Once one recognizes his sin, the Spirit proclaims the word of reconciliation.

The fourth passage

for consideration is Acts 8:26-40. Philip provides an excellent example. “Now an angel of the
Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to
Gaza.’ This is a desert place. And he rose and went.” Philip does not hesitate! Hearing the
command of the Lord, he goes to the place where the Lord wants him to be. May we too be so
quick to follow the will of our Master! Philip meets an important man from Ethiopia who was
returning from Jerusalem. He probably feared God in some way, but his knowledge was
obviously incomplete. Philip hears the eunuch reading from the book of Isaiah and asks him
whether he understands what he is saying. When he then brings Philip into his chariot to help
him, Philip proclaims Christ. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture
he told him the good news about Jesus.” Note what Philip had done. Following the call of the
Spirit, Philip proclaimed Jesus Christ from the Scriptures. No one other than Christ is our hope
and our salvation. Because the Lord willed for this man to believe in Him, the eunuch then
desired to be baptized. The Sacraments are also part of the mission of the Church and should not
be separated from it. Those who believe in Christ are made a part of the body of Christ. Mission
work is never divorced from the life of the whole.

Because the work of the Lord is intimately connected with the church body, there is always the
temptation to engage in mission work as a way of making things run better. Our church is not as
big as it used to be, so we should evangelize the neighborhood. It is a dangerous way of thinking,
because it regards people not as souls in need of Christ but as the means to keeping things going.
Yet notice what Philip does after baptizing the eunuch: “And when they came up out of the
water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on
his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the
gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.” It was the will of the Lord that Philip continue
on his way, but that did not color the message that Philip proclaimed. The Ethiopian needed to
hear about Christ, and Christ caused His Church to grow, even if he was no longer connected to
Philip. Philip even preached the Gospel the whole way from Azotus to Caesarea, not seeking
personal gain or glory, but being faithful to the Lord’s mission. Those believers were connected
to the local churches, of course, because it is the Lord’s will for us to lift up holy hands in every
place. It seems the most natural for those who hear our message to be attached to our local
congregations, but it may be the Lord’s will for them to go somewhere else instead. Pray for a
bountiful harvest, but let God hammer out the details.

This five-part series was originally presented at the North Dakota District Convention in
January 2018. This is part four.