WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.279 One of the most striking and attractive things about the early church was its diversity. 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:16.399 It's one of the reasons why it had such a massive impact on the Roman Empire for some 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:18.140 couple of centuries of its existence. 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:25.600 Because for the first time in history, you have a community that was made up of people 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:30.800 that historically have been divided, uneducated people right alongside high-level Jewish people, 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:39.920 slaves right alongside their former masters, Jews right alongside Gentiles, wealthy right 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:41.880 alongside the poor. 00:00:43.460 --> 00:00:49.100 And what makes me the more amazing is that this was happening long before diversity was 00:00:49.100 --> 00:00:53.480 something people cared about or valued or pursued. 00:00:53.479 --> 00:01:00.479 And in fact, I think you could make a strong case that the reason people care about it 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:09.479 so much today is a direct result of the impact of the Christian church on the Roman civilization. 00:01:09.479 --> 00:01:13.479 The diversity was not a value in the first century. 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:20.480 In fact, the earliest Christians, if they had been left on their own devices, if they had 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:28.480 their way, Christianity arguably would have remained a small, mostly Jewish sect. 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:33.480 So there is this historic question that presents itself to us. 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:35.480 What happened? 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:39.480 What happened to catalyze what has become a global movement? 00:01:39.480 --> 00:01:44.480 And the short answer to that question is the Holy Spirit. 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:46.480 The Holy Spirit happened. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:53.480 And then all of the early Christians had to scramble to catch up with what God was doing. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:59.480 The resurrected Jesus, as we heard in John's Gospel reading just a moment ago, promised 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:10.480 that before he departed he would send another helper, the Spirit of Truth, who would be with his disciples, and be with and empower the church in its mission. 00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:12.480 And that's exactly what happened. 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:16.479 But it went way beyond what they could have even imagined. 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:27.479 Willie James James, in his commentary on the book of Acts, says that the clearest evidence of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts is, quote, 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:35.479 that the disciples of Jesus rarely, if ever, go where they want to go or to whom they would want to go. 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:46.479 The Holy Spirit compelled them to go to the very people that they would least like to go to, people they would never have gone to on their own. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:56.479 And Jennings says, quote, that drive to cross boundaries and borders is what marks the presence of the Spirit of God. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:59.479 So we think about a Spirit-filled church. 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:03.479 And I don't know what you think about when you hear that phrase, a Spirit-filled church. 00:03:03.479 --> 00:03:10.479 Maybe you think about people speaking prophecy or speaking in tongues or being slain in the Spirit or being healed by the Spirit. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:12.479 Fair enough. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:19.479 But according to the book of Acts, a Spirit-filled church is one in which people are compelled to cross boundaries and borders 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:29.479 and go after those who would be considered in that society to be the other, the unreachable, the unclean, the untouchable. 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:34.479 And so the book of Acts is full of unexpected Holy Spirit-driven encounters. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:38.479 And we're going to look at one this morning in Acts chapter 8. 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:43.479 This encounter that A.J. read about just a moment ago between a traditional Jewish man. 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:50.479 He was a colonized, he was probably spoken Greek, he was a Greek name, but he's a traditional Jewish man. 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:54.479 And a gender-nonconforming black African. 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:58.479 So we're going to look at this encounter and then we're going to look at some of the implications for us. 00:03:58.479 --> 00:03:59.479 Let's pray. 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:03.479 Lord, we thank you for your word and we thank you for your spirit. 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:06.479 And we know that we need to be careful what we pray for you. 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:10.479 Because if we pray that you could show up, you might actually show up. 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:14.479 And if we pray that you would speak to us, you might actually speak to us. 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:18.480 And if you speak to us, we might actually have to respond. 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:23.480 And if that happens, then Lord, it clearly means that we're not in control. 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:27.480 So with fear and trembling, we ask that you would speak to us this way. 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:30.480 That you would manifest yourself. 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:33.480 That we would joyfully who would push control to you. 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:36.480 We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:40.480 So let's look first at this encounter in Acts chapter 8. 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:43.480 This passage opens with Philip. 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:46.480 Philip is one of the deacons. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.480 First appointed to care for the poor in the church in Jerusalem. 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:51.480 One of the original deacons. 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:54.480 And he's also clearly a very gifted evangelist. 00:04:54.480 --> 00:04:59.480 And so God sends him to the road that connects Jerusalem to Gaza. 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:03.480 And a version of that road exists today. 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:08.480 And he sits in there because he wants him to meet a man who is coming. 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:12.480 He's returning to Ethiopia from Jerusalem. 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:16.480 Now we don't know this Ethiopian person's name. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:19.480 But we do know that he was very successful in his career. 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:22.480 He's a highly ranking official in the court of Candace. 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:24.480 The queen of Ethiopia. 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:28.480 The fact that he has a chair atonym finans is probably very 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:29.480 high status. 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:32.480 But we're told in pretty very important detail that this man is a unit. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:52.080 That was the price of his success. If you were a male commoner, the only way that you could serve in such a high level job would be to allow yourself to be castrated. That would mean that the royal men of the court would know that you wouldn't be a threat to the royal women of the court. 00:05:52.079 --> 00:06:20.680 So it was the price of admission to those higher status positions. But these days, we would probably refer to someone like this as gender non-conforming. This is a person who had sacrificed everything for his career. He had given up the possibility of a family, he had given up the possibility of children, and yet despite all of his success and status, when we meet him, he's still very much unfulfilled. 