Hello, welcome to Faith Chapel.
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I'm Pastor Mark
Duarte and our message today
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is titled "Look, Here is Water."
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Would you join me
for a word of prayer?
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Our heavenly
Father, we thank You
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for giving us
Your word the Bible.
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And we thank You
for giving us Jesus,
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who is the
word, who became flesh
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and dwelt among
us and brought to us
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salvation, a future and a hope.
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Guide us as we
look at Your word today.
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And we thank You
in Jesus name, amen.
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As a result of some
very serious persecution
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which began in Jerusalem
after the stoning of Stephen,
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the believers were
scattered, scattered.
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And the-- one of the disciples,
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one of the workers there Philip,
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he went about preaching
the Bible says, in Samaria.
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That's not an easy thing for
a Jew to do, not in those days.
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And it says, he preached
the word and nothing else.
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The word, what word?
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Well, he preached the
Bible and he preached Christ
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who is the word made flesh.
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He had a message you
see, just as you and I,
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just as every Christian does,
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we have a message that
must be proclaimed to the world.
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No fancy human
philosophy did he use,
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no quaint
stories, just the word.
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The story of Jesus
as the old hymn says,
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"Tell Me The Old Old Story."
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The reception of
Philips preaching was wonderful,
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the account tells us
and many were baptized.
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The natural result of
receiving God's word is baptism,
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from the beginning to that point
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and baptism is
not the end of things
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it's really the beginning,
the new birth, the new life,
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the new man being made
after the image of Christ.
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Just as the
inevitable result of two people
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falling deeply in love will
usually cumulate in marriage
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and spending the rest
of their lives together.
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Now on the way
back to Jerusalem,
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Philip and some of the others
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they continued to preach
in the villages along the way
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and while engaged in
that active evangelism,
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active witnessing, Philip
was given a very special message
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by an angel of the
Lord, a true angel.
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And its active labor
that we most often come up
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with little
blockades here and there,
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we know, what do we do next?
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What do we do next?
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And the Lord leads
and the Lord lets us know.
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In this case it was an angel.
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Don't know, if you
remember a few years back
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angels seemed to be a
very, very popular thing,
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television shows,
angel this and angel that,
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little trinkets you can
buy at the store with angels
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and cards with it,
everything was angels.
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But let's not forget
that in the scriptures
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there are two kinds of angels.
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The angels of the Lord
and those fallen angels.
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The angels of the evil one
but Philip knew the difference
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which was which and who was who.
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And so that brings
us up to the story today
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which is found
in the Book of Acts
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and that's Chapter
8 in the Book of Acts.
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And we want to begin by picking
up the story here in verse 26,
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and we'll look at
this verse by verse.
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Acts 8:26,
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"Now an angel of the
Lord spoke to Philip, saying,
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'Arise and go toward
the south along the road
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which goes down
from Jerusalem to Gaza.'
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This is desert."
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Well, we are familiar with
the word Gaza, the Gaza strip.
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Lot of things still happening
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in that area of the world today.
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But notice in that verse,
the angel of the Lord came
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and the first thing the angel
said to Philip was, "arise."
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So someone imagines,
well, was he sitting down
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when the message came?
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No, no, no, no.
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Arise, what did he mean arise?
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God's call is
always an upward call.
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To follow Him we have to
get up and go where He leads.
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Christians who
only warm pews at church
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year after year
and month after month,
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they really shot
changed themselves
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and never experienced the joy
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and adventure that
active service brings.
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And I know if anyone
who has experienced that
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has now said, amen.
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Active service.
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They will soon
begin to find fault
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with their fellow
Christian brothers and sisters
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and find fault and
gossip and, you know,
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the cure from many
of our ills in church
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and among one another and
even in families is to arise
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and obey the
gospel commission to go.
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Go where? Wherever it
is that the Lord leads.
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That's the exciting part.
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Philip had to arise and go
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and the Word of the
God is living and active.
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The scripture say,
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like a two edge
sword cuts both ways.
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It cuts, but it cuts to heal.
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It must move our hearts to
get up and to arise and go.
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God does not simply ask people,
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go over there, I'm
not gonna tell you where.
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It's true with Abraham, He said,
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go to a place I will show you,
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didn't seem to
really have named it
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but God has a specific
place and a specific purpose,
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a specific type of ministry
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He wants us to be involved with.
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Often times we
have these lofty dreams,
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well, I'll be doing
this and I want to do that,
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when the ministry may be right
under our noses, right here.
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One preacher I
remember many years ago saying,
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we need as Christians to
learn to pray the prayer.
