Called to Break Down Barriers

Transcription

1 Lesson 11 August 13 Page 75 Called to Break Down Barriers A Present-Day Illustration Brittany watched Heather after the black woman concluded her poem on racism and took her seat. Heather joined the audience in applause, but looked uneasy. Heather then rose and recited her poem, Bus Stop. It was about the various stops and waiting in life. Later in the program, Brittany read her piece, No Scar. Your poem was good, too, Heather said later to Brittany, after the co-workers remained at the restaurant and lounge for dinner. The two women had discovered that they both were scheduled to recite poetry that night, so they decided to meet and sit together. It sounded kind of spiritual, Heather continued. Was it? Yes, Brittany smiled. Is that how you re able to make it through life with all your past problems? Heather asked. I have problems too, but I take them out on other people most of the time. You always seem to be nice to everybody, even though everyone at work doesn t treat you the same way. Well, I ve certainly had spiritual help and healing along the way, Brittany said. Yeah, but I m not real religious, Heather said. Religion doesn t work for me. It s not supposed to, Brittany said. What you need is Jesus Christ. The healing I ve experienced is because of what Christ has done in my life, and not religion. Brittany and Heather sat talking long after their meal was finished, and Heather s eyes no longer seemed guarded but genuinely curious. 1. What opportunities have you had to share the Gospel? 2. How do you recognize an opportunity to share about Jesus? 3. How was the Gospel first shared with you?

2 Week of August 13 Page 76 Following the Spirit s Leading Acts 8:26-29, KJV 26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. Acts 8:26-29, NIV 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Go south to the road the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, Go to that chariot and stay near it. After Stephen s stoning, persecution broke out against the Christians, and those who were scattered to Judea and Samaria went everywhere preaching God s Word (8:4). Among them was another of the seven men chosen to minister to the widows Philip, who preached Jesus in Samaria. Signs and wonders from God confirmed Philip s message of God s kingdom and Jesus. After Philip s preaching to many in Samaria, God then sent Philip on a mission to just one man but a very important one. The mission that God had for Philip took him south to a desert road in Gaza, where the angel of the Lord told him to go. There, Philip observed a man of Ethiopia in a chariot (more likely a kind of four-wheeled cart than a racing chariot) who was reading from the Book of Isaiah. The man had great authority in Ethiopia as the queen s treasurer. That he had been to Jerusalem to worship and was currently reading Scripture helps us understand that the Spirit of God had been preparing the Ethiopian s heart to hear and receive the Gospel message. As further confirmation of this, we read that the Holy Spirit

3 Week of August 13 Page 77 then told Philip to go nearby the chariot where the man sat. The stage was now set for a miracle of salvation to occur. 4. What did the angel of the Lord tell Philip to do? 5. Whom did Philip find there? 6. What did the Holy Spirit tell Philip to do? Seeking a Scriptural Understanding Acts 8:30-33, KJV 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. Acts 8:30-33, NIV 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. Do you understand what you are reading? Philip asked. 31 How can I, he said, unless someone explains it to me? So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth. In obedience to the Spirit s command, Philip immediately ran over to the chariot and heard the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah. By his prompt and swift obedience, Philip was right on time to hear the man reading a passage of Scripture that opened the door perfectly to a presentation of the Gospel. When asked if he understood what he was reading, the

4 Week of August 13 Page 78 Ethiopian humbly confessed his need for guidance and explanation. Therefore, he invited Philip to sit with him in the chariot. The passage in question is from Isaiah 53, specifically verses 7 and 8. The first part of the reference is a picture of a docile sheep going quietly to be sheered or slaughtered. Jews, who were the original recipients of this prophecy, understood this picture, especially as it related to the temple sacrifices. As the sheep is slaughtered for sacrifice as a sin offering, so too would be the One of whom Isaiah spoke His life cut off from the land of the living. However, even if the Ethiopian was a Jewish convert with some understanding of the passage as it related to the temple sacrifices, he would still need help understanding how it related to the suffering and death of a man. As Philip would soon help the Ethiopian understand, this is a reference to the Lord Jesus. 7. How did Philip respond to the Spirit s command? 8. Why did the Ethiopian invite Philip to sit with him? 9. What is the central message of the passage of Scripture they were reading? Breaking Down Barriers Acts 8:34-39, KJV 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe Acts 8:34-39, NIV 34 The eunuch asked Philip, Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, Look, here is water. Why shouldn t I be baptized? 38 And he gave orders to stop