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:41.519 He's unfulfilled. And you know, you see this a lot of people, once they have attained success in their lives. I've read so many interviews over the years. People, everyone from Tom York, the front man of the band Radiohead, one of my favorite bands, to Kevin Durant, the NBA star, right? 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:52.819 You, again and again and again, across various fields of confessions, you see people saying verses of the same thing. Now, I was struck because these two men in their interviews said almost were made of the same thing. 00:06:52.819 --> 00:07:07.600 Basically, I thought when I got to where I wanted to be, I thought when I attained success, everything would be different. I thought it would finally fill the void. But now that I'm successful, I realize the void is still there. 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:19.460 Judd Apatow, the successful film director says in his interview, there's a great distraction in thinking, when I get to the top of that hill, it's all going to be awesome. 00:07:20.020 --> 00:07:26.000 And then when you get to the top of the hill, you're like, oh, well, I guess now I really have to deal with my problems, because that didn't work at all. 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:37.480 People think that when they attain that successful life and they reach that plateau, everything's going to be different, and they realize it's not. And that brings a lot of exclusion. 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:49.019 And so this Ethiopian official is in a stage of his life where he is beginning to realize that no amount of success is going to fill the void, and so he's starting to wonder about God. 00:07:49.019 --> 00:08:02.799 Now, in his own country, the people worship his son. But somewhere along the way, he has heard about the God who made his son, and that's the God he wants to know. 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:09.720 He knows enough to know that the God of the Bible isn't like any of the other gods in Ethiopia or any other nation for that matter. 00:08:11.300 --> 00:08:21.699 He had started to want to know more, so he had gone to great lengths to obtain a written copy of the book of Isaiah, which would have been a scroll at that time. 00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:32.500 No verse or chapter reference. It just would have been a long, written scroll, very rare, very valuable, but somehow he had gotten his hands on a copy. 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:41.299 It had actually gotten the point in his life and in his seat where he had decided to risk it all to know this God. 00:08:41.539 --> 00:08:48.039 And so he had decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which is about a 500-mile journey. 00:08:49.099 --> 00:08:52.740 This would have been incredibly expensive. This would have been incredibly dangerous. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:57.139 There's a good chance that you wouldn't survive a journey like this. 00:08:57.139 --> 00:09:05.059 He would have had to probably leave his job, his entire community, for several months, risking never seeing him again. 00:09:05.059 --> 00:09:14.439 And you can imagine the people in his home country, when he told them, his family, when he told them that this was his plan, 00:09:15.359 --> 00:09:17.299 they probably thought he was out of his mind. 00:09:17.859 --> 00:09:21.099 You know, the ultimate midlife crisis for this man. 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:24.800 And yet he barks at this time. 00:09:26.180 --> 00:09:31.259 Because he's really going to risk it all for the chance to finally meet this God. 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:37.320 And so imagine he travels that 500 miles and he makes it. 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:42.340 He finally gets to the gates of the temple and he can't wait to finally come in. 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:49.399 And they arrive at the temple and all their hopes that the fulfillment he's seeking is finally going to be found. 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:52.759 But of course we know what would have happened. 00:09:53.580 --> 00:09:57.480 Because we know what Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse 1 says. 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:01.940 That no eunuchs are allowed in the temple. 00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:11.280 So 500 miles on the road, he would have pulled up to the temple and he would have been told, 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:15.660 no uncertain terms, your kind isn't welcome. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:23.320 Now I don't think any of us in this room can really imagine what that would have felt like. 00:10:24.800 --> 00:10:28.700 But it's a kind of rejection on such a deep and such a personal level. 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:32.540 It's a kind of rejection that could potentially destroy a person. 00:10:33.680 --> 00:10:34.720 We can't imagine. 00:10:35.740 --> 00:10:38.300 We can only ponder what this man might have felt. 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:42.120 Because this man couldn't change who he was. 00:10:43.560 --> 00:10:46.300 He couldn't change the decisions that he had made. 00:10:47.180 --> 00:10:54.620 And it very much seems as though this man is doomed to remain an outsider rejected by God forever. 00:10:54.620 --> 00:11:00.379 So I believe, this is why this man is reading Isaiah. 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:06.379 Because I think he is looking for anything that might offer hope or might offer some answer. 00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:13.220 And if he's reading in Isaiah, and he's reading, he's scrolling for Isaiah, 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:19.659 he would have come across Isaiah chapter 56, which would have grabbed his attention. 00:11:19.659 --> 00:11:23.339 Because that is where it says this, 00:11:24.379 --> 00:11:28.860 Let not the eunuchs say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:31.339 For thus says the Lord, 00:11:31.699 --> 00:11:33.939 To the eunuchs who hold fast my covenant, 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:40.779 I will give in my house and begin my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters. 00:11:40.939 --> 00:11:44.539 I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:50.059 Can you imagine what he would have felt as he's riding back, 00:11:50.819 --> 00:11:52.980 still reeling from the rejection, 00:11:53.199 --> 00:11:54.459 and he's reading these scriptures, 00:11:54.579 --> 00:11:56.379 and he comes across those words. 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:58.480 This man had gone to the temple, 00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:00.360 he had the door slammed in his face, 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:02.179 but here God is saying, 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:03.259 One day, 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:04.419 eunuchs, 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:05.959 outcasts, 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:07.179 people like him, 00:12:07.599 --> 00:12:10.419 are not only going to be welcomed into God's family, 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:12.699 but once they're joined to God, 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:14.300 they will never be cut off. 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:16.920 It's going to be an eternal union. 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:19.400 And in that relationship, 00:12:19.560 --> 00:12:22.540 they're going to be given something better than sons and daughters. 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.259 They're going to be given eternal inclusion in the house of God. 00:12:27.100 --> 00:12:28.360 An eternal family. 00:12:30.340 --> 00:12:32.259 And so you can imagine his next day. 00:12:33.140 --> 00:12:34.000 And he's thinking, 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:34.480 How? 00:12:35.540 --> 00:12:36.840 How is this possible? 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:39.180 How could the temple say no? 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:42.259 How could the law of 1b3 say no? 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:43.620 And yet this scroll is saying, 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:45.159 At some point the answer will be, 00:12:45.319 --> 00:12:47.099 it resounding in eternal yes. 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:51.799 So he would have rolled back and scrambled, 00:12:52.199 --> 00:12:52.359 right? 00:12:52.439 --> 00:12:52.679 Again, 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:54.159 no chapter or verse references. 00:12:54.319 --> 00:12:55.599 He would have been rolling back, 00:12:55.699 --> 00:12:56.879 trying to figure out, 00:12:57.099 --> 00:12:57.579 how, 00:12:57.719 --> 00:12:57.919 how, 00:12:58.019 --> 00:12:58.819 when does this happen? 