WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.100 Amen. Well, good morning, folks. As has been said, my name is Alistair. It's my privilege to be the assistant here. 00:00:06.259 --> 00:00:12.839 And this morning, my joy to guide us through Acts 8. So please do keep that passage open in front of you. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:24.519 And I want to start off by asking you what catchphrase that you grew up watching TV and you hear that catchphrase and immediately you are reminded of watching a certain TV show or a movie. 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:30.480 What's that one catchphrase in your mind? I'll give you a little insight into my childhood. 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:35.439 It may or it probably may not surprise you that I was a bit of a weird kid. 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:42.280 So I grew up in the 90s, but one of my favorite TV shows to watch was actually called The A-Team. 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:51.379 Not the new one, the old one. The A-Team. If you don't know what that is, it's a show from the 80s about four American army members 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:58.080 who are wrongly accused of a crime, put in military prison, then they escape and become soldiers of fortune. 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:02.600 Basically, hired soldiers who do good stuff. They're not bad guys. 00:01:02.760 --> 00:01:05.740 And at the same time, they try to clear their own names. 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:15.280 Now, I mention this show because one of the catchphrases in the series actually leads us well into thinking about Acts chapter 8. 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:23.140 So Hannibal, the leader of the gang, at the end of every episode when things have gone well, he says this, 00:01:23.740 --> 00:01:26.099 I love it when a plan comes together. 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:29.159 I love it when a plan comes together. 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:33.200 So come with me to The A-Team into Acts. 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:38.260 And I'll show you why that catchphrase helpfully summarizes Acts chapter 8. 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:45.660 So I wonder if you remember way back in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, what Jesus promised to his disciples. 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:47.300 Jesus says, 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:51.280 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:58.540 and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:02.580 Now, this morning, we see this promise being fulfilled. 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:08.400 In Acts 1 to 7, Acts chapters 1 to 7, the gospel spreads in Jerusalem. 00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:15.360 In Acts chapters 8 to 12, the gospel spreads in Judea and Samaria like a ripple effect. 00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:20.620 And then in chapters 13 to 28, it spreads to the rest of the world. 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:26.759 The gospel spreads as Jesus planned it. 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:35.959 As faithful men and women go and tell people about Jesus wherever they go and to whoever will listen. 00:02:37.419 --> 00:02:42.219 That same pattern is happening in the world today, right before our very eyes. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:46.659 The gospel is spreading just as Jesus planned it. 00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:51.120 Now, I know the church feels small. 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:53.819 It looks insignificant. 00:02:53.819 --> 00:02:56.340 It doesn't seem to have any power. 00:02:56.340 --> 00:02:57.539 We can be overlooked. 00:02:58.140 --> 00:02:59.599 We can be mistreated. 00:03:00.500 --> 00:03:01.840 We can be neglected. 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:09.740 But there should be no doubt at all in our minds that Jesus is at work today as the global church is growing. 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:16.319 In other words, the spread of the gospel just as Jesus planned it. 00:03:16.920 --> 00:03:19.020 So keep Acts 8 open in front of you. 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:22.599 There's a lot in these verses that we just don't have time to get to. 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:26.719 If you have questions, I would love to chat to you afterwards or this week over a coffee. 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:37.379 But I'd like us to look at this passage by thinking about the gospel going to an unlikely place and to unlikely people. 00:03:38.079 --> 00:03:44.519 So the first thing we see in this passage is the gospel going to an unlikely place in verses 1 to 8. 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:49.960 So throughout the Bible, the gospel message has remained the same. 00:03:51.160 --> 00:03:52.860 Humanity rebelled against God. 00:03:52.939 --> 00:03:54.460 We said, no, God, we don't want you. 00:03:54.680 --> 00:03:55.900 We want to be you. 00:03:57.620 --> 00:03:59.320 Humanity rebelled against God. 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:05.400 We, from that moment on, it is very clear that we needed someone who was perfect. 