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God, today use
me in Your service.
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Help me to make a
difference in somebody's life,
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to reach out and
touch someone's life for You
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and help me to
see the opportunity.
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How often have
opportunities past us by
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even though we have
prayed, use me today.
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It reminds me one time
many years ago in Japan
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that I was a
volunteer missionary there
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working with language schools
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and I was on a train
in the evening coming back
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from teaching an outside class
at a company, group of people.
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And I was dog tired
sitting there on the train,
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some of the seats
faced each other this way
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and some are lined up parallel.
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And as I sat there it was
in the night and of course,
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so there was a reflection
of the lights from inside
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and I could see
several rows in this direction,
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there was a young
girl looking at me
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and really looking at me.
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It made me
uncomfortable and I said,
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oh, I don't know
what she's looking at
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but took out my
book, started to read,
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after a couple of minutes
or so I felt a presence come
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and just sit down
next to me and it was her.
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And I wondered,
what does she want?
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She turned over
to me and she said,
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excuse me, where are you from?
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You know, and we
exchanged small talk
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and her with her limited English
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and my-- with my regular English
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'cause I couldn't speak
very much Japanese at the time.
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And one thing led to
the next and first thing,
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you know, I gave her a
card, invited her to the school,
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she came began
taking English classes,
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joined the Bible study classes
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and all the results of
being on a train just tired,
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just thinking I'm doing my
regular my whole hmm thing here
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but God uses some of the things
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we least expect to
touch peoples lives
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if we are willing to arise.
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And what if
what I'd said, err...
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and moved and got off the train?
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But being open and
willing to just talk
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even though I was so
tired having used English
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all day along
there, it doesn't matter.
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And in the text we read,
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it says, that Philip
was sent on this road
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which was a desert road.
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Sometimes the most
unpromising looking places
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or opportunities or situations
can reap some of the benefit,
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some of the most wonderful
results for the gospel,
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for the benefit
of the kingdom of God
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but for those who like Philip,
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who are willing to go for God.
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The desert road
was a descending road
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the scripture says,
kind of like a downhill road.
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It was downhill
literally from Jerusalem.
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The road to service may
take us into places that
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for us may seem
beneath us or in a place,
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whoa, I got a
downgrade my life here,
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cut things and drop things.
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And I remember in working
with voluntary missionaries
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for years that often
times they would call
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or write a letter,
what should I bring?
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What do I need to
spend a year as a volunteer?
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And sometimes even
having received the letter
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and the
explanation they would show up
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at the airport with all
these suitcases and stuff.
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One young lady one time,
it's still kind of funny to me,
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showed up with one suitcase
full of shoes, only shoes.
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And we told her, you
better mail those home,
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you're not gonna need all
those shoes over there in Asia
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and she didn't, and she did,
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that is she
didn't need the shoes
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but she mailed them home.
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Let's continue looking
now as we learned from Philip
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and putting your self-interest
aside verse 27 here
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in the same
chapter of Acts Chapter 8.
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"So he arose and he went.
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And behold, a man of Ethiopia,
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a eunuch of great authority
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under Candace the
queen of Ethiopians,
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who had charge
of all her treasury,
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and had come to
Jerusalem to worship."
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Philip met a eunuch
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from the chord of
the queen of Ethiopia.
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Who would ever
expect to find such,
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such a person of great position
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on a desert road in a
lonely place going downhill
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but he went when
the Lord told him to go.
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Now eunuchs were
usually chamberlains
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used in the
Royal women's quarters
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and they could hold
a high office as a man
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which he did without
any problems of the things
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that could potentially happen
in that area of the palace.
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But the eyes of the
Jews, in the eyes of the Jews
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this man was cut
off not being a Jew,
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not being a part
of the congregation
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or of the covenant,
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he was someone who
was considered a gentile.
00:10:12.84\00:10:16.50
And he may have been cut
off in the eyes of the Jews,
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but he was not cut
off in the eyes of God
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and that's the
most important part.
00:10:21.81\00:10:23.98
So here he was having
comeback from Jerusalem
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having gone up there for
the purpose of worshiping,
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a seeker after
truth with enough money
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to have purchase for himself
a scroll from the scriptures
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we will see which were
all handwritten in those days
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on under simple cover as
we have the Bible in our time.
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And I want to read from
the Book of Galatians 3:28.
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Galatians 3:28. We
read these beautiful words
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"There is neither Jew nor Greek,
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there is neither slave nor free,
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there is
neither male nor female,
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for you are all
one in Christ Jesus."
00:10:58.20\00:11:02.79
One in Christ Jesus.
