Preaching to those who know about God

Explanation: We first encounter Philip in where he is numbered among the seven men chosen to minister to the people. These men were needed to assist in healing the rising division within the body of Christ. As we look at the selection process, we see that these seven men were to be “men of good repute, full of the Spirit” (). The next appearance of Philip is early in where we find Philip preaching the Gospel to the Samaritans. He was willing to cross racial and ethnic barriers to share Jesus. It is significant to note that Philip was used of the Holy Spirit to accomplish signs which validated his ministry (). And in our text for this evening we notice that the Angel of the Lord spoke to Philip in such a way as Philip had understanding ().

Argument: To be effective in ministry we must be able to discern the voice of God. Realize that what the Spirit was telling Philip did not make sense from the human perspective. Philip was involved in a great revival among the Samaritans. The Samaritan half-breeds were being saved and Peter and John had come down from Jerusalem and they were laying hands on these new believers and they were receiving the Holy Spirit (). What a good place to be! And yet we find the Spirit telling Philip to go to the Gaza Road, “a desert place” ()

How many of us would leave a supernatural revival in a town or city to travel to a place in the desert with no people and no spiritual activity? When God speaks, it rarely makes sense in human terms.

Illustrate: Jack Homesly leaving the church in Mooresville to go pastor the church in the Charlotte slums.

Application: Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit is the key in being an effective witness, regardless of the type of person we might witness to. Only the Voice of God is going to lead us to share the Gospel of Christ, but if we aren’t abiding in Christ, spending time in the prayer room we will not be able to discern His voice.

Be alert to Divine Appointments (Acts 8:27-29)

Explanation: Philip was also on the lookout for Divine Appointments. Of course it is only fair to admit that this encounter is different in degree from what we will encounter. The text states that “the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.” (). It is very possible that Philip heard the audible voice of God, and in our day we do not generally hear the Spirit’s voice in an audible fashion. Regardless, Believers have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and He is the same Spirit who spoke to Philip. The Spirit had made prior arrangements for this encounter because God was about taking the Gospel to a foreign land (Ethiopia) and had therefore arranged one of His ambassadors to handle the details.

Illustrations: I have had several divine appointments over the years. Many of them occur at Wal-mart believe it or not. Wal-mart is where I talked with Gerard, the “recovering Catholic.”, and I encountered an elderly saint in the parking lot over the past few months. And I had a gospel conversation with an older lady recovering from surgery in the parking lot of Dollar General. On those occasions I was praying for opportunities, so I left the church office to be where people are. The second step is being willing to engage a person in conversation.

Argument: Unlike Philip and the other early Christians, we have the complete treasury of the Word of God. The Bible is God’s way of speaking to us, and He has given us all we need to accomplish His will. This is just another indicator of why it is so important to rest upon the Divine Authority of the Word and not to tamper with it.

Application: The Holy Spirit arranges more encounters than we participate in. We don’t have to go to a desert place to bump into lost people. There are many in Taylorsville and Hiddenite and Hickory. We CAN take part in these conversations, but it means stepping out of our comfort zones.

Be familiar with the Scriptures (Acts 8:30-33)

Explanation: Philip goes over to the chariot of the Ethiopian official and begins a conversation with him. Note the text states the official was reading a scroll which contained the book of Isaiah. At a distance Philip would not have been able to see what the guy was reading. Instead of thinking this must be a mistake, that this guy was busy and would not be happy with an interruption, Philip headed in his direction. When he got closer, Philip heard the official reading out loud and realized what he was reading was the OT. At that point, Philip asked the official if he understood what he was reading. The official admitted that he did not understand, and in fact needed some help. So Philip climbed aboard and began to have Bible study with the man

Illustration: I sometimes use the “tattoo approach” to begin a conversation. When I am around folks with body art, many times I will ask them about one of their markings. I have found out that people who have chosen to have something made a permanent part of their body in a visible place are willing to talk about it. [viewer discretion is advisable, and some designs you definitely don’t need to ask about]

Argument: Philip was familiar with the Prophet Isaiah and was able to join the man where he found him and was able to explain the text. Philip was prepared to engage the man with the Word of God. Many of us are reluctant to engage people in spiritual conversation because we are afraid they are going to ask a question we can’t answer. Many believers simply want the Pastor or a qualified Bible teacher handle the heavy lifting.

While there are some lost folks with conflicting worldviews who have a mixed-up belief systems along with complex questions, most of them simply need to hear a good word about Jesus. Each believer should have a basic understanding of the Scriptures () and every believer should be in a position of usability for the master ()

Application: Be a continuing student of the Word. Read and study and meditate on the Scriptures on a daily basis () You don’t have to be able to answer all the questions. [And some aren’t real questions - they are smokescreens to divert attention]. Understand that NONE of us have all the answers. Simply be willing to journey with them and find the answer together

Be ready to share the Gospel (Acts 8:34-35)

Explanation: Philip was aware of the mission, and he stayed on point. When the official asked him about the identity of the person in the Isaiah passage, Philip quickly began to share Jesus with him. While the text doesn’t relate all that Philip shared with him in relation to Christ (it simply states “he told him the good news about Jesus”) it was clear enough that the official understood his need of repentance because he wanted to receive baptism

Argument: Philip shared the message of the Gospel with this man. He told him about the perfect sacrifice that the Incarnate Son of God had made on the behalf of lost humanity. Philip told him the full Gospel, he didn’t just invite him to church.

Application: The Good News is simply that humans are sinful and in need of a Savior. Jesus is that Savior, and Jesus is the ONLY Savior. It is only through His payment for our sin that we can come into right relationship with God. We can’t earn salvation or merit it; we can only receive it by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. And, without Christ as Lord and Savior, all people are doomed for an eternal separation from God in a terrible placed called Hell. That is the Gospel. Repent and Believe. If we don’t share that, we haven’t shared the Gospel.