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:13.659 Someone from outside of our world, outside of our mess, to step in and make things right between us and God again. 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:21.300 And as we turn to the New Testament, the second half of the Bible, we read about Jesus, who is God in the flesh. 00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:26.720 Who came into our world to teach us about God the Father. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:32.940 To die on a cross, removing God's anger at sin and the rebellion of humanity. 00:04:33.640 --> 00:04:37.680 And making it possible for us to be in a right relationship with God. 00:04:38.760 --> 00:04:43.980 And then he rose from the dead, proving that all he said was true and that he is God. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:48.260 That is the consistent message throughout scripture known as the gospel. 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:55.720 So Jesus told his disciples what will happen in Acts chapter 1, that the gospel will spread. 00:04:55.720 --> 00:05:00.940 And the following chapters describe that amazing growth of the early church. 00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:09.200 Thousands become Christians and join the church as they all spread the news of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. 00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:17.780 But the repeated theme throughout the whole book of Acts is that the gospel grows as it is opposed. 00:05:19.140 --> 00:05:23.640 And this opposition culminated in chapter 7 with the first Christian martyr, Stephen. 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:29.919 Who was stoned because he challenged the religious leaders who killed Jesus and called them to repent. 00:05:31.699 --> 00:05:34.800 And look what happens in the aftermath of that tragic event. 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:36.639 Acts chapter 8 verse 1. 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:54.500 Now this is a tragic thing. 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:58.740 I'm sure it caused great pain in the church. 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:00.879 Lives were uprooted. 00:06:01.019 --> 00:06:05.160 Families fleeing from persecution and the church being oppressed. 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:10.500 Now whilst it must have been terribly difficult for the believers. 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:19.420 Ultimately, it was this persecution that brings about God's plan for the gospel to go to an unlikely place. 00:06:19.420 --> 00:06:25.759 See, God can use suffering and persecution for his good plan. 00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:32.700 Look at all the horrible situations that have caused millions of refugees to spread all over the world. 00:06:33.259 --> 00:06:34.560 It is heartbreaking. 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:42.079 But some of these people were in countries where they would maybe never have heard about Jesus. 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:48.259 But now they're in countries like Germany, Scotland and many, many others. 00:06:48.840 --> 00:06:51.240 And Christians are caring for them. 00:06:52.279 --> 00:06:53.740 Sharing the gospel with them. 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:59.279 And there are wonderful stories of asylum seekers and refugees coming to know Jesus. 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:05.639 God can use suffering for his good plan and the good of his people. 00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:09.379 And that's what's happening here in Acts chapter 8. 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:14.279 As the persecution amps up, Christians are scattered. 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:16.619 But look at how God uses it in verse 4. 00:07:17.779 --> 00:07:22.319 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:28.659 But before you switch off and think that sharing Jesus is only for the professional Christians. 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:30.620 For those of us who preach. 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:36.139 The original word used there in the Greek is gospeling. 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:41.079 So basically, everywhere Christians went, they gossiped the gospel. 00:07:41.759 --> 00:07:45.379 Everywhere they went, they told everyone about Jesus. 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:54.079 And in verse 5, we meet Philip, who takes the gospel to Samaria, a very unlikely place. 00:07:55.139 --> 00:08:04.199 See, for Jesus to tell his Israelite disciples in Acts 1 to take the gospel to Samaria and beyond was a pretty out there idea. 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:09.699 Jews did not mix with Samaritans. 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:15.060 So in the Old Testament, the people of Israel were made up of 12 tribes. 00:08:15.379 --> 00:08:19.659 But at one point in history, they split and 12 tribes went to the north. 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:23.759 They were known as the northern kingdom, the nation of Israel. 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:28.180 And then two tribes were in the south, known as Judah. 00:08:29.159 --> 00:08:35.899 Judah was the more faithful of the two nations and had the temple so that they could worship God as he said they should in the Old Testament. 