00:11:02.82\00:11:05.24
There is the source,
there is the motivating factor,
00:11:05.27\00:11:08.78
there is the power for
true unity among men and women
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and the only place
to find Christian unity
00:11:13.86\00:11:17.32
which is only found
of course in Christ.
00:11:17.35\00:11:20.60
So Philip met this man.
00:11:20.63\00:11:22.09
This man was a trusted servant,
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in charge of the
queens treasury, we just read.
00:11:24.81\00:11:28.68
He was an honest seeker of truth
00:11:28.71\00:11:30.61
just as he was honest
in his worldly dealings.
00:11:30.64\00:11:33.46
And though he was
custom to living in luxury,
00:11:33.49\00:11:36.44
he was not satisfied.
00:11:36.47\00:11:38.40
With all that he had
something was still lacking,
00:11:38.43\00:11:41.59
something was
missing from his life
00:11:41.62\00:11:43.30
and he probably
went to Jerusalem
00:11:43.33\00:11:45.56
to find that missing something
00:11:45.59\00:11:48.86
and to find peace of mind
and peace between him and God.
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Did he find it?
00:11:53.23\00:11:54.28
Perhaps he did,
partially anyway.
00:11:54.31\00:11:57.34
He had been there to worship.
00:11:57.37\00:11:59.04
His trip was a
personal pilgrimage if you will.
00:11:59.07\00:12:02.80
And no doubt he
had prayed much for God
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to touch him at a
level that only God could
00:12:07.64\00:12:10.46
and putting together all
the faith that he could muster.
00:12:10.49\00:12:13.27
And so here he was
away from the noise
00:12:13.30\00:12:15.73
and the crowds of Jerusalem
00:12:15.76\00:12:17.33
and in his
chariot reading the scroll
00:12:17.36\00:12:19.31
and there were no
distractions on the desert road
00:12:19.34\00:12:22.60
and God sent him a personal
teacher as an answer to prayer.
00:12:22.63\00:12:27.81
What is my reason
for going to church?
00:12:27.84\00:12:30.92
Do you go to church?
00:12:30.95\00:12:31.98
What's your reason for going--
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what your reason
for not going to church?
00:12:33.07\00:12:35.47
That could be another topic.
00:12:35.50\00:12:36.53
What's your reason
for going to church?
00:12:37.04\00:12:38.57
What do you hope to
find when you go there?
00:12:38.60\00:12:40.88
What does it
mean to worship God?
00:12:40.91\00:12:43.82
Often times I fear we forget
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that aspect of the church
body in assembly in worship.
00:12:46.14\00:12:52.46
Worship is
something that we give to God.
00:12:52.49\00:12:55.62
Years ago I remember
an old preacher saying
00:12:55.65\00:12:57.83
when I was in my early 20's
00:12:57.86\00:12:59.17
that the word
worship has something to do
00:12:59.20\00:13:01.03
with blowing kisses
of adoration to God.
00:13:01.06\00:13:04.78
Well, that's what
this man had gone to do.
00:13:04.81\00:13:07.20
And certainly I hope we
can experience that also
00:13:07.23\00:13:10.20
as we go to church to worship
00:13:10.23\00:13:12.55
and as we turn our
hearts towards God,
00:13:12.58\00:13:14.48
they blow kisses to Him
00:13:14.51\00:13:15.89
because it is God who draws us
and pulls us into His worship.
00:13:15.92\00:13:20.18
We'll back in Acts
and verse 28 of chapter 8.
00:13:20.21\00:13:24.20
Act 8:28 "He was returning,
and sitting in his chariot,
00:13:24.23\00:13:30.00
he was read Isaiah the prophet."
00:13:30.03\00:13:33.35
Reading from the prophet Isaiah
00:13:33.38\00:13:35.11
and I was found
that interesting.
00:13:35.14\00:13:37.08
No chapters and
verses in those days
00:13:37.11\00:13:39.03
so somewhere in that scroll
00:13:39.06\00:13:40.65
somehow he opened to that
portion exactly where he was
00:13:40.68\00:13:44.14
and he was reading and
not understanding everything
00:13:44.17\00:13:46.53
that was going on,
00:13:46.56\00:13:47.70
but he was diligent
and diligence is necessary.
00:13:47.73\00:13:51.47
We have to face it.
We have to believe it.
00:13:51.50\00:13:53.31
Often times we open
the Bible and wonder,
00:13:53.34\00:13:55.04
what is this mean?
00:13:55.07\00:13:56.31
What is God
trying to say to me here?
