Class Lesson May 29, 2016

God has a mission for the nations. Take your place.

Carpe diem. Seize the day.

Because opportunity knocks but once.

We have myriad ways to challenge ourselves when considering job opportunities, major purchases, business ventures, or financial investments. Those kinds of ventures and investments can be risky—even scary. What if I don’t like the new job? What if the market goes bust? What if I lose everything?

I am the last person to give you financial or career advice, but one investment is definitely worth making. 

You may not see an immediate “payoff,” but it will have an incredible impact on your life nonetheless. And on the lives of others.

Invest yourself in missions.

Many in our world still have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ, but we can use the opportunities and resources available to tell that good news. God’s heart and mission is that all people everywhere know Him, and the mission He has given us is no less. 

This study is a call to missions. It is a call to seize the day.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

If your car’s windshield has ever taken a hit from a rock, you can thank Edouard Benedictus. No, he didn’t throw the rock—but he did protect your face.

Benedictus was a French chemist who one day accidentally knocked a glass flask to the floor. He expected to hear the glass shatter, but the flask stayed for all intents and purposes in one piece. It was a mystery until his assistant told him the flask had contained cellulose nitrate (a liquid plastic). The chemical had evaporated, and the flask appeared to be clean, so the assistant had just returned the flask to the shelf without washing it. The evaporated chemical left an unseen film on the flask.

In that moment, Benedictus gave the world safety glass.

We don’t know what Benedictus was planning to do in his lab that day, but an unexpected event led to countless saved lives. As we’ll see in Acts 8, interruptions to our plans can lead to great things—especially if God is bringing about the change.

 

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Acts 8:26-35 

26An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.) 

27So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem 

28and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.

29The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”

30When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 

32Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. 

33In His humiliation justice was denied Him. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.

34The eunuch replied to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or another person?” 

35So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.




Eunuch (v. 27)—Technically, a male who has been emasculated. The term seems sometimes to have been applied to men in high or responsible positions, even if not emasculated.

Candace (v. 27)—This was likely not the name of the Ethiopian Queen; instead, scholars believe “Candace” was a title or office and authority, similar to “Pharaoh.”

 

What stands out to you about Philip’s response
to God’s call?

Acts 8:26-27a
 
My wife and I used to enjoy listening to our youngest son argue his way out of something he needed to do. He would use every form of logic and reasoning he could muster to convince us his way was better. The only thing he convinced me of was that he has great potential in the legal profession!
 

When “an angel of the Lord” gave Philip the word to “Get up and go” (v. 26), I’m sure he didn’t try to argue his way out of it—but a lot of us likely would have. Philip had a good thing going. His ministry was strong. Earlier in Acts, Philip went to a town in Samaria, where he preached the gospel of Jesus and performed many signs. Great things were happening for the kingdom of God (see vv. 5-8). Had I been in Philip’s situation, I wonder if I would’ve followed my son’s example, trying to convince God that this was not a good time to leave the work in Samaria.

Not only that, but look where God was telling Philip to go: “south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Philip was to leave a thriving evangelistic ministry in Samaria to go to what even Luke described as “the desert road (v. 26).” Nothing of significance was out there. Gaza was the last watering hole before the route through the desert to Egypt.

We know from the text that Philip obeyed. And it appears that he went eagerly and joyfully. The reason Philip was even in Samaria was because of persecution. Acts 8:1 describes the “severe persecution” that caused believers to head out of Jerusalem. Philip didn’t respond to that persecution by hiding or cowering in fear; instead, he went to Samaria—a dangerous step, since the Jews and Samaritans were not the best of friends (see John 4:9). And when he got there, Philip kept right on talking about Jesus. 

After Philip’s experience on the Gaza road, he “appeared in Azotus, and he was traveling and evangelizing all the towns until he came to Caesarea” (v. 40). Do you see the pattern? Jerusalem, Samaria, the Gaza road, Azotus, and Caesarea. Philip embraced a lifestyle of going whenever and wherever God sent him.