5 Week of August 13 Page 79 KJV that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. NIV the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. After reading the passage from the prophet Isaiah, the Ethiopian asked Philip of whom the prophet spoke, himself or someone else. This opened the door for Philip to preach Jesus from Isaiah 53. As they traveled, the Spirit of God used the Word of God to save this newly reborn child of God from his sins. The Ethiopian s faith in Christ as the Son of God (implicit in the NIV and explicit in verse 37 of the KJV) is clear from the entire context of the passage. Therefore, when they came upon some water, he asked about baptism. So Philip went down into the water with the Ethiopian and baptized him there. When they had come up out of the water, the Holy Spirit immediately took Philip away, leaving the new believer to rejoice in his salvation and forgiveness of sins. An important takeaway from our lesson s passage is that the Gospel knows no ethnic or national boundaries. Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19, NIV). Philip s proclamation of the Gospel earlier in Samaria and then to the Ethiopian fulfilled the Lord s call to reach out to other people groups in His name. And by sending this official back to Ethiopia, Philip was really sending a missionary to share Jesus with the rest of his people. 10. What question did the Ethiopian ask Philip regarding the Scripture passage they read? 11. How did Philip answer the man s question? 12. What was the outcome of the two men s encounter?

6 Week of August 13 Page 80 Divine Appointments There is no better news anywhere than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has done for us through Christ what we could never do. However, we are often cautious and reluctant to pour such treasure out on others. Philip models for us a gracious method of sharing such Good News. Though he is supernaturally led to the Ethiopian s chariot, he does not force himself or his message on the man. He hears the eunuch reading from the Scriptures and opens the conversation with an appropriate question. The man s answer leads to an invitation to have Philip share what he knows. This approach has sometimes been called Permission Evangelism from the title of the book by that name written by Michael Simpson. The approach is sensitive to others and suggests that when we find ourselves in circumstances where we feel led to talk about Jesus, we test the water a bit to see if that person is receptive to hearing. I have seen that happen while I have been caring for my elderly mother who is on hospice. Helpers come into my home on a regular basis, and there are always opportunities to talk. A new CNA came this morning to help give Mom a shower, and eventually she asked, What do you do? Because of this lesson I realized that my usual answer, I m a writer, doesn t always open a door, so I said, I write about Jesus. Oh, she said, What do you write about Him? She had an interest and gave me permission to begin to talk. She already had some faith but was hungry to know more. For the next half hour as we cared together for my mom in that bathroom, we talked about the Lord. I am mindful tonight as I write this to pray for her. God arranged the details of our meeting every bit as much as He did the one on the road to Gaza. 13. How does someone prepare to share the Gospel? 14. How do we develop openness to God s opportunities? 15. What has been your experience in sharing the Good News about Jesus?

7 Week of August 13 Page 81 I Love to Tell the Story This week s lesson teaches us that it is God who gives us opportunities to bring His light, love, and life to the world. Some of us have received the Good News and are ready to share it; others are still considering, What does it mean to follow Jesus? This class today may well be one of those divine appointments for the putting together of someone who is hungry with someone who can share the bread of life. Take some time to respond to one of these questions: - Those of you who know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, what opportunities may God be sending your way for sharing the Good News? Pray about how the Spirit would lead you to share with someone even this week. - If you do not know Jesus personally, why not get acquainted with Him today? You can bring Him your questions, doubts, and fears, and allow someone from this class to help you meet Him. KEY VERSE Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. Acts 8:35, KJV Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Acts 8:35 NIV DAILY BIBLE READINGS FOR NEXT WEEK S LESSON (See The Quiet Hour and Cross devotionals on these passages.) August 14 through August 20 Mon. Acts 22:1-5 Saul s Mandate to Arrest Believers. Tues. Titus 1:5-9 A Trustworthy Preacher-Teacher. Wed. Acts 9:1-9 Jesus Calls Saul on the Damascus Road. Thurs. Acts 9:10-22 Ananias Confirms God s Call to Saul. Fri. Acts 9:23-25 Saul Escapes Damascus. Sat. Acts 9:26-31 Saul in Tarsus; Jerusalem at Peace. Sun. Acts 9:32-35 The Paralytic Aeneas Healed in Lydda.