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The Road to Somewhere
Mission Sunday
October 10, 1999
Pastor Dan Baumgartner
It’s
Mission Sunday. And I want to thank you this morning…for
signing up to be a missionary! Now that may surprise
you …you may not remember signing that document. But
I believe that entering into a relationship with Christ…means
signing on to be a missionary.
Christianity
is a missionary faith, by its very nature. Now that
plays itself out in different ways as God’s Kingdom
is extended…in serving, reconciling, working for
social justice, sharing the gospel, meeting physical needs. “But
me…a missionary?” Exactly. And this
morning we get to look at the fascinating story of a man
who thought he had signed on just to wait tables…but
was called to something much greater.
Acts 8:26-40
“Most
people take this road…but that way is nice also.” It’s
a line from a movie…recognize it? Here’s
another from the same movie: “Click your heels
together three times…” Got it? Yes…it’s "The
Wizard of Oz." I didn’t even have to use my
favorite one: “I’ll get you…and
your little dog too.” Our family has watched "The
Wizard of Oz" several times. Have you ever thought
about what goes on in that movie?
It
involves the girl, Dorothy, a scarecrow, a tinman, and
a cowardly lion…who set out on a journey. It’s
a journey that has both a geographic dimension…and
a personal one. This ragtag little band of what we
would probably label reasonably dysfunctional people sets
out…auspiciously for the Emerald City, where all
of their problems will be solved by a great and powerful
wizard. They think they will receive a brain, a heart,
courage and a home. What happens along the way, of
course, is that the journey itself changes them.
The
most important decision is the first one Dorothy makes…to
obey the advice she receives to turn her face toward the
Emerald City. It is a journey of obedience…Dorothy
has no idea what she’s heading into…only that
she needs to go.
This
morning we get to walk beside this man named Philip as
HE goes on a journey…an equally surprising journey. I
want you to look with me at a couple of pieces of the story:
First,
the man Philip. Philip appeared earlier in the book
of Acts. He was one of the seven non-Jewish leaders
named to help guide the early church, specifically to help
serve at the fellowship meals of the church. And just
as Philip was coming into leadership in Jerusalem, a severe
persecution arose against the Christians, and they were
scattered throughout the Middle East. As terrible
as this persecution was…(people dragged from their
homes and put in prison for believing that the Christ had
come)…it was an amazingly effective means of spreading
the news of the gospel. If there had been any tendency
at all for the church to be a little complacent, that ended
as they ran for their lives to other parts of the region.
Philip
was one of these who scattered, and at one point he ended
up in Samaria. Now, that was actually not a bad place
to go. Militant Jewish leaders were arresting Christians…and
since Samaria was a place that the Jews didn’t even
want to set foot in…it was probably a safe place
for Philip to go. Now, the Ethiopian Eunuch. It
is clear that Luke, the writer of Acts is telling us about
a man who had been castrated. It was not at all unheard
of at this time in history for such a thing to be done
in order to provide assurance of safety and fidelity toward
a queen, or in carrying out a high position…both
of which this eunuch was apparently qualified for. The
eunuch is a person of great power…high official
to the Queen of Ethiopia, in charge of all her treasury…a
cabinet member, traveling with his chariot and driver from
Ethiopia, a land often used to represent “the ends
of the earth.” And interested in the God of
the Jews. Certainly a unique individual…from
an exotic land, with wealth and power all around him.
Two
years ago I went to just such an exotic land…with
wealth and power all around. It’s called “Washington,
DC” I went there with a team of people to visit
with a couple that our church had been involved with…Ted & Karey. Ted
and Karey are involved with a branch ministry of Campus
Crusade. It’s a ministry to Congressmen, Senators,
Pentagon staff and spouses. People in high positions
of power and authority…yet people who are hurting,
lonely, anxious and insecure as well.
Ted
and Karey spend their time building long-term relationships
of trust with these men and women…relationships
which may be the only ones some of them have that are not
highly political and agenda-seeking…relationships
in which they can talk about themselves, about Christ,
about the stresses of life, about questions, about the
Bible…a wonderful, wonderful ministry. But
especially in the early years, Ted and Karey had some days…some
tough days…when they said to themselves…”What
on earth are we doing here? How can God really use
us here? Isn’t this a desert?”