00:12:58.919 --> 00:12:59.919 What makes this possible? 00:13:00.179 --> 00:13:01.079 And so he would have gone back, 00:13:01.139 --> 00:13:01.659 just a few, 00:13:01.739 --> 00:13:03.039 what we consider to be chapters. 00:13:03.599 --> 00:13:04.899 He would have gone a few back, 00:13:04.979 --> 00:13:06.859 and he would have come across Isaiah chapter 53. 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:11.259 And this is the passage that he happens to be reading, 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:12.779 he happens to be reading, 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:14.840 when Philip comes upon him. 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:20.600 This is the passage that explains how a dog can make such a promise. 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:22.139 And here's what this passage says. 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.300 Surely he has worn our griefs, 00:13:26.860 --> 00:13:28.180 and carried our scars. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:31.200 He was wounded for our transgressions, 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:33.320 he was crushed for our indignities. 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:36.560 Upon him was the punishment that brought us peace, 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:38.800 and by his wounds we are healed. 00:13:39.540 --> 00:13:41.740 All we like sheep on a string, 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:44.100 have turned everyone to his own way. 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:47.140 And the Lord has laid upon him 00:13:47.140 --> 00:13:50.420 the iniquity of us all. 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:53.360 Somehow, 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:55.779 this person 00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:58.200 is going to take on 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:00.019 all of the iniquity of the world. 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:01.360 He's going to make it possible 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:03.379 for people to come to know 00:14:03.379 --> 00:14:04.820 God personally. 00:14:05.060 --> 00:14:05.379 And so, 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:06.539 this man would have said, 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:08.220 who in the world is this? 00:14:08.259 --> 00:14:10.100 Who would voluntarily take on 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:10.899 the grief of the world? 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:12.399 Who would become an addict? 00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:14.220 Who would become like a unit? 00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:16.300 Who would become like a leper? 00:14:16.419 --> 00:14:18.159 Who would become like a criminal? 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:20.779 Who would become like someone who is unclean 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:23.259 in order to allow a person like me in? 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:26.279 Who would quietly and obediently 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:28.339 trade places with outcasts? 00:14:29.419 --> 00:14:30.659 Who would do that willingly? 00:14:32.839 --> 00:14:34.419 So that the outcasts 00:14:34.419 --> 00:14:36.600 could be invited into the house of God 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:37.500 for eternity 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:39.220 while he is slaughtered. 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:41.259 And he's waiting, 00:14:41.439 --> 00:14:41.720 and he's like, 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:42.899 who in the world can this be? 00:14:43.059 --> 00:14:44.240 And that is precisely 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:48.360 when Philip comes alongside him. 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:49.580 See, in those days, 00:14:49.680 --> 00:14:50.860 whenever he's not read aloud, 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:52.440 it's normal to read aloud 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:53.139 when you're reading. 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:56.039 So this official would have been 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:56.800 riding a dog, 00:14:57.139 --> 00:14:58.019 reading aloud, 00:14:58.300 --> 00:15:00.919 and Philip literally comes alongside him 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:02.940 as the Spirit commanded him to do. 00:15:04.539 --> 00:15:05.700 And I almost believe 00:15:05.700 --> 00:15:06.840 as chariots come along, 00:15:07.060 --> 00:15:09.060 and Philip comes running up beside him, 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:10.560 and he hears him reading, 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:11.240 and he goes, 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:13.240 do you need help understanding that? 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:14.860 Do you know what you're reading? 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:16.840 It's kind of a funny scene. 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:19.659 But you can imagine 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:20.779 that the chariot's stopping 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:22.379 and then fighting full of love, 00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:23.879 and the words almost tumbling 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:26.940 out of this Ethiopian man's mouth. 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:29.500 He can't even get the words out fast enough. 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:30.100 You know, 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:31.159 who is this? 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:33.980 Who is this person? 00:15:34.220 --> 00:15:35.600 Is it Isaiah? 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:36.740 Is it somebody else? 00:15:37.800 --> 00:15:38.460 Who is it? 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:41.740 And you can imagine Philip 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:43.860 catching his breath. 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:45.600 I can tell. 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:48.340 His name is Jesus. 00:15:49.560 --> 00:15:50.660 And he loves you more 00:15:50.660 --> 00:15:51.879 than you can possibly imagine. 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:54.879 And this man here, 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:55.300 at the door, 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:56.400 slammed in his face 00:15:56.400 --> 00:15:57.860 by the law in Jerusalem. 00:15:59.100 --> 00:15:59.820 In that moment, 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:01.900 finds another door opened 00:16:01.900 --> 00:16:04.019 in the person of Jesus Christ. 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:06.120 Philip would have shared 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:06.940 the gospel with him 00:16:06.940 --> 00:16:08.240 his invitation to become 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:09.620 a member of the household 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:10.560 of God. 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:11.400 By faith, 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:12.140 all you have to do 00:16:12.140 --> 00:16:13.700 is put your faith in Jesus. 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:14.780 Allow his forgiveness 00:16:14.780 --> 00:16:15.400 and righteousness 00:16:15.400 --> 00:16:17.140 to become your forgiveness 00:16:17.140 --> 00:16:17.740 and righteousness. 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:20.700 And so this Ethiopian man 00:16:20.700 --> 00:16:22.000 comes to faith in Jesus. 00:16:23.400 --> 00:16:24.320 And the transformation 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:25.440 is so immediate 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:26.440 and so radical 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:27.760 as they go along the road 00:16:27.760 --> 00:16:28.300 that he looks 00:16:28.300 --> 00:16:30.740 and he sees some water 00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:31.720 on the side of the road. 00:16:32.880 --> 00:16:34.520 And he immediately says, 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:34.840 well, 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:38.340 if all of this is true 00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:39.059 and if I've come to faith, 00:16:39.439 --> 00:16:40.720 why can't I be baptized 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:41.319 right now? 00:16:41.439 --> 00:16:42.079 Why would I care 00:16:42.079 --> 00:16:42.779 so much about that? 00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:44.500 Well, that's what baptism is. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:46.840 See, baptism is the symbol 00:16:46.840 --> 00:16:48.799 that marks you 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.379 as a member 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:50.480 of the household of God 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:51.019 forever. 00:16:51.819 --> 00:16:52.759 It's a symbol 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:53.860 of this promise. 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:55.439 And he says, 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:56.659 I want that mark on me. 00:16:56.740 --> 00:16:57.819 I want that symbol on me. 00:16:57.980 --> 00:16:58.879 I want the whole world 00:16:58.879 --> 00:16:59.340 and I want to know 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:01.580 that now I have 00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:02.120 this room. 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:05.099 Now I have 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:07.099 a community. 00:17:08.380 --> 00:17:09.420 Now I belong. 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:12.140 And so 00:17:12.140 --> 00:17:13.700 they stop the chariot 00:17:13.700 --> 00:17:14.339 and they go down 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:15.319 and they water both of them 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:16.200 and they baptize them 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:16.759 right in there 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:17.859 right on the side of the road. 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:20.319 And it's, 00:17:20.660 --> 00:17:20.880 you know, 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:21.779 Christian tradition 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:23.400 actually says 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:25.560 that this Ethiopian eunuch 00:17:25.560 --> 00:17:26.660 is the one 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:27.380 who then brought 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:28.820 the gospel to Ethiopia 00:17:28.820 --> 00:17:29.820 and he shared it 00:17:29.820 --> 00:17:30.440 with the queen 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:31.360 and with the court 00:17:31.360 --> 00:17:32.620 and that they began 00:17:32.620 --> 00:17:33.400 to come to faith 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:35.180 and tradition says 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:35.860 that through him 00:17:35.860 --> 00:17:37.920 and in the court of campus 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:39.580 the rest of the, 00:17:39.580 --> 00:17:39.900 the, 00:17:39.900 --> 00:17:40.120 the, 00:17:40.120 --> 00:17:40.460 the, 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:41.360 the seeds 00:17:41.360 --> 00:17:42.340 of the Christian gospel 00:17:42.340 --> 00:17:43.220 were planted there 00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:44.259 in Ethiopia. 00:17:46.340 --> 00:17:47.740 It's an amazing story. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:50.420 What does it have 00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:51.019 to teach us? 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:53.519 I think there are 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:54.339 implications here 00:17:54.339 --> 00:17:55.240 first for 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:57.599 those of us here 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:58.299 who are Christians 00:17:58.299 --> 00:17:59.759 who desire to share 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:00.299 our faith 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:01.180 or maybe 00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:03.359 who think we should 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:04.099 desire to share 00:18:04.099 --> 00:18:04.579 our faith. 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:07.879 It gives us 00:18:07.879 --> 00:18:08.980 a completely different way 00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:09.579 to think about 00:18:09.579 --> 00:18:10.400 sharing our faith. 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:11.599 I think most people, 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:12.819 certainly most Christians, 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:14.799 are very popular 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:15.400 with the idea 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:16.400 of evangelism. 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:17.960 A lot of people 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:18.500 don't even like 00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:19.859 the word evangelism. 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:22.680 in our culture 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:23.539 I think religion 00:18:23.539 --> 00:18:24.519 is seen as very much 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:25.500 a private thing. 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:26.779 Something that you're 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:27.599 very much expected 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:28.519 to keep to yourself 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:31.200 and trying to foist 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:31.920 your beliefs 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:32.720 on other people 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:33.680 is seen as to be 00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:34.299 very rude 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:35.559 or unacceptable behavior. 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:37.980 I want to make you 00:18:37.980 --> 00:18:38.519 clear that's not 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:39.559 what we see happening 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:39.960 here. 00:18:41.139 --> 00:18:43.039 This Ethiopian official 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:44.039 is already 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:45.240 spiritually open. 00:18:45.579 --> 00:18:46.660 He is already 00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:48.019 searching for something 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:48.460 more. 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:49.960 and Philip 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:50.880 doesn't foist 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:51.559 the gospel 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:52.140 on him. 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:53.059 Philip gives him 00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:53.600 the gospel 00:18:53.600 --> 00:18:54.600 the way you might 00:18:54.600 --> 00:18:55.240 give water 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:55.759 to someone 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:56.400 who's dying 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:56.940 of thirst. 00:18:57.840 --> 00:18:58.880 He offers him 00:18:58.880 --> 00:18:59.319 the gospel 00:18:59.319 --> 00:18:59.960 the way you might 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:00.579 offer food 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:01.000 to someone 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:01.660 who's dying 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:02.360 of starvation. 00:19:03.779 --> 00:19:04.600 And I would suggest 00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:05.559 that that is always 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:06.120 how the gospel 00:19:06.120 --> 00:19:06.819 has been to be. 00:19:06.819 --> 00:19:07.200 the gospel 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:08.200 is always 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:08.319 good. 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:09.500 See, sharing 00:19:09.500 --> 00:19:10.000 our faith 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:10.639 isn't about 00:19:10.639 --> 00:19:11.500 techniques. 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:12.240 It's not about 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:12.759 getting the right 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:13.259 arguments. 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:15.500 Good arguments 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:15.779 help. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:18.220 It's not about 00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:19.059 manipulating you. 00:19:20.980 --> 00:19:21.980 Sharing our faith 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:22.859 is primarily 00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:23.720 about paying 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:24.259 attention 00:19:24.259 --> 00:19:25.099 to what the 00:19:25.099 --> 00:19:25.679 Holy Spirit 00:19:25.679 --> 00:19:26.379 has already 00:19:26.379 --> 00:19:26.700 done. 