00:08:37.179 --> 00:08:41.159 The northern kingdom of Israel, which would later be known as Samaria, 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:49.199 they were a nation that included idolatry and false worship and mixed it in with their Jewish roots. 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:55.240 And as it went on, both sides of the border saw themselves as the true people of God. 00:08:55.279 --> 00:09:00.419 And that tension just rose and rose and fighting and hatred took over. 00:09:00.419 --> 00:09:10.139 And so for Jesus to say in Acts 1 verse 8 that the gospel will go to the Samaritans and beyond is a very uncomfortable idea. 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:16.219 Because Samaria was a very unlikely place for the gospel to find good soil. 00:09:16.220 --> 00:09:21.279 But Philip becomes one of the first Christians to go to Samaria. 00:09:21.680 --> 00:09:29.620 Like Stephen, the first martyr from Acts 7, he was empowered by the spirit to perform signs and wonders. 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:33.399 And these signs were witnesses to the gospel that he preached. 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:35.860 This is something new. 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:44.300 The gospel was spreading into new and unlikely places and people, different people were becoming Christians. 00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:51.700 And so in verse 14, the apostles Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem to Samaria to see what's going on. 00:09:52.399 --> 00:10:00.379 Now they weren't there to act like some kind of spiritual bodyguards to wrestle the gospel back so that only the Jews could hear about Jesus. 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:08.320 But they were sent as representatives of the church to see that the Samaritans had become Christians. 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:17.799 And then to welcome those who had previously been excluded from the kingdom of God in as brothers and sisters in Jesus. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:24.120 They were sent to approve the genuineness of the Samaritans' faith. 00:10:24.500 --> 00:10:28.440 They acted a bit like a reverse kind of welcoming party at the airport. 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:37.380 You know those moments you've come back from a time abroad, the door opens, you see family members with a big welcome home sign and balloons, maybe even some flowers. 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:45.620 They are there to welcome you home, physically back into the family after a time away. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:55.060 Well, Peter and John were there to welcome these new Christians from Samaria into the church with open arms and with great joy. 00:10:55.059 --> 00:11:01.000 But at verse 15, it gets a little bit tricky and we need to stop for a second. 00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:02.199 Read it with me. 00:11:03.099 --> 00:11:12.979 When they arrived, that's Peter and John, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them. 00:11:13.779 --> 00:11:17.039 They had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:22.379 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:26.120 Now here's where we need to do a little bit of work. 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:30.740 See, Acts chapters 1 to 10 is the beginning of the church. 00:11:31.079 --> 00:11:34.299 It is the beginning of something new in God's grand plan. 00:11:34.439 --> 00:11:44.379 The things that happen in Acts 1 to 10 are the foundation of the church and not necessarily normative for what happens in the rest of church history. 00:11:44.379 --> 00:11:52.919 So, for example, the Bible makes it clear that when a person becomes a Christian, they receive the Holy Spirit. 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:53.679 No exceptions. 00:11:55.539 --> 00:11:58.019 Every Christian has the Holy Spirit within them. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:05.200 It's the work of the Spirit in our lives that helps us grow, helps us mature in our faith and become more like Jesus. 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:08.460 So why is there a difference here? 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:11.899 Did the Samaritans have the Holy Spirit? 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:13.480 Well, yes, they did. 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:14.460 Every Christian does. 00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:22.840 But God was waiting for the arrival of the apostles before the Holy Spirit acted in power for all to see. 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:30.940 So that the apostles knew that the Samaritans were now welcomed into the church as brothers and sisters in Jesus. 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:46.860 So the presence of the apostles, when the Holy Spirit moves with power among the Samaritans, shows everyone there that there is no distinction between Jew, the Jewish and the Samaritan Christians. 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:49.180 They believe the same gospel. 00:12:49.180 --> 00:12:50.980 God works in the same way. 00:12:51.460 --> 00:12:53.580 This happened to them in Acts chapter 2. 00:12:55.500 --> 00:13:01.080 It proves for all to see that the same gospel of Jesus goes to unlikely places. 