Philip
must have felt this way. He thought he’d signed
on to wait tables, but now things are out of his control. He’s
torn out of a growing church in Jerusalem, driven out and
finds himself in the distasteful area of Samaria. And
as if that isn’t bad enough, now he hears God say, “Go
south, young man! Go south on that busy road that
goes through a desert or wilderness area.” That’s
all. Go. Now, that would be enough to drive me
crazy. I mean, maybe if God had told him a little
of the plan, the big picture…so that it all made
sense. Maybe like, “Hey, Philip, I want you
down 25 miles outside of Gaza at 0800 hours to meet a man
there that wants to know more about me.”
Then
it would’ve been a lot easier to go. But that’s
not what happens. But Philip goes, and finds himself
out in the middle of nowhere. And he HAD to be asking
himself, “What in the world am I doing here? Did
I hear wrong? I want to do great things, I want to
go somewhere, I want to be somebody…and here I am
in this isolated land with no agenda, no plan, no destination…going
nowhere.”
Have
you ever felt like that? Ever feel like you’re
in a position where God could never use you, stuck slogging
away in a job, or as a stay-at-home parent, or someplace
that doesn’t seem too glamorous…and feel overcome
with a feeling that you’re on the sidelines, unable
to do anything? Part of what this story tells us,
I think, is this: “Take heart! Act on what you
know…be obedient to what you hear…and God
will use you. God WANTS to use you…if you’re
willing.”
Several
years ago when I was still in business, I had a time when
I felt totally depressed. Felt like I was slogging
away hour after hour at work, wondering what on earth marketing
spark plugs and engine bearings had to do with building
the Kingdom of God, feeling like God could never use me
there. And I kind of cried out to God, and said, “What
am I doing here?” The very next day…a
salesman that I knew walked into my office, shut my door,
sat down and said in a quivering voice… “Dan,
my life is falling apart. Can you listen?” I
didn’t need to go anywhere or anything. God
was saying, "I’m at work. Here, get on board.”
Philip
obeyed the call of God, and just went. No plan, no
strategy, no practice, no rehearsal…just walked
along and looked for what God was doing. And God was
doing something big…with perfect timing, uncanny
precision, unmistakable direction God brings Philip into
contact with this Ethiopian official on his way home…a
man ready to talk. And God does it again to Philip: “Philip,
go join that chariot over there.” What? Why? What
will I say? What will I do? I don’t even
know that man! It’s not my gift!
“Go
join it, Philip.” So Philip jogs over alongside
this moving carriage. Isn’t that a great picture? Philip
in his Nike running sandals and nylon shorts…jogging
alongside a carriage on the middle of a dusty highway,
looks inside and says, “Hi! Name’s Philip. Do
you understand that scroll you’re reading?” Still
jogging. Now, the Ethiopian official could’ve
said, “Buzz off,” or “Arrest him.” Instead,
Philip was invited to stop jogging…and start riding. Now
what’s Philip thinking? “Oboy, what have
I got myself in for? What do I do now? How do
I bring up Jesus? Should I start with the four spiritual
laws? Let’s see, the first one is “God
has a wonderful plan for your life…”
But
the Ethiopian official cuts right to the heart…he’s
reading one of the servant passages, from Isaiah 53, and
he says, “I want to ask you…who is this prophet
writing about? Himself? Or someone else?” And
Philip, sitting right there beside him, tells him about
Jesus Christ, and all that God had done…and the
man decides on the spot to be baptized as a believer.
Now..what
do we do with this story? We could undoubtedly come
up with a seven-step technique for sharing faith. We
could probably write a book on mission work. That’s
the temptation…and that’s the temptation throughout
the book of Acts…to try to develop a blueprint,
a formula. But at every step in this entire book,
Luke portrays the church, the missionaries, the evangelists…as
falling behind what God is doing. The gospel is spread…not
because of the incredible strategy of Christians…but
because of God’s choosing to use people who are available
and willing…to carry out his work. Or as one
writer says, “Christian missionaries are constantly
trying to keep up with God’s action.”
God
IS at work…the question is, how will we respond? It
seems to me that the things to learn from this story have
more to do with Philip…with me, and with you…than
they do with a strategy or technique. There are four
things I want you to notice about Philip:
First,
Philip felt God telling him to do something…and
he did it. Obedience. He didn’t know the
whole picture, or what the outcome would be…but
he did the part he knew.
God
called, Philip went. Call, response. Philip was
called to a desert road. You might be called to the
food bank, to the street, to your neighbor’s
house, to China…God does call. Will we be obedient?