00:13:56.34\00:13:58.50
Give Him time, compare
scripture with scripture.
00:13:58.53\00:14:02.04
Think and pray and
read and go back and pray
00:14:02.07\00:14:05.70
and read again
until the Lord reveals
00:14:05.73\00:14:08.23
what He has in His mind
and in His word for you.
00:14:08.26\00:14:10.80
The seeds of truth
00:14:10.83\00:14:11.91
you see had been
planted in this man's heart,
00:14:11.94\00:14:14.90
but he needed the
personal labor of Philip
00:14:14.93\00:14:18.38
the missionary to bring
him further understanding
00:14:18.41\00:14:22.52
and to a final
decision for Jesus Christ.
00:14:22.55\00:14:26.61
In a book called
Acts of the Apostles
00:14:26.64\00:14:29.36
page 109, are these
words "The angel sent Philip,
00:14:29.39\00:14:34.11
the angel sent to
Philip could himself have done
00:14:34.14\00:14:37.38
the work for the Ethiopian."
00:14:37.41\00:14:39.36
Angel could have done it
and done it much quicker.
00:14:39.39\00:14:42.06
"But this is not
God's way of working.
00:14:42.09\00:14:45.27
It is His plan that men are
to work for their fellow men."
00:14:45.30\00:14:49.92
Men meaning people are to
work for their fellow people.
00:14:49.95\00:14:53.59
And then a very good book
Evangelism page 438 says this
00:14:53.62\00:14:58.64
"Personal influence is a power."
00:14:58.67\00:15:02.51
Did you know that?
00:15:02.54\00:15:03.57
"Personal influence is a power."
00:15:03.60\00:15:05.43
God wants to
utilize your uniqueness
00:15:05.46\00:15:08.55
in ministering to someone.
00:15:08.58\00:15:11.61
"The more direct our
labor for our fellow-men,
00:15:11.64\00:15:15.88
the greater good
will be accomplished."
00:15:15.91\00:15:19.61
It's a beautiful
quote. Beautiful quote.
00:15:19.64\00:15:22.35
And then verse
29 in Acts Chapter 8
00:15:22.38\00:15:26.32
"Then the Spirit said to Philip,
00:15:26.35\00:15:28.33
'Go near, and
overtake this chariot.'"
00:15:28.36\00:15:31.74
Go near and
overtake this chariot.
00:15:31.77\00:15:34.79
That's amazing.
00:15:34.82\00:15:36.49
The Holy Spirit told Philip
00:15:36.52\00:15:38.38
to overtake the
Ethiopians chariot.
00:15:38.41\00:15:41.25
First of all it's amazing
that Philip was so in tune
00:15:41.28\00:15:44.45
with the Lord that
he could understand
00:15:44.48\00:15:46.16
that it was the spirit
and not just some inward urge
00:15:46.19\00:15:49.01
that was telling
him to do this clearly,
00:15:49.04\00:15:50.95
overtake the chariot.
00:15:50.98\00:15:52.74
Now I don't know about you,
00:15:52.77\00:15:53.84
but I haven't overtaken
there many chariots lately.
00:15:53.87\00:15:56.91
Now presumably
the man must have been
00:15:56.94\00:15:58.89
at a slow gate for the
horse or at least the slow trot
00:15:58.92\00:16:02.45
but that's quite
the thing to overtake
00:16:02.48\00:16:04.32
and they are moving
and I can see Philip
00:16:04.35\00:16:06.92
here running along
side and the man's reading
00:16:06.95\00:16:09.03
and he's looking
and he sees the guy
00:16:09.06\00:16:10.38
walking next to him there.
00:16:10.41\00:16:12.00
Aren't you glad that the Lord
sends it just the right time?
00:16:12.03\00:16:16.74
Some person, some message,
00:16:16.77\00:16:19.16
some blessing to overtake us
00:16:19.19\00:16:21.81
and that's exactly what
he did, he overtook this man.
00:16:21.84\00:16:25.06
How sad it is.
00:16:25.09\00:16:28.27
When individual
spend their lives
00:16:28.30\00:16:30.06
trying to run away from
God instead of turning around--
00:16:30.09\00:16:33.87
that's what repentance means,
00:16:33.90\00:16:35.48
to turnaround to
choose a new direction
00:16:35.51\00:16:37.89
and running towards him
00:16:37.92\00:16:40.94
overtake the
chariot and then verse 30.
00:16:40.97\00:16:43.76
Acts 8:30.
00:16:43.79\00:16:45.69
"So Philip ran to
him, and heard him reading
00:16:45.72\00:16:49.09
the prophet Isaiah and said,
00:16:49.12\00:16:51.20
'Do you understand
what you are reading?"'
