One thing that convinces me that Christianity is true is seeing the various ways that God brings people to himself. Now you might look at me and say, ‘well, you only became a Christian because you grew up in a Christian home.’ Yes, God often uses the witness of parents to bring people into a living faith. But I also know of people who God brought to faith through different circumstances. For example, Mucky came to faith in a remand centre where he turned to the Bible and read of Paul in prison; Neil was influenced by the love of a godly teacher; and in London I met a man from Pakistan whose interest in Christianity was aroused when he read that the Bible teaches that we are to love our enemies, and he pondered on how this was different than anything he had read in the Qur’an.
Every Christian has there story to tell. Whatever the circumstances surrounding your
conversion I hope you can see the hand of God at work. The seventeenth century preacher, John
Flavel, said, ‘In nothing does Providence shine forth more graciously in this
world than in ordering the occasions, instruments and means of conversion of
the people of God.’ Before you
acknowledged him he was at work in the circumstances of your life, ordering
events, and moving people to act and speak, that you would come to the place
where you would receive his saving love.
The poet Francis Thompson spoke of the ‘Hound of Heaven’ who graciously pursues
us. John Stott writes:
Looking back over my life, I have often asked myself what it was that brought me to Christ. As I have said already, it was neither my parental upbringing nor my own independent choice; it was Christ himself knocking at the door, drawing attention to his presence outside … Did I open the door, or did he? Truly I did, but only because by his persistent knocking he had made it possible, even inevitable.
Realising that God is at work in bringing people to himself should affect how we go about telling people about Jesus. We should know that if it all depended on us then the task would be hopeless. But as we look at this passage we see that as people step out to offer Christ to others God goes before us. I also hope that some here will see that the hound of heaven is pursing them and that they will stop running from him.
The individual means God uses to save people (26-29)
Notice the length God goes to meet this one individual, an Ethiopian eunuch. Philip was in Samaria telling people of the good news of Jesus and amazing thinks were happening. It might have seemed best that he should stay there God has another plan. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaze.” At that time the Ethiopian is passing in his chariot—God is setting up a divine encounter. The Holy Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip said. This man’s encounter with God did not begin when he met Philip. God had already being working in the situation. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship—it would seem that God had created an apatite for spiritual reality. He is in his chariot reading from Isaiah. The passage happens to be open at one of the clearest Old Testament prophesies of Christ. God was the one who set up their meeting. Philip simply stepped into the situation that God orchestrated and played his part.
God often uses a variety influences and people in bringing people to himself. You may be aware of a praying grandmother, the witness of a father, the example of a Christian friend, the content of a book and the message of a meeting. Orchestrating the whole thing is the hand of God.
A young pastor was used to lead a hardened criminal in a county jail to Christ. This man told that preacher, ‘Now preacher, don’t get the big head because I accepted Christ. You are just the twenty-fifth man.’ On asking what he meant, the pastor was told that at least twenty-four others had witnessed to him about Christ and that his conversation was the effect of all these together.
God was at work before the pastor came on the scene. We may be the first in a line of people or events
that God uses to share the good news with someone or the ‘twenty-fifth man’ who
witnesses the birth of new life. Don’t
be discouraged if you are never there at the birth stage, you had a role to
play. Whatever our role in that process let’s not forget that true spiritual
life is a work of God!
The privilege he gives his people
If we were to turn to the twenty-first chapter of Acts we would see Luke describe Philip as an evangelist. God gives some people a certain gifting in the area of the sharing the good news. I often feel that churches don’t put enough effort into finding who God may have gifted in this way and are slow to give evangelists the resources to free them up for this task. However it is not only those who are gifted as evangelists who are to undertake the task of sharing their faith. All God’s people have a role. At the beginning of this chapter we see that, after Stephen was martyred, all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria … Those who were scattered preached the word wherever they went (8:1-4). Speaking about Jesus is something for the whole church to do!