Second,
Philip was willing to engage in what I call “the
ministry of hanging around.” Just to see what
would happen. Just to see what God was doing. “Philip,
go to that chariot and stay near it. I’m going
to do something, “God says, “and I need someone
available.” Are you available? Will you
hang out? Will you stick with it, even when people
think you’re silly? I remember going to high
school football games when we were in youth ministry, and
just hanging out, trying to meet kids, being available. And
I remember feeling so uncomfortable when kids would look
at us like “Don’t you have any friends your
own age?” Engage in the ministry of hanging
out. Here’s how Sam Shoemaker said it in a poem
years ago:
“I
stay near the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out.
The door is the most important door in the world—
It is the door through which (people) walk when they find God.
There’s no use my going way inside, and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where a door ought to be.
They creep along the wall (like blind men),
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it…
So I stay near the door.”
The
ministry of hanging around. That’s what Philip did…and
lo and behold, he met someone from the edge of the world. Was
introduced to the person who might have been the first “seeker.” Found
someone open and ready…to meet God.
Thirdly…it
almost goes without saying…but this story just is
so obvious. Philip knew the scripture. God communicates
with us through the scriptures. Philip was familiar
with it, immersed in it. Philip ran alongside
that chariot, hears the guy reading, and then this
man asked him THE question about this passage of Isaiah… “Who
is this servant, this suffering one? Who takes on
the sin of others?” Philip KNEW what that passage
from Isaiah was about. He knew WHO it was about. And
he KNEW how it applied to Jesus.
Fourth…and
probably the most basic. Philip was ready to give
out the good news. That probably seems awful obvious. But
we’re often reluctant to actually do that. We
don’t want to offend someone. We’re not
sure of ourselves. And sometimes we don’t even
know if the good news is really all that good. But
folks…it is. The God of the universe has this
immense love for his people…so immense he came to
us as a missionary…in Jesus.
Philip
knew the good news. We know it. But sometimes,
especially if we’ve been a Christian for a long time…we
forget how good it is. Talk to a new Christian. Let
someone tell you who has just met Christ, just tasted the
sweetness of knowing God, just been empowered to get rid
of the baggage they’ve carried around their whole
life. It’s good news…for this life. And
for after this life. Last week I was with a senior
citizen, one of the saints, as she was about to go into
a very serious surgery. She looked at me and said, “Well,
I know Who I belong to. And if I don’t make
it, I know Where I’m going.” Good news…for
the future.
Philip
was a missionary. So are you. I wanted to commission
you all this morning, but it’s already been done. When
you sign on to follow Christ…you sign on to God’s
mission. The two go hand in hand. And so when
Christ calls…we go. We go not just overseas,
but over to that person. Not just across the water
but also across the street.
Not
just to preach and baptize, but also to feed and clothe. You
are a missionary…the only question is where you
will serve.
Now
that sounds so very wide open, it can paralyze us. So
I want to suggest two very concrete things for you that
relate to the mission work we get to participate in.
First…pick
one intentional area to be involved. Just one. Wednesday
Night Community dinners need prayers and cooks and helpers.
Or the tutoring programs at Bethany or ECOM need folks
to invest in kids. In fact, there are 28 candidates
in the room next door at the Mission Fair, all of whom
need supporters, prayers, hands-on workers, all sorts of
different gifts. Pick one thing concrete, that maybe
God’s calling you to, that you feel some passion
or interest in… Go there, do it.
Second…hang
around. Be watching and open…to what God wants
to do in the course of your everyday world. What conversation
will you have, what new person will you meet, who will
God prompt you to introduce yourself to today? This
week?
God
IS at work. He wants to use us. If we’ll
be obedient. If we’ll hang around to see what
He’s doing. If we’ll listen. If we’ll
share, and care.
Philip
was just walking down the road, and what happened? He
met a man primed and ready to know God…told him
about Jesus…baptized him…and sent him home
rejoicing.
Church
tradition says that the one, solitary, single man that
Philip baptized…went home to Ethiopia rejoicing,
and began to share the gospel. And the Church of Ethiopia,
of Africa, took root and grew from that one encounter. Remarkable,
isn’t it, that 2000 years of Christianity in Ethiopia
might be traced to this one meeting…on a desert
road…between an exiled Christian and a government
official…with a man who might have thought himself
to be on a road going nowhere…but found that in
the midst of his journey…God was definitely taking
him somewhere.
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