And so should we.

"To know the will of God, we need an
open Bible and an open map."
—WILLIAM CAREY

Acts 8:27b
 
I’m a planner. I have several to-do lists going at once for my different projects. In fact, the first task each week on my to-do list is to create a to-do list. Mission trips are no different. When I lead mission trips, I always work out all the details, logistics, and schedule ahead of time.

Planning is a wise thing, but obedience supersedes any list. Philip had no agenda. He had no idea what he would be doing. He trusted that God had called him to the desert road for a reason—and that if he obeyed, God would show him what to do.

It helps to have a heart for God and to be open to see the opportunities in front of us. What we might see as an interruption, Philip saw as an opportunity.

His opportunity came rolling by in a chariot. The man inside was “an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury” (v. 27). Ethiopia was not the same country we know today, but it was a thriving area and culture at that time. The Romans were fascinated with this advanced culture on, what was to them, the edge of the civilized world.

So why was this official not in Ethiopia? Luke’s account indicates he was interested in the religion of the Jews. He had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a God-fearing Gentile—a man who believed in the God of Israel even though he was not a full convert to Judaism. 

Philip didn’t know all these details when he first saw the chariot rolling by, but he did see a foreigner and a black man—someone very different from himself. Philip grew up in a culture where the Jews primarily stuck to themselves, but that didn’t matter in this situation. God had called Philip to go, and he looked past ethnic and cultural differences to see a man who needed the gospel.

What kinds of differences exist in our community that
could be barriers to presenting the gospel? 

Acts 8:28-35

How would you begin a conversation with a total stranger? For Philip, the door of opportunity swung wide open. Isaiah 53 as a whole addresses the Suffering Servant and wonderfully points to a Messiah who was sacrificed for us. In fact, Jesus did and said many things during His ministry that fulfilled prophecies from Isaiah 53 (see Matt. 8:17; Luke 22:37; John 12:38-40; Isa. 53:1-12).

Now, here was the Ethiopian asking about such an important prophetic passage about Jesus! 

But Philip didn’t merely interpret that passage. “Beginning from that Scripture” (v. 35), Philip shared the gospel. He began there, but he didn’t stop there. 

For those of us who struggle to start a conversation with someone we don’t know, the feeling may be compounded when we’re on mission and step into another culture. But God meets us in our obedience. He empowers our obedience and willingness to go by opening doors ahead of us. And when our hearts are prepared and under His Lordship, He will give us the words to say when we need to say them. Every time.

The Ethiopian eunuch responded with faith and acceptance (see Acts 8:36-38). And who knows what role he played when he got home in sharing the same good news with others in the Ethiopian government and nation. Perhaps this was the beginning of something huge!

And it all started with one man’s obedience to go.

 God goes before
us and empowers
us. How should this
truth shape your
involvement in

missions?

What can our group
do to be more
engaged in missions?

LIVE IT OUT

It’s a big world out there, and it has a big need for the gospel. What will you do to be a part of God’s mission to the nations?

• Pray daily.Pray for others as they go on mission. Place their picture someplace you’ll see it regularly, and pray for them each day whenever you see their faces.

• Give above and beyond. Give freely and sacrificially to support the missionaries and mission organizations with whom your church partners and supports.

• Go yourself. As a group, talk about different ways you could go and be directly involved in sharing the gospel to the nations. Don’t be afraid to dream about going for a weekend, a week, a month—or a lifetime.

You don’t need an unexpected interruption to spur your passion for God’s mission. You don’t even need a direct command from God—you already have it in Matthew 28:18-20. The opportunity is there. 

Go for it.

Click Here to Watch

Video: Seize the Day! 

(Robin Williams – Dead Poet Society)

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…Carpe Diem…Seize the Day

Opportunity knocks but once.

The gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives! But many in our world have never heard the gospel message. God’s heart is that all people everywhere know Him! His mission is that we will tell them.



The Point: Take your place in God’s mission to tell the nations.


Carpe diem…as believers, we must seize the day! We must use every opportunity and every means available to tell the good news about Jesus.




Our person from the past today is Philip the Evangelist, not Philip the Apostle. He first comes before us as one of the seven chosen by the early Church at Jerusalem to take charge of the daily ministration of charity to the poor widows. And when this work is hindered by the outbreak of persecution following on the death of Stephen, we find him at once departing to enter on active missionary work elsewhere.



Philip was involved in a revival at Samaria that God tremendously blessed. Many people were coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Suddenly God decides to lead Philip out into the desert to witness to the Ethiopian eunuch.





I. Be Willing to Go – Acts 8:26-27a


26An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.) 27So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury.



God always puts people, places, and events together to serve His purposes. We see this in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.



Why do you think Philip was chosen to go down to Gaza? What stands out about his response?

• Philip ministered to cities in Samaria and has now returned to Jerusalem when an angel of the Lord tells him to go to a specific location – a desert road in Gaza. This was not the area Philip had been ministering in and maybe not a place he would have chosen to go, but he got up and went.
• The fact that he should have selected Samaria as the scene of these new labors is in itself a proof that he was able to rise above the ordinary Jewish prejudices of his time. And this same liberal spirit is further exemplified by the incident in connection with which he will always be principally remembered.

What is our hindrance to being willing to go where God leads?

• Get ready, God will often direct us to a place we never considered. It may be a call to a different country and culture or it may be a call to plant a church, but be willing to go where God sends you.
• I worked with a guy years ago in a retail store who was a Christian but always visibly uncomfortable and discontent. I asked him one day what was wrong. I’ll never forget that he looked right at me and said, “Brother I’m running from God.”
• He was miserable and now I knew why. He knew God wanted him to serve as a missionary in a particular place, but he didn’t want to go. Running from God’s will is a tough spot to be in. Consider Jonah. God blesses when we are willing to go when he calls. The best place you can be is where God wants you to be. You’ll know by the peace you experience.

As a believer, how do we demonstrate that salvation in Christ also includes that we be on mission for Him?

• Philip embraced a lifestyle of going whenever and wherever God sent him, and so should we.
• By being intentionally missional in everything we do.

The Lord calls His people to be on mission and He has a place for us in His kingdom work.

• When the Lord calls, we are to obey.
• God guides those who are willing to obey Him.

II. Be Open to Cross Cultural Boundaries ‐ Acts 8:27b-28

He had come to worship in Jerusalem 28and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.



Have you ever had a "divine appointment"?

• A divine appointment is a meeting with another person that has been specifically and unmistakably ordered by God. Yet I sometimes wonder how many of these supernaturally scheduled meetings I've missed because I didn't have my spiritual radar turned on.
• The Scriptures say, "The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord." After decades of walking (off and on, but mostly on) with God, I can tell you that seeing God set up these "appointments" is a thrill that is beyond comparison.
• God was at work in Philip’s life. God had prepared him and directed him to a specific place with a specific task for him to do. God had placed a man, an Ethiopian eunuch, in Philip’s path. Along with the willingness to go where sent there must also be the openness to cross cultural boundaries.
• We must trust that if God is calling us to a particular place He will prepare us for the particular task. God was preparing ahead-of-time this Ethiopian man’s heart to receive what Philip had come to say. If God says “go” He will prepare the way for the hearts of people to receive our witness, wherever that may be. Philip was open to letting God use him to transcend cultural boundaries.

How are we to prepare ourselves for divine appointments?

• We just have to be open to what God is doing today and every day. Every day why not ask God to lead you into divine appointments. Many say a prayer like this, "Holy Spirit whatever you are doing today, let me be a part of it, I want to glorify Jesus and advance the kingdom". After praying be prepared if God has anything for you; He can do the impossible and the unexpected. ‘Be ready for every good work’ Titus 3:1. ‘But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you’1 Peter 3:15. ‘Preach the word; be instant in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine’ 2 Timothy 4:2.