00:16:51.23\00:16:55.50
The Ethiopian
admitted, he didn't understand.
00:16:55.53\00:16:59.28
And he needed someone to explain
00:16:59.31\00:17:01.37
that difficult portion
of the scripture for him.
00:17:01.40\00:17:05.08
And that same
beautiful book Acts of Apostles
00:17:05.11\00:17:07.63
it summarizes it nicely
so I'll read it, page 109."
00:17:07.66\00:17:11.22
This Ethiopian
represented a large class
00:17:11.25\00:17:14.56
who need to be taught by
such missionaries as Philip.
00:17:14.59\00:17:18.68
Men," men and women, "who
will hear the voice of God
00:17:18.71\00:17:22.72
and go where He sends them."
00:17:22.75\00:17:24.96
Have you heard His voice?
00:17:24.99\00:17:26.66
Are you willing to
go where He sends you?
00:17:26.69\00:17:29.49
Continuing the quote.
00:17:29.52\00:17:30.70
"There are many who
are reading the Scriptures
00:17:30.73\00:17:33.00
who cannot
understand their true import.
00:17:33.03\00:17:36.43
All over the
world our men and women
00:17:36.46\00:17:38.71
looking wistfully to heaven
00:17:38.74\00:17:41.12
and praying to
the Lord send help.
00:17:41.15\00:17:43.17
Prayers and tears and
inquiries go up from souls
00:17:43.20\00:17:46.37
longing for light, for
grace and for the Holy Spirit.
00:17:46.40\00:17:51.56
Many are on the
verge of the kingdom,
00:17:51.59\00:17:53.94
waiting only to be gathered in."
00:17:53.97\00:17:57.62
On the verge of the kingdom,
waiting only to be gathered in.
00:17:57.65\00:18:01.99
And so Philip did
little jogging there
00:18:02.02\00:18:04.31
and he caught up and
then we go to verse 31
00:18:04.34\00:18:06.87
and we'll read
straight through to verse 34.
00:18:06.90\00:18:10.11
Acts 8:31 and he said
00:18:10.14\00:18:12.92
"How can I,
unless someone guides me?
00:18:12.95\00:18:16.01
And he asked Philip to
come up and sit with him.
00:18:16.04\00:18:19.38
The place in the Scriptures
which he read was this.
00:18:19.41\00:18:22.53
'He was led as a
sheep to the slaughter.
00:18:22.56\00:18:25.70
And as a lamb before
its shearer is silent,
00:18:25.73\00:18:28.99
so he opened not His mouth.
00:18:29.02\00:18:31.76
In His immolation, His
justice was taken away.
00:18:31.79\00:18:35.91
And who will
declare His generation
00:18:35.94\00:18:38.95
for His life is
taken from the earth.'
00:18:38.98\00:18:43.75
So the eunuch
answered Philip and said,
00:18:43.78\00:18:47.25
'I ask you of whom
does the prophet say this,
00:18:47.28\00:18:50.58
of himself or of
some other man?'"
00:18:50.61\00:18:54.07
Who is he talking about?
00:18:54.10\00:18:55.41
What's going on?
I don't understand.
00:18:55.44\00:18:57.51
The Ethiopian really needed to
understand this prophecy, why?
00:18:57.54\00:19:01.77
Because it was a
prophecy of the coming Messiah.
00:19:01.80\00:19:04.65
Who had already come.
00:19:04.68\00:19:06.34
Who had already
died as a sacrifice.
00:19:06.37\00:19:08.62
The suffering
servant sent for my sins
00:19:08.65\00:19:11.36
and for your sins and
for the sins of the world,
00:19:11.39\00:19:14.56
all these questions running
around in this mans mind,
00:19:14.59\00:19:18.37
it began to be answered
from this point in the story
00:19:18.40\00:19:21.97
that which was the
desire of his heart.
00:19:22.00\00:19:24.43
Philip came to unfold.
00:19:24.46\00:19:26.45
And verse 35 we read
"Then Philip opened his mouth,
00:19:26.48\00:19:31.38
and beginning at this scripture
preached Jesus to him."
00:19:31.41\00:19:36.20
Beginning right
where the man was
00:19:36.23\00:19:38.58
he preached Jesus to him.
00:19:38.61\00:19:40.79
You know, that's the type
of Christian that I want to be.