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:29.879 The Holy Spirit 00:19:29.879 --> 00:19:30.819 is the evangelist. 00:19:32.019 --> 00:19:32.899 And evangelism, 00:19:33.019 --> 00:19:33.579 sharing our faith 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:34.139 is about paying 00:19:34.139 --> 00:19:34.919 attention to what 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:35.539 the Holy Spirit 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:36.360 is already doing 00:19:36.360 --> 00:19:37.259 in the lives 00:19:37.259 --> 00:19:37.720 of the people 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:38.700 right around us. 00:19:39.420 --> 00:19:40.100 And as I think 00:19:40.100 --> 00:19:40.660 about some of 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:41.320 the most gifted 00:19:41.320 --> 00:19:42.680 evangelists I know 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:43.500 and some of you 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:44.560 were in this church, 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:46.740 they are, 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:47.440 they are, 00:19:47.820 --> 00:19:48.400 without exception, 00:19:48.580 --> 00:19:49.320 people who seem 00:19:49.320 --> 00:19:50.120 to have a heightened 00:19:50.120 --> 00:19:51.259 sensitivity to what 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:51.840 the Holy Spirit 00:19:51.840 --> 00:19:53.140 is doing in people's lives. 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:55.259 And they're willing 00:19:55.259 --> 00:19:56.200 to respond to that. 00:19:57.720 --> 00:19:58.680 See, if someone 00:19:58.680 --> 00:19:59.519 is not open 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:00.140 to the gospel, 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:00.840 there's nothing 00:20:00.840 --> 00:20:01.620 that you or I 00:20:01.620 --> 00:20:03.360 can do to change that. 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:06.000 But when the Holy Spirit 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:06.940 is working 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:08.220 in someone's life, 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:09.980 often, often, 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:11.740 it doesn't immediately 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:12.680 look like that. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:14.320 Often it presents 00:20:14.320 --> 00:20:16.420 itself as disillusioned 00:20:16.420 --> 00:20:18.380 or unfulfilled 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:19.060 longings 00:20:19.060 --> 00:20:21.000 or times of grief 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.400 or times of struggle. 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:25.800 In some way 00:20:25.800 --> 00:20:26.300 or another, 00:20:26.800 --> 00:20:27.360 that person 00:20:27.360 --> 00:20:28.779 is coming to realize 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:29.500 that the things 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:30.039 that they have 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:30.900 built their life 00:20:30.900 --> 00:20:31.180 from, 00:20:31.539 --> 00:20:31.960 the places 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:32.620 they have put 00:20:32.620 --> 00:20:33.300 their house, 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:34.839 that that's 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:35.779 working anymore. 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:37.819 It's not working 00:20:37.819 --> 00:20:38.519 the way they thought 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:38.839 it would. 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:40.259 Right? 00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:41.019 They've realized 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:41.819 that success, 00:20:41.899 --> 00:20:42.399 as we said, 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:43.599 didn't fill the void. 00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:44.379 Now, as Joe 00:20:44.379 --> 00:20:45.039 D'Apatole says, 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:45.940 now I have to figure 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:46.639 out how to solve 00:20:46.639 --> 00:20:47.200 my problems 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:47.799 another way. 00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:49.359 Or they've realized 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:50.079 that marriage 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:50.839 didn't solve 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:51.440 their problems. 00:20:52.579 --> 00:20:53.500 Or they've realized 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:54.259 that politics 00:20:54.259 --> 00:20:55.079 can't solve 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:56.960 the hardest problems. 00:20:58.180 --> 00:20:59.220 Or they've realized 00:20:59.220 --> 00:20:59.940 that science 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:00.539 can't answer 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.500 our deepest questions. 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:03.920 Or they've realized 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:04.779 that they're not 00:21:04.779 --> 00:21:05.259 the good, 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:06.019 upstanding 00:21:06.019 --> 00:21:07.039 considering the person 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:07.720 that they thought 00:21:07.720 --> 00:21:08.099 they were. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:09.720 Maybe they've had 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:10.900 a major moral failing 00:21:10.900 --> 00:21:12.779 that cracked 00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:13.619 into the truth 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:14.319 just enough 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:14.960 for them to take 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:15.720 one hallmark 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:16.299 glance 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:17.200 at the person 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:17.720 they were playing. 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:20.000 Right? 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:20.619 The Bible's 00:21:20.619 --> 00:21:20.980 comment, 00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:21.460 he writes, 00:21:21.539 --> 00:21:22.099 says that there 00:21:22.099 --> 00:21:23.079 are certain features 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:23.940 of human life, 00:21:24.059 --> 00:21:24.720 certain things 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:25.319 that matter 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:26.140 to people 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:26.779 everywhere, 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:28.000 in every culture. 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:29.920 Things like justice 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:31.019 and beauty 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:32.300 and freedom 00:21:32.300 --> 00:21:33.800 and truth 00:21:33.800 --> 00:21:35.160 and relationships 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:36.539 and Wright 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:37.200 calls these 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.920 broken signposts 00:21:38.920 --> 00:21:41.019 because he says 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:42.019 that every society 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:42.800 and every individual 00:21:42.800 --> 00:21:44.320 cares about these things. 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:45.039 We all know 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:46.140 these things matter 00:21:46.140 --> 00:21:47.340 and the reason 00:21:47.340 --> 00:21:48.060 is because that's 00:21:48.060 --> 00:21:49.080 how God made us. 00:21:49.340 --> 00:21:49.820 They're part of 00:21:49.820 --> 00:21:50.880 the human vocation 00:21:50.880 --> 00:21:52.900 and yet in each case 00:21:52.900 --> 00:21:53.720 no matter how hard 00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:54.220 we try 00:21:54.220 --> 00:21:55.200 we can never 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:56.220 attain these things. 00:21:56.220 --> 00:21:57.960 and he says 00:21:57.960 --> 00:21:59.039 how can we explain 00:21:59.039 --> 00:21:59.819 that for all 00:21:59.819 --> 00:22:00.519 of human history 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:01.339 we care about 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:01.740 these things 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:02.200 and yet we've 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:02.700 never been able 00:22:02.700 --> 00:22:03.460 to attain them. 