Are there any kinds of differences in our community that could be a barrier to presenting the gospel?




Bill Howard experienced such a heavenly appointment. It all began with a routine trip to promote the Weekend to Remember conference in San Antonio, Texas . . .


As I was waiting for my plane, I noticed a man in his mid-20's dressed in a red warm-up suit. He stood out because he was severely disfigured, an obvious victim of fire. I recall feeling compassion accompanied with a slight feeling of repulsiveness because of his grotesque appearance.

Little did I know that a friend was praying that I would have the opportunity to share Christ with someone on the plane that day. So, like the conductor of a symphony, God began to orchestrate circumstances to accomplish His purposes.

As we boarded the plane it became apparent that it was going to be a packed flight. A little annoyed, I arrived at my seat only to find that another man with a similar name had taken my seat. As I stood in the aisle and waited for the attendant to assign me another seat, I noticed that the disfigured man in the red warm-up suit had the same lot as me. I felt uncomfortable for him, as I watched people stare at his abnormal appearance. After all the other passengers were seated there were only two seats left on the entire plane . . . together in row seven.

Here I was sitting next to the very man at whom everyone had stared.

As the plane pulled out of the gate and taxied down the runway, I noticed that my disfigured neighbor was silent—staring out the window, arms folded in such a way to cover his mutilated hands. I couldn't help but notice how the features on his face had all been apparently reconstructed. Although he wore sunglasses, they couldn't conceal his eyebrow, which was located on his left cheek. The skin on his nose only partially covered his nostrils. His ears were almost nonexistent.


But it was his hands that startled me most. The fingers on both were completely gone. The left one was just a stub from his knuckles down and the skin was so thin that it appeared transparent. It looked like the doctors simply stretched what little skin he had left to cover his exposed hand. The right one was in the same condition, but even worse. It was bent back against his arm and looked as if he were trying to touch his elbow.


Sitting next to this man, I began to experience a number of emotions—thankfulness (that I was in one piece), compassion, and curiosity. I wondered what had happened to re-shape this young man's body. I wanted to talk with him, but what if he rejected me—I'd feel like a jerk for intruding in his life. But I felt that familiar nudge from the Lord to at least try.

So I began a conversation. He said his name was Johnny and he had just been to Tucson to visit his girlfriend (names and places have been changed). She must be quite a woman, I thought.

When I apologetically asked if he would mind sharing his tragedy, he quickly responded, "No, not at all. I'd much rather have you talk with me than stare at me." As I picked my pride up off the floor, he energetically began to tell me his story.

He and his father were taking a rest stop at a gas station in Eagle Pass, between Mexico and Texas. While they were waiting outside, a car pulled out in front of a gas-tanker truck. Avoiding the collision, the truck, full of fuel, jackknifed, rolled, and burst into flames, covering approximately 70 people with burning fuel. Johnny and his father were immediately covered and ignited. When I asked about Johnny's hands, I was in awe by his reply. While engulfed in the flames, Johnny saw an old man pinned on the ground by a steel rod across his chest. Johnny walked over to the man and lifted the rod off his chest, literally burning Johnny's hands off. I now had a genuine love and respect for this courageous man.

He went on to tell me that he spent over three years in the hospital. Upon getting out, he spent another four years in seclusion, due to the scars from his burns. A girl that he met during that time unconditionally loved him back into society.

Since that time he went on to explain that he has had over 130 operations—most to just keep him alive. Just that upcoming summer, Johnny was to receive a pair of artificial hands.

