Share the Story of God Courageously

Introduction

Series: We Are Called: Adventures Into the Unknown

The What: The Story of God

Kingdom of God

Not a reorganization of society

Not a political reality

Not a theology or doctrine

Not a logical argument with categories of T/F, right/wrong, guilty/innocent.

More than what we experience as reality (science, history, etc)

More than morality

Jesus: follow me and I will make you to become...

Restored; life made whole and new; given purpose by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Life as God intends - a treasure that when we find it, it is put to use

Gospel - the announcement of this good news

The How: Attitude over Technique and Result

Through Relationship

Appointed to bear fruit - to share with other friends what I’ve shared with you, my friends.

When people run into my disciples, they point them to me

Invite people to be your friends; into your life; they experience the kingdom

And can learn to follow like you

I’ll give you what you ask for in order to do it

Today: We Are Called to Share the Story of God Courageously

Boldly - what we’ve believed that has meant...

Courage: The capability to endure, resist or alter adversity.

Philip Led From Mass Kingdom Movement To the Middle of Nowhere

Acts 8:26–35 ESV

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. 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 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

Previous story was about Samaria and the mass movement of the kingdom that was happening.

Fruitful sharing of the good news

Fast growth

A LOT of attention

Opportunity to be part of something big

No special spirit leading for that one - just happened.

Philip was in the thick of it.

Given One Step At a Time

Angel/Spirit - It’s noon so follow/take this desert road going south from Jerusalem to Gaza.

Crazy because at noon there would be no on one it because of the heat.

We would call this the Blue Ocean

Where everyone else isn’t; nothing happening; possibilities exist but might not see them

Why would I waste my time - there is nothing and no one here. It's not where I would choose.

Looked like a dead end

Philip’s Adversity: inertia to stay on the bandwagon

Takes Courage to go to the Blue Ocean

Called to do something different...in a different way.

No further instructions. Didn't know what he would encounter, or what the assignment was

Did what he was instructed

Met a Guy

Eunuch - Made unable to have children. Didn't marry. Focused devotion as overseers, confidants of rulers and had roles in many of the other religions of the day.

He was a convert and a eunuch (Eunuchs were not allowed to enter the temple (church)).

Responsible for the treasury of the Ethiopian government. The emphasis here is his government role. He would be a very important convert.

He came to worship in Jerusalem, was headed back home in his chariot and reading aloud from Isaiah.

Highly unusual for him to be at that place at that time (heat)

Again listening to the spirit, Philip was guided to join the chariot (get in). Hitchhike?

Telling the Story Courageously

Listen

Spirit already working in the Ethiopian.

29-31 - Chariot - ox-drawn wagon. Slow. Could walk as fast. Philip ran up to it.

Philip ran up to it, heard the Eunuch reading Isaiah.

Ask Questions

Do you understand to comprehend what you are reading?

For the eunuch, the OT was not understandable without interpretation.

Disciples had Jesus to interpret it for them

We have the NT

The man had nothing - but Philip who God sent to him

Philip knew what to do when he heard the eunuch reading Isaiah.

Not be aggressive, in your face

Listened to what the spirit was already doing in the moment and joined in. Didn’t take over.

Invitation to Share

Short answer: no. I need someone to help/guide me.

34 - Who is this talking about?

The eunuch doesn't ask what the passage means.

He asks whether the prophet is talking about his own experience or someone else's.

Fair question - in that day, the Jews understood this passage to talk about Israel (the Servant) as God intended her to be.

Glad you asked.

He then invited Philip into the chariot (which the spirit told Philip to do and Philip waited to be invited) and help/guide him in understanding to comprehend the prophecy about the story of Jesus.

Invitation from Ethiopian...Philip let him take the lead.

And Philip opened his mouth and began from the Scripture to tell the good news about Jesus as they continued down the road.

Proclaim the good news - euaggelizo - Telling the good news about Jesus.

Told him what he himself had experienced as a follower of Jesus and that Jesus make clear in Philips experience of his life and teaching.