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:05.880 And he says 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:06.579 the reason is 00:22:06.579 --> 00:22:07.700 because apart from God 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:08.819 they are not attainable 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:09.940 and so their 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:11.240 broken signposts, 00:22:11.339 --> 00:22:12.039 the longing 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:13.039 for these things 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:15.220 is meant to point us 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:15.759 to the God 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:16.319 who makes them 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:17.319 ultimately possible. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:20.620 And so understanding 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:21.240 this helps us 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:22.460 understand that evangelism 00:22:22.460 --> 00:22:23.440 sharing our faith 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:24.840 is really just about 00:22:24.840 --> 00:22:25.940 learning how to listen. 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:28.660 It's about learning 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:29.460 how to discover 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:30.160 where those 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:31.299 qualities are 00:22:31.299 --> 00:22:32.039 in the lives 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:33.299 of people around us. 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:34.519 So a conversation 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:35.180 about the gospel 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:36.180 might start out 00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:37.000 as a conversation 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:38.200 about injustices 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:40.620 or about music 00:22:40.620 --> 00:22:42.279 or a great film 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:44.460 or a really hard 00:22:44.460 --> 00:22:44.840 to do 00:22:44.840 --> 00:22:47.360 or the loss of a job. 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:50.200 And we have to be able 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:51.660 to listen very carefully 00:22:51.660 --> 00:22:52.840 when we are in conversation 00:22:52.840 --> 00:22:53.400 with people 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:55.160 to be genuinely 00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:56.279 interested, 00:22:56.600 --> 00:22:58.279 genuinely curious 00:22:58.279 --> 00:22:59.840 while at the same time 00:22:59.840 --> 00:23:01.040 listening to the Holy Spirit. 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:03.880 Because the Holy Spirit 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:04.360 is the one 00:23:04.360 --> 00:23:05.420 who can help us discern 00:23:05.420 --> 00:23:07.000 how and when 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.220 it's appropriate 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:10.420 to begin to tell people 00:23:10.420 --> 00:23:11.040 about Jesus 00:23:11.040 --> 00:23:12.040 the way Philip does. 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:13.320 How and when 00:23:13.320 --> 00:23:15.700 we need to have 00:23:15.700 --> 00:23:16.320 the courage 00:23:16.320 --> 00:23:17.519 to take that next step. 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:19.960 And it does take 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:20.300 the courage. 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:21.200 It takes listening 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:21.940 to the Holy Spirit 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:23.519 and it takes courage. 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:25.200 We're not told 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:26.079 what Philip is thinking 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:27.059 but he very well may be 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:28.539 thinking something like 00:23:28.539 --> 00:23:31.180 if I tell this guy 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:31.859 about Jesus 00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:33.359 is he going to laugh 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:34.039 me all the way 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:34.559 or is he going to 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:35.379 kick me out of his chair? 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:37.079 He doesn't know 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:37.559 how this guy 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:38.180 is going to respond. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:39.180 He's just responding 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:39.960 to what the Holy Spirit 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:40.639 is prompting him 00:23:40.639 --> 00:23:42.039 and he's leaving 00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:42.480 the outcome 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:43.279 in God's hands. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:46.819 So that's the first 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:47.839 self-implication 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:49.019 is just how we think 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:50.039 about sharing 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:51.059 our faith. 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:52.660 If we put ourselves 00:23:52.660 --> 00:23:53.500 at the center of it 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:55.859 we've already lost 00:23:55.859 --> 00:23:56.660 our way 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:57.500 but if we understand 00:23:57.500 --> 00:23:58.240 that the Holy Spirit 00:23:58.240 --> 00:23:59.099 is at the center of it 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:00.399 and that our job 00:24:00.399 --> 00:24:01.119 is to listen to 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:02.099 and respond to the work 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:02.579 of the Spirit 00:24:02.579 --> 00:24:03.920 it totally changes 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:05.680 how we think about it. 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:07.859 The other implication 00:24:07.859 --> 00:24:08.279 is this 00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:08.839 it's an implication 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:09.619 for our community. 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:12.459 You know I don't think 00:24:12.459 --> 00:24:13.339 we can overlook 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:14.000 the fact that 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:15.199 this Ethiopian man 00:24:15.199 --> 00:24:16.139 is someone 00:24:16.139 --> 00:24:17.119 who we would consider 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:17.659 today to be 00:24:17.659 --> 00:24:18.959 gender non-conforming. 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:20.179 You know honestly 00:24:20.179 --> 00:24:21.519 if he lived today 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:22.919 in a place like D.C. 00:24:22.919 --> 00:24:24.159 he would probably 00:24:24.159 --> 00:24:25.159 include himself 00:24:25.159 --> 00:24:26.859 in the LGBT community 00:24:26.859 --> 00:24:29.119 because he would believe 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:30.139 that would be a place 00:24:30.139 --> 00:24:31.279 where he could find belonging. 00:24:32.399 --> 00:24:32.839 And 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:35.899 this may not seem 00:24:35.899 --> 00:24:36.679 like the central 00:24:36.679 --> 00:24:38.239 point of the passage 00:24:38.239 --> 00:24:39.459 but I actually believe 00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:40.440 that Luke intentionally 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:41.900 includes this story 00:24:41.900 --> 00:24:42.539 in Acts 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:44.120 to illustrate 00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:45.160 how the gospel 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:46.340 was going to the ends 00:24:46.340 --> 00:24:46.880 of the earth 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:49.120 to the least likely people 00:24:49.120 --> 00:24:50.680 because in the first century 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:51.720 Jewish imagination 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:53.319 right 00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:54.460 the Ethiopian community 00:24:54.460 --> 00:24:55.620 was about as ends 00:24:55.620 --> 00:24:56.160 of the earth 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:56.980 as you can imagine. 