As he finished telling me his story, I couldn't help but wonder if Johnny had ever considered God during his trauma. When I asked, he said he had, but had never heard of having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He wanted to know the God who had spared his life. As I shared "The Four Spiritual Laws" with him he was very attentive. He was eager to know of God's forgiveness and love. As the plane landed in San Antonio, Johnny prayed with me, placing his faith in Christ as Savior and Lord."

Bill concludes his story: "And so for Johnny, there was a moment when he saw his physical body nearly destroyed. All the medical technology in the world could not and will not make him a whole person. But there was another moment when Johnny trusted Christ, and instantaneously God renewed his soul and gave him the promise that his body shall be made new at the coming of Christ." Maybe you're like me—I've been nudged by the Holy Spirit, but I rationalize away my responsibility to say anything. I wonder if the reason we see so little of the supernatural occurring in our lives is because we are unwilling to take the risks that come with walking and living by faith. We fear the rejection of man more than displeasing God.

Bill's story has nudged me to pray more for the salvation of my neighbor, to ask a waitress at Wendy's if she knew the man who made Christmas famous, and to talk more with my grandchildren about how they can be a missionary in their schools. In short, I've been more acutely aware that God is setting up divine appointments with me and people I get the privilege of talking to—and I don't want to miss a single one.

May you and I be aware of the living God's presence in our everyday lives.

The Lord brings about divine appointments. God has a message of hope even for those whom others may consider outsiders.



III. Be Ready to Share Jesus ‐ Acts 8: 29‐35

29The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.” 30When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so He does not open His mouth. 33In His humiliation justice was denied Him. Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. 34The eunuch replied to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or another person?” 35So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.


Philip was willing and ready. He didn’t approach the chariot with fear and trepidation; he ran to it. You run to things when you are ready for them and you dawdle when you are doubtful.



He told the man the good news about Jesus, beginning from “that” Scripture. In other words he was ready to tell him about more Scripture. Be Ready!

• Scripture tells us that we as believers “should be on duty at all times.” You never know when an opportunity will arise for you to share the gospel with someone. Again, it’s the idea of being ready and willing to move at a moment’s notice, for those opportunities to share the gospel often come when we least expect them. This is how we gain ground for the Kingdom of God.
• When is the last time you looked for an opportunity to share the gospel? When is the last time you prayed for an unsaved person by name to come to Christ? When is the last time you personally brought a nonbeliever to church with you?
• Remember, the primary way that God reaches people is through people—people like you and me.

Paul writes in Romans 10:13–15: “‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (NIV)





Ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Are you willing to go where God sends you?

2. Are you open to crossing any boundary to talk about Christ?

3. Are you prepared in mind and spirit to share Jesus as the way of salvation?





The Scripture is a powerful gift.

• It’s a message of truth and salvation.
• We are to know the Scripture and be able to explain to others its message.

We are expected to seize an opportunity to talk about Jesus.

• God will prepare the heart of the hearer to receive the message.

There are two approaches in sharing the gospel.

1. Live it. The first is to live it, so that others can see the gospel through our lives. Philip lived his life in such a way that people saw the power of God in his life (8:6).



2. Talk about it. Philip also talked about his faith demonstrated by this encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch.



Everyone should live so that people see Jesus in our lives. But along with that, we should be a living testimony and also open our mouths and “speak” about Jesus.



SEIZE THE DAY!

Are you ready to GO? If not seize the day and get ready:

• Share the Gospel.

Get ready through prayer, through Bible study, and by developing your own personal testimony.

• Find your place to GO to.

It doesn’t have to be far away. How are you involved in missions? Are you willing if it is far away?

• Pray for or adopt a missionary family.

Contact them. Develop a relationship. Do a Face Time chat. Invite them to your church/small group.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, thank You for those You have called out as vocational missionaries who serve around the world. Nevertheless, I know You have called me to be on mission as well. Therefore, I gladly seize the opportunity that is mine to share the Jesus Christ of Scripture, who alone can set men and women free. Amen.


Hope to see everyone on Sunday!


In His Love,


David & Susan