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:03.740 Now we understand that on paper. 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:10.320 We know that the message of Jesus is for all kinds of places, but do we actually live it? 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:15.640 What is the Samaria equivalent for you? 00:13:17.060 --> 00:13:20.560 What's that one place you really don't want to go and share the gospel? 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:28.339 Maybe it is the Muslim country that has a reputation of mistreating and oppressing Christians. 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:34.500 Maybe you think, well, they're not going to respond to the gospel anyway, so there's no point praying for them. 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:36.560 There's no point sending people there. 00:13:38.800 --> 00:13:42.120 Or maybe it's the housing scheme that's on your doorstep. 00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:45.220 The high-rise flats in your area. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:49.280 Maybe it's the deprived communities that run up and down our country. 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:52.540 You see them as a hard place to witness in. 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.860 And so you just want to avoid them at all costs. 00:13:55.860 --> 00:13:59.440 Maybe it's the workplace. 00:14:00.460 --> 00:14:02.680 You want to compartmentalize your life. 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:05.039 You don't really want to mix faith and work. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:06.200 And so you buckle down. 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:08.019 You hide your faith. 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:09.860 And you don't share the gospel. 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:18.980 But by creating little Samarias in our mind, places that we don't want to share the gospel, we are being disobedient. 00:14:20.539 --> 00:14:24.480 We're not called to be a people who choose where to take the gospel. 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:27.740 We are called to be a people who take the gospel wherever we go. 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:33.240 That is how Jesus' plan unfolds. 00:14:34.920 --> 00:14:36.980 Now for some, that does mean going abroad. 00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:44.920 But at the very least, for every single Christian here, it means going into your local community and being a light for Jesus Christ. 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:51.419 We need to trust in God's plan. 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:57.759 Be faithful in our sharing and have confidence that God will complete his work. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:06.220 We can trust in the power of the gospel to transform lives, even in the most unlikely of places. 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:13.779 So think about where your own Samaria is and submit to Jesus' plan and go and share the gospel. 00:15:14.580 --> 00:15:18.600 The true, the everlasting hope. 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:20.340 Have it on your lips. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:22.300 Spread it freely for all to hear. 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:28.580 It is your job to share the gospel, not to hide it. 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:35.100 The good news of Jesus goes to all places, even those that seem unlikely to us. 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:43.220 And then the second thing we see in this passage is the gospel going to an unlikely people. 00:15:43.220 --> 00:16:00.300 The gospel is now on Simon in verses 9 to 25 and the Ethiopian eunuch in verse 26 to 40. 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:06.120 And these two people are put in contrast with each other because both hear the same gospel, 00:16:06.800 --> 00:16:10.399 that unchanging message of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:13.899 But they respond differently. 00:16:14.819 --> 00:16:21.120 One responds with pride and basically says, give me influence and power for self-promotion. 00:16:22.579 --> 00:16:28.799 Or the other responds in humility and says, teach me so that I may know Jesus more. 00:16:30.199 --> 00:16:35.860 So let's meet Simon in verses 29 to, in verse 9 to 25, sorry, first. 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:37.740 He's described as a sorcerer. 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:42.539 Now we don't know exactly what that means and it's not really the main point of the passage. 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:47.399 The main point of the passage is that Simon has made a name for himself. 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:50.700 Verse 11 says that he's gathered quite a following. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:55.299 He's known for having some kind of power and has gone to his head. 00:16:56.560 --> 00:17:02.480 In verse 13, we see that Simon himself believed after hearing the gospel from Philip. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:04.299 But look at the end of verse 13. 00:17:05.140 --> 00:17:11.640 It says, Simon followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:20.259 Now throughout the New Testament, the priority of every faithful person is to preach the gospel. 