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:00.500 And I think that Luke 00:25:00.500 --> 00:25:01.539 includes this 00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:02.420 because he's 00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:03.799 he's wanting us 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:04.700 to understand 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:05.799 that when Jesus 00:25:05.799 --> 00:25:07.920 sends his followers 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:08.960 to the ends of the earth 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:09.640 to bring the gospel 00:25:09.640 --> 00:25:09.960 to the earth 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:10.620 to bring the gospel 00:25:10.620 --> 00:25:11.779 to the earth 00:25:11.779 --> 00:25:12.819 and if that actually happens 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:14.019 it means the church 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:14.880 is about to become 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:16.120 a whole more diverse. 00:25:17.620 --> 00:25:19.079 So here's the question 00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:20.200 for us to wonder. 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:22.740 There's clearly a place 00:25:22.740 --> 00:25:24.299 for this Ethiopian man 00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:26.000 and people like him 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:27.620 in God's family 00:25:27.619 --> 00:25:28.619 and people like him 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:29.359 and people like him 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:30.059 to come to church 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:30.539 and he's like 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:31.019 to be a place 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:31.579 in our church. 00:25:34.479 --> 00:25:34.859 Right? 00:25:34.939 --> 00:25:35.899 A lot of people assume 00:25:35.899 --> 00:25:36.759 that the only way 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:37.699 LGBT people 00:25:37.699 --> 00:25:38.799 will ever go to church 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:40.059 is if the church 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:41.179 completely revises 00:25:41.179 --> 00:25:41.879 its theology. 00:25:41.880 --> 00:25:43.900 but that's not 00:25:43.900 --> 00:25:44.740 in fact true. 00:25:45.800 --> 00:25:46.780 The biggest study 00:25:46.780 --> 00:25:47.180 done 00:25:47.180 --> 00:25:48.280 was the largest 00:25:48.280 --> 00:25:48.960 study ever 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:50.640 on the religious 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:51.100 backgrounds 00:25:51.100 --> 00:25:51.980 of people 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:53.160 in the LGBT community 00:25:53.160 --> 00:25:54.440 who have left 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:55.000 the church 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.780 found a very surprising 00:25:57.780 --> 00:25:58.320 statistic 00:25:58.320 --> 00:25:59.260 that among 00:25:59.260 --> 00:26:00.280 gay-lisping people 00:26:00.280 --> 00:26:01.140 who left the church 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:02.980 only 15% left 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:03.920 for theological reasons 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:05.640 which means 00:26:05.640 --> 00:26:06.920 85% left 00:26:06.920 --> 00:26:07.560 for other reasons. 00:26:07.559 --> 00:26:10.799 many of them 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:11.299 felt there was 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:12.159 no place for them. 00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:14.059 Many of them 00:26:14.059 --> 00:26:14.819 felt that they would 00:26:14.819 --> 00:26:15.659 never be able 00:26:15.659 --> 00:26:16.500 to really belong. 00:26:17.679 --> 00:26:18.179 And if one of them 00:26:18.179 --> 00:26:18.419 is somebody 00:26:18.419 --> 00:26:18.960 who's got a really 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:19.720 good work on this, 00:26:19.899 --> 00:26:20.659 Mark Yarhouse 00:26:20.659 --> 00:26:22.759 has done an enormous 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:23.659 amount of work on this. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:25.039 His research was published 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:25.599 in a book 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:26.960 called Costly Obedience. 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:30.159 And he cites a study 00:26:30.159 --> 00:26:31.240 that found that 00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:33.159 LGBT people of faith 00:26:33.159 --> 00:26:34.740 are two and a half times 00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:35.839 more likely 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:37.299 to attend a church 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:38.099 with a traditional 00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:39.099 sexual order. 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:41.440 And we've actually 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:41.960 seen that 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:42.579 in some instances 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.519 in our own church. 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:44.579 Right? 00:26:44.639 --> 00:26:45.740 And I'm so thankful 00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:46.440 for those of you 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:47.180 who have come to call 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:47.539 Advent. 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:49.379 Right? 00:26:49.639 --> 00:26:50.740 And so Mark Yarhouse 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:51.460 has some accepted people 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:52.440 who have made that decision 00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:53.079 and some of them 00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:55.000 are in heterosexual marriages 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:55.639 and some of them 00:26:55.639 --> 00:26:56.299 and many of them 00:26:56.299 --> 00:26:57.700 are sacral and celibate. 00:26:58.680 --> 00:26:59.839 And he's done all kinds 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:00.359 of measures 00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:01.200 of their well-being 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:03.119 and he's found 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:03.980 across the board 00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:04.839 they tend to be 00:27:04.839 --> 00:27:07.240 more spiritually engaged 00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:08.200 more matured 00:27:08.200 --> 00:27:08.759 in their faith 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:09.640 more committed 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:10.240 to the church 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:10.819 than the kind 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:11.660 of average person. 00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:12.980 He says across 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:13.599 most measures 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:14.220 of well-being 00:27:14.220 --> 00:27:16.339 they're doing fine 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:17.640 except the biggest 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:18.039 threat 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:19.839 the biggest challenge 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:20.559 that is faced 00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:21.279 by someone 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:22.099 who makes that decision 00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:23.879 is the struggle 00:27:23.879 --> 00:27:24.879 to belong. 00:27:26.819 --> 00:27:27.839 It's the ability 00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:28.879 to develop deep 00:27:28.879 --> 00:27:29.919 and meaningful friendships. 00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:31.819 It's the, 00:27:32.019 --> 00:27:32.819 it's coming to a place 00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:33.859 where you really feel 00:27:33.859 --> 00:27:34.539 like you're part 00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:35.199 of the community 00:27:35.199 --> 00:27:36.779 and not always 00:27:36.779 --> 00:27:37.539 on the outside 00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:38.159 looking at you. 00:27:40.159 --> 00:27:41.240 And so that leads 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:42.599 to increased anxiety 00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:44.039 in relationships, 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:45.000 increased fear 00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:45.720 of abandonment, 00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:46.339 depression, 00:27:46.599 --> 00:27:47.019 loneliness. 