00:19:40.82\00:19:43.86
That's the type of Christian
I hope that you want to be
00:19:43.89\00:19:46.37
that wherever a
person is in their experience
00:19:46.40\00:19:48.74
that we will be so
familiar with God's word
00:19:48.77\00:19:51.51
that spirit will
bring it back to our memory
00:19:51.54\00:19:53.97
and we'll be
able to go right their
00:19:54.00\00:19:55.82
and up open the word
and unfold it to them
00:19:55.85\00:19:58.30
right where they are at.
00:19:58.33\00:19:59.88
And beginning
with that scripture,
00:19:59.91\00:20:01.41
Philip began sharing
God's word from that text
00:20:01.44\00:20:05.00
which the Ethiopian had
been reading and trying so hard
00:20:05.03\00:20:08.14
and praying so
fervently to understand.
00:20:08.17\00:20:11.36
We need to begin
where the people are at.
00:20:11.39\00:20:14.14
No matter what
point we may begin at,
00:20:14.17\00:20:16.16
it's interesting
for the Christian
00:20:16.19\00:20:17.79
for the one who loves the Lord.
00:20:17.82\00:20:19.38
Wherever you begin it always
comes back to the same place,
00:20:19.41\00:20:22.30
Jesus the center
focus of God's word.
00:20:22.33\00:20:26.49
He is the center of the Bible
and the center of all truth.
00:20:26.52\00:20:30.66
No wondered He said
of Himself I am the way,
00:20:30.69\00:20:33.31
the truth and the life.
00:20:33.34\00:20:35.56
And so here's Philip
explaining to this man
00:20:35.59\00:20:38.03
what the scripture means
and what's going on in here
00:20:38.06\00:20:41.30
and the man-- I can only imagine
00:20:41.33\00:20:44.09
was thrilled in his
heart as the meaning
00:20:44.12\00:20:47.09
and the understanding
of the word came forth
00:20:47.12\00:20:49.01
and you mean this
Jesus of Nazareth.
00:20:49.04\00:20:52.32
He is the one
and he already came
00:20:52.35\00:20:53.94
and you are one
of His followers,
00:20:53.97\00:20:55.27
you are, you are wow.
00:20:55.30\00:20:57.62
And how did you
say you came here?
00:20:57.65\00:20:59.37
An angel of the Lord told
me in answered to your prayer.
00:20:59.40\00:21:01.96
Can you imagine what he
must have felt like to know?
00:21:01.99\00:21:06.11
We can experience
similar things in our life
00:21:06.14\00:21:08.90
and many times we
have but sometimes
00:21:08.93\00:21:12.40
we don't have these
earth shattering experiences
00:21:12.43\00:21:15.68
that say, wow, what a
miracle God has worked for me
00:21:15.71\00:21:18.29
or may be we're just too blinded
00:21:18.32\00:21:19.58
for one reason or another
00:21:19.61\00:21:21.13
to realize what
God has done for us.
00:21:21.16\00:21:23.05
But you know, we'll
understand it better
00:21:23.08\00:21:24.98
by and by as the
song says, we'll indeed.
00:21:25.01\00:21:29.01
And in verse 36
of the same chapter,
00:21:29.04\00:21:32.68
"Now as they went down the road,
00:21:32.71\00:21:34.74
they came to some water.
00:21:34.77\00:21:36.88
And the eunuch said,
'See, or look here is water.
00:21:36.91\00:21:41.10
What hinders me
from being baptized?'"
00:21:41.13\00:21:44.90
Look, here is
water what hinders me
00:21:44.93\00:21:48.94
from being baptized?
00:21:48.97\00:21:50.21
Now those words
for an evangelist.
00:21:50.24\00:21:52.96
Those words for a
pastor, for a minister,
00:21:52.99\00:21:55.79
certainly are exciting.
00:21:55.82\00:21:57.13
But those words
for any Christian
00:21:57.16\00:21:59.63
can be some of the
most exciting words
00:21:59.66\00:22:02.08
you ever
experience in your life.
00:22:02.11\00:22:03.84
If you've never
had that experience
00:22:03.87\00:22:06.80
of working with someone
and being a part of the process
00:22:06.83\00:22:09.73
that leads to their
making a decision for Christ,
00:22:09.76\00:22:12.66
you have missed
out on a large portion.
00:22:12.69\00:22:15.04
I'm not even gonna
put a percentage on it.
00:22:15.07\00:22:16.95
A large portion of what
it means to be a Christian
00:22:16.98\00:22:20.52
and the joy of Jesus.
00:22:20.55\00:22:22.55
Just to see someone say,
and to see the lights dawn
00:22:22.58\00:22:25.74
as it were to come on
in their heart and to say,
00:22:25.77\00:22:27.87
yes, this is what I want.
