How does God save?
Notes
Transcript
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parenting advice from people w 3 or more -
[an exercise of spot the difference]
Acts not a church manual, or church growth manual - describes, shows - [but also many repeated principles, characteristics of God]
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Context:
Now: Samaria and Gaza strip -
Samaritans - [northern kingdom, new worship site, pentateuch, despised]
yet in this story they were hounded by demonic and captured by magic
Eunuchs - [genital mutilation, excluded from court]
Sudan - (south of Egypt, the entire region of modern Sudan)
yet in this story he is returning from Jerusalem worship reading God’s Word
fringe, not acceptable, not welcome
[?? - // - one size fits all - one saviour fits all - but not one strategy]
One Saviour fits all (but not one strategy)
One Saviour fits all (but not one strategy)
from scattering, now another of the 7 - doing signs and wonders
PEOPLE: many/1
whole region | one person
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
Samaria seems a consequence of the persecution - as they scattered, preaching the word, Philip ends up in Samaria.
The eunuch meeting is completely orchestrated by God.
not fixed method - not 1 target group -
POWER: Spirit’s work visible / invisible
Samaria: power encounter (demons, healings)
6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
|| magic, supernatural - real
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.
But their attention switches - God shows himself to be more powerful and amazing.
(Powers and signs - in missionary encounters, when the news about Jesus makes it into new frontiers.)
Ethiopian eunuch: Spirit-led encounter in God’s word.
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.
No drama for the Ethiopian eunuch. No signs and wonders.
Though:
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Supernatural intervention to get Philip there in the first place) -> not ‘normative’ -> God is free -
PREACH: Jesus
Common in both
Samaria:
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.
12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.
Ethiopian Eunuch:
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
The good news about Jesus. God’s chosen ruler of the universe. God’s suffering lamb who takes our wrongs so we can be right with God. Available to all people on the fringe and in the centre.
Philip takes the news to Samaria: not a friendly place normally, would take courage,
Philip takes the news to the eunuch: a text that linked with him (without descendants) - God use Philip to turn eunuch’s attention to Jesus - [“it’s not about you!”]
Start where people are at and get to the good news about Jesus.
God is powerful - at work - crossing boundaries - freely giving his presence -
// who are the fringe dwellers, the excluded, the already spiritually committed?
// where has God put you, who are your ‘people’ ?
// do you know the good news of Jesus to actually share it
Blockages:
Too many? /Too insignificant?
Too opposed? / Unreachable?
faithful messengers, attentive to God’s leading [could have stayed in Samaria - called to go to ONE]
God is the boundary crosser to bring people in
[“How could you go impose on another culture?” - notice the freedom and joy -
Free-Spirited Trust and joy
Free-Spirited Trust and joy
TRUST
Samaria: paid close attention to the words of Philip -
When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.
But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
This is a free invitation. Inviting a response.
Ethiopian Eunuch:
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
Seeks explanation - looking for understanding, asking questions - God already doing his work in this man’s life.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
Clearly has been persuaded and decided to accept the good news about Jesus Philip has shared.
He’s not forced. But he did need someone to take him this message. Could that be you?
BAPTISM:
Common in both accounts is that those who trust Jesus are baptised.
It’s new life and a washing away of the old one and leaving it behind. A new allegiance and a new start. Joining Jesus in his death, leaving my guilt in his grave and rising up free with God, family of God.
But there are differences here:
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
In Samaria, given all the animosity, there’s a real chance this could end up a Samaritan ‘denomination’ and a Judea ‘denomination’. But they are one in Christ Jesus. This unusual time delay isn’t normal, but neither is the bringing in of the Northern Kingdom back into God’s family.
For the Eunuch, no apostolic visit, no mention of the Holy Spirit regarding his baptism (though the Holy Spirit is completely involved in his conversion). Let’s be clear here - all true Christians have the gift of God’s Holy Spirit.
But this is not what baptism does, but what baptism points to:
Romans 8:9 (NIV)
9 [..] if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
It’s also good to avoid presumption that somehow baptism saves people, makes them Christian, or makes them perfect:
Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
We have no reason to doubt that Simon truly believed.
But he does have a serious problem:
Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
be careful - cannot buy God’s power, his gift - his presence - ]
cannot manipulate him
Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
In the gospels - many are said to trust Jesus - not all continue in that trust. Trust involves ongoing repentance as God shines light on our wrong priorities, wrong loves.
Simon does not die like Ananias and Sapphira, we don’t find out his end. Does he repent? Do you and I?
We cannot manipulate God (not even with a baptism).
The final common theme and answer to the question of “imposing our values”
JOY
So there was great joy in that city.
This was a city with it’s own spirituality - already happy with their lot in life and the amazing magic of Simon.
But they have the good news about Jesus brought to them, and they rejoice.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
{do we deal with his eunuch-ness - born this way, made this way, chose this way - he has a particular sexual identity that had to thast point excluded him from Israel and closeness to God. And he converts to Jesus’ way, demonstrates that change in baptism - and has joy.
Different spiritual allegiances, different sexual starting points,
Genuine transfer from old to Jesus - baptism (death to old, new start)
if you’ve got your own spirituality - Jesus as ruler of the universe makes his claim on your life - for your joy -
God’s arm not too short to save - he’s the missionary God
Prophecies - distant lands, those who didn’t know him will come to him - those far off are welcome in -