00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:24.279 The response of the unfaithful. 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:32.259 Is to focus on the miracles that authenticate the message at the neglect of listening to the gospel itself. 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:37.240 We don't really know if Simon was really a Christian. 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:41.720 But we see the problem of his pride in verse 18. 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:42.779 Read it with me. 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:49.599 When Simon saw the spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered them money and said, 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:56.700 Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. 00:17:58.019 --> 00:17:59.680 Now do you see what's going on? 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:00.160 Simon. 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:05.560 Like a toddler who sees a flashy new toy in the hand of another child, he wants it. 00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:08.299 And he's going to do everything he can to get it. 00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:15.960 Simon wants the power that the apostles have, but he wants the power for his own gain and fame. 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:18.500 Rather than for the fame of Jesus. 00:18:19.799 --> 00:18:21.519 Simon's emphasis is on himself. 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:31.200 And so Peter in verse 20 sees his unchanged heart and that is full of pride and Peter warns him to repent. 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:37.099 Peter says in verse 21 that Simon's heart is not right with God. 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:44.879 Simon is a man of pride who says, Give me influence and power that I can be great. 00:18:46.700 --> 00:18:48.819 And we don't know the end of Simon's story. 00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:54.099 We don't know if his response in verse 24 is genuine repentance. 00:18:54.299 --> 00:18:58.500 And I think Luke has intentionally left it hanging in the air. 00:18:58.939 --> 00:19:03.500 So that we can see that sharp contrast between Simon and the eunuch. 00:19:04.159 --> 00:19:05.899 Between pride and humility. 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:09.599 The two responses to the gospel that happen today as well. 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:15.519 And so the response of the Ethiopian eunuch is in verse 26 to 40. 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:21.279 In his humility, he says, Teach me more so that I may know Jesus. 00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:27.619 In verse 26, Philip is told to go to a road that leads to Gaza. 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:32.500 Now Gaza is a remote place, the last stop before you hit the desert. 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:39.539 It's like one of those towns on a long road trip that has a sign saying last petrol station for 200 miles. 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:45.759 There is nothing special about this place except for what God has planned to do there. 00:19:47.159 --> 00:19:50.639 So Philip goes and on his way meets a eunuch from Ethiopia. 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:57.639 He was a high ranking servant for the queen of Ethiopia, a man who was an outsider. 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:01.420 Normally described as a God fearing Gentile. 00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:07.839 Someone from outwith the nation of Israel who recognized the God of Israel as their God. 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:12.099 But who couldn't become a convert to Judaism. 00:20:12.699 --> 00:20:14.419 And he couldn't because he was a eunuch. 00:20:15.659 --> 00:20:22.599 Verse 27 tells us that this man went to the temple in Jerusalem to worship and returning home. 00:20:22.699 --> 00:20:24.399 He was reading the book of Isaiah. 00:20:24.959 --> 00:20:27.220 So we see he is eager to learn. 00:20:27.899 --> 00:20:29.779 Eager to devour God's word. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:34.559 And Philip, hearing that the man was reading Isaiah, asks in verse 30, 00:20:34.639 --> 00:20:36.119 Do you understand what you're reading? 00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:38.359 And he doesn't. 00:20:38.459 --> 00:20:40.979 So they basically start a one-to-one together. 00:20:42.199 --> 00:20:50.939 He was reading from Isaiah 53, which is a wonderful promise from the Old Testament about who Jesus would be and what he would do. 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:54.539 That Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. 00:20:54.659 --> 00:20:57.019 The one who humbled himself and became nothing. 00:20:57.019 --> 00:21:07.940 The one who was humiliated and killed so that sinful people like this eunuch, like you, like me, could be made right with God. 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:13.500 This eunuch hears the message of Jesus and he believes and is baptized. 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:25.140 So taking our bird's eye view of this chapter, this teaches us that the gospel is for all kinds of people and their responses will be different. 