00:22:27.90\00:22:29.85
Most recently at the
church that I am pastoring
00:22:29.88\00:22:34.24
we had a family
who came from Japan
00:22:34.27\00:22:37.50
and they came from Japan to seek
00:22:37.53\00:22:40.09
a little bit more extra
help if there is anything else
00:22:40.12\00:22:42.76
it can be done or could be done
00:22:42.79\00:22:44.55
for they are very
young daughter 29-years-old
00:22:44.58\00:22:47.68
and with terminal
cancer, bone cancer.
00:22:47.71\00:22:50.43
They've been giving up.
00:22:50.46\00:22:52.24
In Japan they were
told matter of days
00:22:52.27\00:22:55.19
and they actually
through a serious of miracles
00:22:55.22\00:22:57.66
were able to
actually fly her to the States
00:22:57.69\00:23:00.63
almost like
escaping from the hospital
00:23:00.66\00:23:03.38
and fly her to the States,
00:23:03.41\00:23:04.85
she was able to get
treatment at major hospital
00:23:04.88\00:23:07.46
and was there in the
States getting this treatment
00:23:07.49\00:23:11.44
for three months.
00:23:11.47\00:23:12.51
She did eventually
pass away but not before
00:23:12.54\00:23:15.93
she was brought into contact
with people from the church
00:23:15.96\00:23:19.07
including my wife and I
and many other church members
00:23:19.10\00:23:22.70
from her own lip she
said, I want to go to church,
00:23:22.73\00:23:25.92
not a Christian but
I want to go to church.
00:23:25.95\00:23:28.46
And so they brought
her in the wheelchair
00:23:28.49\00:23:30.67
with the oxygen tank
to church and I though
00:23:30.70\00:23:33.15
there are some people
who have no physical ailment,
00:23:33.18\00:23:35.55
they are just too
lazy to get out of bed
00:23:35.58\00:23:37.07
to come to church.
00:23:37.10\00:23:38.17
But here was this girl, I mean,
00:23:38.20\00:23:40.10
a choir exhausting
for her who came to church
00:23:40.13\00:23:43.68
and sat there within ear
short of the Word of God.
00:23:43.71\00:23:47.21
And to make the
long story short, short.
00:23:47.24\00:23:50.89
She did pass away
but the family said
00:23:50.92\00:23:54.16
they wanted to have
her funeral at the church,
00:23:54.19\00:23:57.03
a Christian memorial service
before taking her remains,
00:23:57.06\00:24:00.59
cremated remains back to Japan.
00:24:00.62\00:24:03.33
And again I had the privilege
of taking part in that.
00:24:03.36\00:24:05.96
And right after
the memorial service
00:24:05.99\00:24:08.10
and a very small reception
00:24:08.13\00:24:10.38
for the 50 years
old people who had come.
00:24:10.41\00:24:13.06
Her older brother
turned to me and said,
00:24:13.09\00:24:15.79
turned to one of
the members and said
00:24:15.82\00:24:17.54
I want to be baptized.
00:24:17.57\00:24:20.01
Oh, what a thrill to
know that here was a man
00:24:20.04\00:24:23.57
who has never studied the Bible
00:24:23.60\00:24:25.27
yet except for the few
messages he has heard at church
00:24:25.30\00:24:28.28
in the sermon and he
wants to be baptized.
00:24:28.31\00:24:31.39
Can you imagine the
thrill that Philip felt
00:24:31.42\00:24:33.82
when he said, hey, wait,
wait, stop, stop here is water.
00:24:33.85\00:24:37.07
Who wants to prevent
me from being baptized?
00:24:37.10\00:24:39.85
And then Philip told him,
00:24:39.88\00:24:41.49
if you believe with
all your heart, you may.
00:24:41.52\00:24:45.75
So the chariot stops
right there in the row.
00:24:45.78\00:24:49.47
They step down of the chariot,
00:24:49.50\00:24:51.89
they head down toward
whatever body of water that was.
00:24:51.92\00:24:55.80
And in the scripture
it's very interesting
00:24:55.83\00:24:57.30
as you read that they
went down into the water,
00:24:57.33\00:24:59.62
Philip baptized him and he says,
00:24:59.65\00:25:01.01
and he came up out of the water
00:25:01.04\00:25:02.86
which we could go
into but we have no time.
00:25:02.89\00:25:05.67
True Biblical baptism.