1. Jesus is the person/servant Isaiah was talking about (fulfilled the prophecy)

2. His character and the way he suffered and died would prove that.

3. Likely showed him how the story of Jesus was good news.

Courageous Part:

Philip was prepared, responded appropriately.

Philip was in the mode of obedience and was ready to respond whenever the time came.

Because he was courageous - willing to break out of old patterns, habits.

Maybe just an interaction that is called for. Lay groundwork for future conversations.

We tend to want to hang around/gravitate toward the latest, greatest, biggest, successful thing or the thing we’ve come to know and love.

The Kingdom is everywhere, always moving, always active. We are called to be guided by the spirit to meet it and join in its work wherever that is.

Sharing the Good News of the Kingdom courageously involves moving from the comfort of what we know to the discomfort of what we don't (even when it makes absolutely no sense) and relying on the Spirit every step of the way.

For the Kingdom to move and develop more, we should be open to go where the ocean is blue.

Plot of the story: the conversion of a non-jewish person. This is before the church affirmed its mission to non-Jewish people. Not a big deal because the eunuch was going back to his own country. It wouldn't cause a problem like had he lived in Jerusalem (mission to the Gentiles did become an issue soon after).

This story is part of the gradual progress of the church toward the Gentiles. Non-jewish believers took the lead in bringing the Gospel to their own people.

This is the story of the kingdom

Is It Our Story?

When Jesus arrived, the entire religious framework revolved around the Temple/synagogue, right/wrong, good/bad, T/F, guilty/innocent, etc.

All the activity, all the focus. That’s where you went to meet with God, do all the prescribed things that were scripted and standardized for you and you were coerced into it.

If you could do it all - you were good with God.

Life wasn’t better because they were there.

Jesus exposed that model as ingrown, stale, ineffective, fragile.

In his own life and teaching and what was now happening, kingdom life was being reimagined.

Moved from the temple/synagogue to where people were dying to try to live Gathered to be equipped and sent

The church emerged as a body committed to Jesus that gathered to be sent - representing this kingdom; a people not an address or building.

This is why Philip was:

In the mode of doing what Jesus taught, prepared and ready to respond appropriately whenever the time came.

Sharing the Story of God Courageously Today

Altering our adversity

It’s not COVID; COVID revealed it

During the War of 1812, the United States Navy defeated the British Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie. Master Commandant Oliver Perry wrote to Major General William Henry Harrison, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Kelly’s parody of this famous battle report perfectly summarizes mankind’s tendency to create our own problems.

Most Christians do not have the kind of witness that early Christians had.

People in general are still deeply moved by stories of sacrifice and bravery, yet have fewer reasons to live sacrificial lives.

We’ve acted superior

We’ve separated ourselves, created divisions, made unbelievers our enemy.

Why our influence and credibility has declined.

Result: the general public laughs and sees no spiritual reality they can respect. This is NOT persecution.

Christlike, Bill Hull.

Scripture never commands us - christians and non-christians - to go to church and make church a separate thing.

The church meets in order to be equipped to go live faithfully sharing the good news in every corner of the world where we live.

The church - you and I are outposts in the larger world of the Kingdom of God. The church is not the kingdom but part of it.

The kingdom is our family, workplace, schools, neighborhoods, government, media, universities...

The real action is the time in between the church meets to be equipped (not inspired, not to have batteries charged, not be fed, not have my needs met, etc.)

In this time to share the story of God courageously we must have the courage to:

break out of old patterns, habits.

75% of churches will snap back to what they were before and grow smaller. -25% will morph into something else (Blue Ocean) and grow.

The spirit is exposing ingrown, stale, ineffective, fragile.

Kingdom life is being reimagined from church focused to kingdom focus to where people were dying to try to live

leading us away from old patterns, attitudes - the framework we’ve relied on is being reframed.

To be restored to what God intends: a body committed to Jesus that gathered to be sent - representing this kingdom

Move from the comfort of what we know to the discomfort of what we don't.

January 31, 4 pm. Church family gathering where we’ll be talking about this.