00:21:25.140 --> 00:21:30.300 Some will respond with pride and reject Jesus. 00:21:31.580 --> 00:21:35.660 Whilst others will repent with humility and follow him. 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:41.300 See, it would have been comfortable for the apostles and Christians to stay in Jerusalem. 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:45.640 To witness to those they rub shoulders with every day. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:47.340 People from their own culture. 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:49.800 People from their own background. 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:52.779 People who spoke their own language. 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:55.279 People within their comfort zone. 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:56.279 People who spoke their own language. 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:57.279 People who spoke their own language. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:58.579 But that's not Jesus' plan. 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:03.639 See, Jesus' plan is for the world to hear about him. 00:22:03.859 --> 00:22:14.740 And that requires God's people to intentionally take the gospel everywhere they go to all kinds of places and to all kinds of people. 00:22:16.339 --> 00:22:19.379 The gospel doesn't call you to a comfortable life. 00:22:19.899 --> 00:22:21.619 It calls you to go. 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:24.719 The Samaritans. 00:22:25.179 --> 00:22:26.259 Simon the sorcerer. 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:27.299 The Ethiopian eunuch. 00:22:27.379 --> 00:22:31.119 All of these were unexpected recipients of the gospel. 00:22:32.699 --> 00:22:34.379 And what does this mean for us today? 00:22:35.639 --> 00:22:43.739 For the Christian, it means that you have a duty before God the Father to carry out Jesus' plan to share the gospel with all kinds of people. 00:22:44.239 --> 00:22:48.259 Not only those you click with or you're comfortable around. 00:22:48.259 --> 00:22:54.539 Not only those who look like, who sound like, and who act like you. 00:22:56.879 --> 00:22:58.720 But if we're honest, we're apathetic. 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:06.839 We don't have a sense of urgency that people are dying without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 00:23:06.980 --> 00:23:09.380 And they're going to hell for eternity without him. 00:23:12.039 --> 00:23:15.079 Or we're afraid of how people will respond. 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:20.039 And so we get very selective about who we're going to share the gospel with. 00:23:22.159 --> 00:23:25.980 Maybe you think that the hardcore atheist at uni won't believe in Jesus anyway. 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:29.839 So there's no point going to the trouble of having an argument with them. 00:23:29.879 --> 00:23:30.939 It'll just get uncomfortable. 00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:36.820 We think that our family members already know what we believe. 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:38.960 So we don't really need to tell them again. 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:50.740 We think that our co-worker who walks around with a rainbow lanyard is obviously going to be offended by what the Bible says. 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:54.079 And so we don't want to share the gospel with them. 00:23:55.400 --> 00:24:04.720 We walk past people every day on the streets, in work, at home, who are dying without a saving knowledge of Jesus. 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:08.480 And we have been placed there to share the gospel with them. 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:12.960 We are tasked to take the gospel to all people. 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:16.720 It is not for us to decide beforehand how they will respond. 00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:21.960 Some will respond with pride. 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:24.000 Others with humility. 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:26.200 But your call to go is still the same. 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:32.740 Take the gospel to all kinds of people in all kinds of places. 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:37.440 Even if it's very unlikely that it will change anything in your mind. 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:40.880 We leave the response in God's hands. 00:24:41.380 --> 00:24:42.600 Because he is faithful. 00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:45.940 If you're here and you're not a Christian, 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:48.400 maybe you think this message of Jesus isn't for you. 00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:54.500 This message is for all to hear. 00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:59.200 And the offer is here for you to repent and believe in Jesus, 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:01.640 to have that right relationship with God. 00:25:03.220 --> 00:25:07.120 The message we believe as a church and are holding out to you right now 00:25:07.120 --> 00:25:10.759 is the same message that Philip preached here in Acts. 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:14.400 But your response is important. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:20.360 Will you respond out of pride and reject Jesus? 00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:26.460 Or will you respond out of humility and ask to know more? 00:25:28.100 --> 00:25:30.920 If you do want to know more, I would love to chat with you afterwards, 00:25:31.100 --> 00:25:34.259 to read the Bible with you, to pray with you after this service. 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:41.119 Acts 8 teaches us that the gospel is for all kinds of places and all kinds of people, 00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:43.359 even the ones we think are unlikely. 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:51.619 And I think back to the A-team and Hannibal's catchphrase of, 00:25:51.699 --> 00:25:53.579 I love it when a plan comes together. 00:25:53.579 --> 00:26:00.539 This chapter is an example of the spread of the gospel just as Jesus planned it. 00:26:02.539 --> 00:26:08.099 As ordinary men and women take the gospel to all kinds of places and all kinds of people. 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:13.179 Now let me give you an example of this in my own life and we'll end with this. 00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:19.659 My grandpa was an elder in the Church of Scotland for many, many years. 00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:20.639 He was not a Christian. 00:26:21.619 --> 00:26:23.659 He was quite suspicious of the gospel. 00:26:24.139 --> 00:26:27.879 And as me and my family moved when I was a child to the mission field, 00:26:27.880 --> 00:26:35.060 he was very skeptical of the gospel because he saw the gospel as the thing that stole his family away. 00:26:40.100 --> 00:26:45.360 In his mind, the gospel was the thing that took his family to a country that he knew nothing about. 00:26:53.360 --> 00:26:54.920 He was hard into the gospel. 00:26:54.920 --> 00:26:58.120 But for over 25 years, 00:26:58.120 --> 00:27:06.400 for over 25 years, 00:27:06.440 --> 00:27:09.620 my mom prayed every day that he would come to know Jesus. 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:16.779 It was unlikely. 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:19.380 But we didn't give up. 00:27:24.920 --> 00:27:26.100 And by God's grace, 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:27.039 three years ago, 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:33.160 a matter of weeks before he died, 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:38.720 I was able to share the message of Jesus' life, 00:27:39.080 --> 00:27:40.740 death and resurrection, 00:27:41.019 --> 00:27:42.380 that only hope, 00:27:43.340 --> 00:27:44.380 only true hope, 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:45.500 is found in him. 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:54.599 That day, 00:27:54.660 --> 00:27:56.599 my grandpa humbled himself 00:27:56.599 --> 00:27:59.319 and put his trust in Jesus. 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:03.019 But I'll be honest, 00:28:03.079 --> 00:28:04.900 I didn't want to share the gospel with him initially 00:28:04.900 --> 00:28:08.039 because it would be uncomfortable. 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:10.559 It would be scary. 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:14.079 But I'm so glad I did. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:19.539 Because now I know 00:28:19.539 --> 00:28:21.139 that I will see him again 00:28:21.139 --> 00:28:25.940 as we stand in the presence of Christ forever. 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:31.920 There will be people in your life like that. 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:36.019 Don't hold back the gospel. 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:39.720 But take it wherever you go 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:42.259 and to whoever you speak to 00:28:42.259 --> 00:28:44.799 because that is how the gospel spreads 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:46.700 just as Jesus planned it. 00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:48.580 Let's pray together. 00:28:48.579 --> 00:28:55.139 Heavenly Father, 00:28:55.199 --> 00:28:57.359 we thank you that you have given us a task, 00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:01.679 that you have invited us into your plan 00:29:01.679 --> 00:29:03.879 for this world to know about Jesus. 00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:06.679 Forgive us for the times 00:29:06.679 --> 00:29:08.439 where we hold that message to ourselves 00:29:08.439 --> 00:29:09.879 and Lord, give us boldness, 00:29:10.379 --> 00:29:11.919 give us strength, 00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:13.079 give us opportunities 00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:17.119 to speak about Jesus with those around us, 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:19.279 to call people to repentance 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:21.799 and into true life 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:24.239 that is only found in you. 00:29:26.139 --> 00:29:27.379 Father, even this week, 00:29:27.699 --> 00:29:29.559 we ask that we would all be able to have 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:30.659 just one conversation 00:29:30.659 --> 00:29:32.899 where we can point people to Jesus. 00:29:34.039 --> 00:29:35.579 In his name we pray. 00:29:36.439 --> 00:29:36.879 Amen. 00:29:36.880 --> 00:30:06.860 Amen.