00:25:05.70\00:25:09.00
They went down to
the water together
00:25:09.03\00:25:11.05
and here is this man
going down into the water
00:25:11.08\00:25:15.14
as a gentile one who was unknown
00:25:15.17\00:25:17.94
and uncared for by the
people who were considered
00:25:17.97\00:25:20.73
the children of God and as
he comes up he's a new man.
00:25:20.76\00:25:24.06
And not only is he a new man,
00:25:24.09\00:25:26.05
but he's a new
creation in Jesus Christ
00:25:26.08\00:25:30.75
with a new life,
with new purpose.
00:25:30.78\00:25:34.98
What an exciting thing?
00:25:35.01\00:25:36.73
He didn't may be
realize it at the time
00:25:36.76\00:25:38.92
but he also came
up out of that water
00:25:38.95\00:25:40.79
as a new missionary.
00:25:40.82\00:25:42.66
And he went back home
to the court of that queen
00:25:42.69\00:25:45.60
as the first Christian there,
00:25:45.63\00:25:47.12
the first that I
can find reference to.
00:25:47.15\00:25:49.20
Back to that court to
tell what great things
00:25:49.23\00:25:52.15
God had done for him.
00:25:52.18\00:25:53.97
And we know today
there are a lot of Christians
00:25:54.00\00:25:56.18
in Ethiopia and I wonder
00:25:56.21\00:25:58.58
if you trace the
roots far back enough,
00:25:58.61\00:26:00.34
how much of that
began with this eunuch,
00:26:00.37\00:26:03.13
this in the eyes of
some insignificant person.
00:26:03.16\00:26:07.51
But a person who
was significant to God
00:26:07.54\00:26:09.65
and whom God
reached out and touched,
00:26:09.68\00:26:12.28
whom God had a
special purpose for
00:26:12.31\00:26:14.83
just as He has for
you, just as He has for me
00:26:14.86\00:26:17.82
and that purpose unfolds
00:26:17.85\00:26:19.57
as we are about
the father's business.
00:26:19.60\00:26:22.07
And Philip, what if
he had made excuses?
00:26:22.10\00:26:24.47
Go down to the road from Gaza,
00:26:24.50\00:26:26.11
I mean, that's a desert
road, its hot down there,
00:26:26.14\00:26:28.03
there are thieves
that I could get mugged.
00:26:28.06\00:26:30.24
What's not down there?
00:26:30.27\00:26:31.76
All the people
are here in Jerusalem,
00:26:31.79\00:26:33.64
why should I go down
to such a deserted place?
00:26:33.67\00:26:37.23
There's nobody down there.
00:26:37.26\00:26:39.05
There's no people down there,
I could get mug down there.
00:26:39.08\00:26:41.36
There are thieves on that
road, its famous for that.
00:26:41.39\00:26:44.04
But none of these
excuses did he make?
00:26:44.07\00:26:46.81
He listened to
what the angel told him.
00:26:46.84\00:26:49.08
He listened to the
prompting that the Holy Spirit
00:26:49.11\00:26:51.26
and he moved on that prompting.
00:26:51.29\00:26:54.25
And I am very, very happy
that he did that Ethiopian
00:26:54.28\00:26:58.39
was very, very happy that he did
00:26:58.42\00:27:00.28
and no doubt became
a very powerful witness
00:27:00.31\00:27:04.69
for the Lord back in Ethiopia.
00:27:04.72\00:27:06.90
Now someone
today, perhaps yourself,
00:27:06.93\00:27:10.75
is on a desert road
and heading downhill
00:27:10.78\00:27:13.74
in the opposite
direction of the Lord.
00:27:13.77\00:27:15.80
Your life is dry and
you're thirsting for God
00:27:15.83\00:27:19.76
whether you realize it or not.
00:27:19.79\00:27:21.71
Today could be your opportunity
to make that decision to come
00:27:21.74\00:27:25.09
all the way
over on the Lord side
00:27:25.12\00:27:27.31
to make that
decision for baptism, yes.
00:27:27.34\00:27:31.03
Is He calling you?
Has He been calling you?
00:27:31.06\00:27:34.28
Look, here is water.
00:27:34.31\00:27:36.29
Look, now is the
time to make this decision
00:27:36.32\00:27:38.46
for your good,
for the good of others
00:27:38.49\00:27:42.14
because the Lord is the
one who does the calling.
00:27:42.17\00:27:44.28
The Lord is the one who sends
and who does the whole thing.
00:27:44.31\00:27:48.12
Don't put it off.
00:27:48.15\00:27:49.67
Turn your life over to
Him and may God bless you
00:27:49.70\00:27:53.10
and keep you in His name.
00:27:53.13\00:27:55.36