00:27:49.019 --> 00:27:50.359 I believe that part 00:27:50.359 --> 00:27:51.039 of what it means 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:51.819 to be a spiritual 00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:52.500 community 00:27:52.500 --> 00:27:53.460 is that no one 00:27:53.460 --> 00:27:54.339 feels like an inside 00:27:54.339 --> 00:27:57.180 regardless of their 00:27:57.180 --> 00:27:59.099 sexuality, 00:27:59.339 --> 00:27:59.900 their age, 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:00.799 their life stage, 00:28:00.900 --> 00:28:01.779 their marital status, 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:02.420 their class, 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:03.019 their race. 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:06.279 I would love for our 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:07.000 church to be known 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:08.180 throughout the city 00:28:08.180 --> 00:28:09.920 as a place where 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:11.180 we're just as committed 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:12.180 to hospitality 00:28:12.180 --> 00:28:14.360 and ensuring 00:28:14.360 --> 00:28:15.420 that people belong 00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:16.500 as we are 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:17.440 to biblical ethics. 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:20.180 As a place where 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:20.980 if you're serious 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:22.060 about following Jesus 00:28:22.060 --> 00:28:23.320 you will never have 00:28:23.320 --> 00:28:25.160 to do that alone. 00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:26.019 You'll never have 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:26.940 to worry about 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:27.940 gunning it out 00:28:27.940 --> 00:28:28.700 by yourself. 00:28:29.940 --> 00:28:30.920 But for this kind 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:32.060 of thing to be true, 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:35.220 not only do we have 00:28:35.220 --> 00:28:36.380 to pray for the Holy 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:37.519 Spirit to lead us 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:38.480 the way He has been 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:39.460 leading His church, 00:28:39.460 --> 00:28:42.240 since He came 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:43.539 2,000 years ago. 00:28:44.900 --> 00:28:46.220 But for this to be true 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:47.039 you have to be willing 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:48.579 to follow the Holy 00:28:48.579 --> 00:28:48.920 Spirit, 00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:49.920 wherever the Spirit 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:50.539 leads us, 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:52.640 regardless of the 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:54.420 borders or boundaries 00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:56.140 that we may have 00:28:56.140 --> 00:28:56.840 to cross together. 00:28:59.980 --> 00:29:00.700 Let's pray. 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:07.680 Lord, we recognize 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:08.700 that a religion 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:10.600 that we control 00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:12.880 is in many ways 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:13.799 a lot more appealing 00:29:13.799 --> 00:29:15.480 because we get 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:16.160 to determine 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:18.340 exactly who we want 00:29:18.340 --> 00:29:18.680 to. 00:29:19.560 --> 00:29:20.240 And we know 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:21.160 that is something 00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:21.759 that is in us 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:22.580 as human beings, 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:23.840 a desire for comfort 00:29:23.840 --> 00:29:25.340 that has gone back 00:29:25.340 --> 00:29:27.620 to the beginning 00:29:27.620 --> 00:29:29.019 of our origins. 00:29:29.019 --> 00:29:30.019 that is in us. 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:31.700 We want to be in control. 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:33.700 And we know 00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:34.639 that your Holy Spirit 00:29:34.639 --> 00:29:37.400 is here to remind us 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:37.859 continually, 00:29:38.099 --> 00:29:39.079 among other things, 00:29:39.139 --> 00:29:39.680 because this is your 00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:40.019 church, 00:29:40.119 --> 00:29:40.879 it's not our church, 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.019 and that you are the 00:29:43.019 --> 00:29:45.539 one who is desiring 00:29:45.539 --> 00:29:46.639 in the world now 00:29:46.639 --> 00:29:48.099 to call all people 00:29:48.099 --> 00:29:48.779 to yourself. 00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:49.879 Lord, 00:29:49.940 --> 00:29:50.539 and that you're able 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.299 to reach people 00:29:51.299 --> 00:29:52.279 in ways that no one 00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:52.980 is ready to be 00:29:52.980 --> 00:29:53.619 and found. 00:29:53.619 --> 00:29:55.479 And that right now, 00:29:55.579 --> 00:29:56.299 we're at work 00:29:56.299 --> 00:29:57.339 in the hearts 00:29:57.339 --> 00:29:58.079 and lives 00:29:58.079 --> 00:29:58.479 of people 00:29:58.479 --> 00:29:59.519 all around this city. 00:30:00.539 --> 00:30:01.359 And those people 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:02.599 need to know the gospel 00:30:02.599 --> 00:30:03.159 and they need 00:30:03.159 --> 00:30:03.759 a church home. 00:30:04.719 --> 00:30:05.099 And Lord, 00:30:05.159 --> 00:30:05.699 we pray 00:30:05.699 --> 00:30:07.119 that your Holy Spirit 00:30:07.119 --> 00:30:09.000 would disturb 00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:11.299 and challenge 00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:13.439 and disrupt 00:30:13.439 --> 00:30:15.819 those of us 00:30:15.819 --> 00:30:16.419 who need it, 00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:18.059 who are clinging 00:30:18.059 --> 00:30:18.819 to our comfort, 00:30:19.579 --> 00:30:20.119 who are clinging 00:30:20.119 --> 00:30:21.759 to our desire 00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:22.599 and convenience 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:23.559 and predictability. 00:30:24.419 --> 00:30:24.899 Lord, 00:30:24.980 --> 00:30:26.379 that you can catalyze 00:30:26.379 --> 00:30:27.399 in our community 00:30:27.399 --> 00:30:28.480 a movement 00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:29.259 of the gospel 00:30:29.259 --> 00:30:30.559 out of the way. 00:30:31.579 --> 00:30:32.099 Lord, 00:30:32.299 --> 00:30:33.379 I pray that that 00:30:33.379 --> 00:30:34.299 would be a movement 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:35.139 of your Holy Spirit 00:30:35.139 --> 00:30:35.659 and we can't 00:30:35.659 --> 00:30:36.519 engineer that. 00:30:36.919 --> 00:30:37.299 It's something 00:30:37.299 --> 00:30:38.019 that you have to do 00:30:38.019 --> 00:30:39.139 again through us. 00:30:39.859 --> 00:30:40.679 And I pray 00:30:40.679 --> 00:30:41.139 that you're blessed 00:30:41.139 --> 00:30:42.059 to those here 00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:42.859 who do feel 00:30:42.859 --> 00:30:43.359 like they are 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:44.519 on the outside of the way. 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:46.119 And I pray 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:47.299 that in whatever ways 00:30:47.299 --> 00:30:48.419 we have eradicated 00:30:48.419 --> 00:30:49.220 those walls 00:30:49.220 --> 00:30:49.859 that you tear 00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:50.599 those walls down. 00:30:51.779 --> 00:30:52.059 Lord, 00:30:52.139 --> 00:30:52.919 I pray that you 00:30:52.919 --> 00:30:53.480 repent 00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:55.039 if and if that 00:30:55.039 --> 00:30:55.899 is necessary 00:30:55.899 --> 00:30:57.980 to make it so. 00:30:58.859 --> 00:30:59.680 We pray this 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:00.599 in Jesus' name. 00:31:02.099 --> 00:31:02.559 Amen.