGGED SOMEBODY.
A FRIEND TAGGED SOMEBODY.
NOW HEAVEN IS POINTING AT YOU AND SAYING:
TAG, YOU’RE IT.”
ACTS 8 IS NOT JUST A STORY ABOUT PHILIP;
IT IS A SNAPSHOT OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY
YOUR LIFE IS NOT RANDOM,
YOUR PLACEMENT IS NOT ACCIDENTAL,
AND YOUR OBEDIENCE MATTERS.
YOU ARE SENT TO TAG OTHERS
WILL YOU
PURSUE ON PURPOSE.
PURSUE WITH PRAYER
PURSUE WITH PRAYER
PURSUE WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT
PURSUE WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT
PURSUE ON PURPOSE
PURSUE ON PURPOSE
TO BELIEVERS
STOP HIDING SPIRITUALLY.
STOP SPECTATING.
STOP RUNNING FROM THE ASSIGNMENT.
TO UNBELIEVERS
SURRENDER TO CHRIST TODAY.
THE GOSPEL HAS REACHED YOU.
HEAVEN BROUGHT YOU HERE ON PURPOSE.
