I'm Walking On The Desert Road.

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) (Acts 8:26, New English Translation)

During Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam shared with us that we should be prepared to accomplish God’s will in non-traditional ways, being directed by God’s voice, and doing what has never been done before. We see an example of this in the life of Philip the Evangelist.

After the martyrdom of Stephen, Philip went into Samaria and preached the gospel. During his ministry there, Philip heard a directive from the Lord to head towards the south. And we read the amazing response of Philip: “So he got up and went.” (Acts 8:27a)

That’s it. No debate. No discussion. In the middle of a thriving evangelism ministry, with the Spirit of God confirming the word of God with signs and miracles, Philip walked away from it all. Philip didn’t even know what he was walking into. But, he obeyed the directive he received from heaven.

Well, that is radical... and that is mission. The heart of mission goes way beyond our post-modern, safe, regimented “mission trips” to build random houses or put a choir’s show on the road for a week or two. Now, before some of you get offended or send me caustic email, let me say that there is certainly a place for such things in the work of the kingdom. We do all things in the hope that something will turn a person's heart to God. But I’m just wondering if there’s anybody out there that is ready to obey God in the way that Philip did. Are we willing, like Philip, to walk away from a spiritual activity that is authentic and thriving, and instead take a walk with God into the unknown, unregimented future?

It's a new season. You are called to a new mission. God is asking you to do something nontraditional. How will you respond?

Lord God, You spoke to us on Sunday and You gave the call for us to embrace the new thing. You have called us to do things we have never done before. Please make us ready to leave the thing that is thriving, trusting You to keep it, and to give us Your joy and peace as we walk on our mission road “towards the south”. We love You; we hear You; we are obeying You. Let it be. Amen.

Do You Have A Few Minutes?

Today's post is a reflection on Acts chapter 8: I encourage you to read the entire chapter today. Click here to read Acts 8.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Dr. Donovan Case shared a wonderful insight concerning the first-century church: The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch brought the gospel from the Middle East to Africa, and this happened before the apostle Paul was brought to salvation.

The Ethiopian eunuch was introduced to the Lordship of Jesus by the deacon Philip. Philip, along with other ordinary servants of God, ran for his life after the zealot Saul consented to the stoning death of Philip's colleague Stephen. Although there is nothing wonderful about having to run away from home, Philip and other early church members did a wonderful thing: they continued to speak of the good news of Jesus Christ, sharing His love and truth with those they met on their journeys.

Let's consider three aspects of Philip's evangelistic moment with the Ethiopian official:

Philip's evangelism was Spirit-led, not research-based. Philip did not casually pick the official's chariot based on his own intellect or intuition, neither on socio-economic or regional factors; it was God who led Philip to speak to the eunuch.

Philip's evangelism was spontaneous, not rehearsed. There was no booklet, no pre-set speech. Philip simply asked, "What are you reading?", and from there he preached the simple message of Jesus Christ and His love for the world.

Philip's evangelism was shared, not remunerated. After Philip's ministry work was done, the Lord did not leave the official in a position to compensate Philip: the evangelist was supernaturally moved by God to another location. Though he was materially wealthy, the only "remuneration" the Ethiopian could give was to share the salvation story with others, just as it had been freely shared with him. And, interestingly enough, the act of sharing his new-found faith proved far more valuable.

• Do you have any stories of men, women, or children who shared their faith with you?
• Have you ever taken time to share the story of Jesus with someone else?
• Is your approach to evangelism based on culture, convenience, the leading of the Holy Spirit, or a combination of things?