But, we might say, ‘I don’t have that sort of confident outgoing personality.’ I am not the salesperson type. Someone responsible for sales once explained, ‘I’ve got these guys working for me who think they’re great salesmen, because they are fast-talking, ambitious ‘sales’ guys. But they’re actually not the best salesmen. The girl who’s bringing in the most business is much more laid back, but she’s genuine. She communicates real concern and sincerity. She gets next to people, understands and listens to them, and then works really hard to help them get what they want. She’s brining in the business, but if you asked her, she wouldn’t say she’s a natural salesperson. It’s really about whether you love the product, and know it well, and whether you actually care for people and want to see them satisfied. If you really believe in it, then you’ll sell it.’
A Christian writer explains, ‘… although we have different gifts and abilities, the most important factor is how much we love the message of God, and how much we love the people all around us who need to hear it. You may not be the person who is going to preach to crowds, or lead Bible study groups, but if you really long to see other people become disciples of Jesus, then you will find ways of doing that within the gifts God has given you …’
What we do need is obedience! Philip responded to the instruction to go to the desert road; he responded to the direction to stay near the chariot; he took the opportunity to answer the eunuch’s question; and he told him the good news about Jesus.
Sri Lankan Bible-commentator Ajith Fernando writes, ‘When an opportunity comes to talk to someone about Christ, we must pray for guidance, be aware of our shortcomings, and launch out into loving witness about our Saviour … We often miss out on opportunities to witness simply because we do not take the first step to turn a conversation into a witnessing situation … I can think of several situations where I talked about many things with an individual and missed opportunities along the way to make the conversation into a witnessing situation. I recognise too that the basic problem was my disobedience to the prompting of the Spirit. But I also know of other situations where I did use the opportunities—and how joyous was the result, for there are few things as thrilling in life as talking to someone about the Saviour.’
‘… there are few things as thrilling in life as talking to someone about the Saviour.’ When we keep the message to ourselves we not only rob our potential hearers of the opportunity to hear the message of life, we also rob ourselves of the joy of being a part of God’s purposes in the world. But I want to finish by pointing to the joy for those who respond to the message.
God offers you joy
John Piper says that ‘God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.’ He says that the first line of the Westminster Confession of Faith should read, ‘The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever.’ God wants our joy! He doesn’t promise us comfort, immunity from sickness and sorrow, or freedom from opposition and hardships. But there is joy! There is the joy of knowing that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There is the joy of knowing that our shepherd carries us close to his heart. There is the joy of living for his pleasure. There is the joy of the sure hope of the life to come!
The eunuch hears the message about Jesus, foretold by Isaiah
hundreds of years before. He listens to
Philip share the good news. He
identifies Christ in baptism. Then when
Philip was taken away from him he went on
his way rejoicing.
I want to finish by challenging two sorts of fools.
The first is those of you who sit in this room, hear the message but
hold back from responding. Somehow you
believe that you will have more joy apart from God rather than in the grip of
his grace. Maybe you think that the
challenges he will bring are too much.
But remember Jesus’ words, whoever
wants to save his live will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and the
gospel will save it.
The second fool is the person who claims that they are a Christian but who persistently compromises with sin. We all have been there! The problem is you are looking in the wrong place for joy. Paul wrote of Demas who because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Demas’s problem was not that he sought joy, but that he sought joy in the wrong place. He sought the shallow joy of worldly pleasures rather than the eternal joy of serving Christ. Like someone playing with the wrapping paper rather than seeing how great the gift is. If you are walking at a distance from God because some compromise is too precious for you to give up then you are a fool who is choosing to miss out on the joy of living a life that pleases God. What’s more your persistent disregard for the challenge of God’s word might suggest that you are not yet been ‘born again’.
If you are a Christian look back on how you came to faith and
recognise the hand of God. If the hound
of heaven is perusing you why not give in and let him embrace you in his
love. Let’s all seek the joy of being a
part of God eternal purposes in the world.
Copyright note:
Unless
otherwise stated all Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.
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