SEIZE THE DAY: A CALL TO MISSIONS 118 SPECIAL FOCUS
God has a mission for the nations. Take your place. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Because opportunity knocks but once. We have myriad ways to challenge ourselves when considering job opportunities, major purchases, business ventures, or financial investments. Those kinds of ventures and investments can be risky even scary. What if I don t like the new job? What if the market goes bust? What if I lose everything? I am the last person to give you financial or career advice, but one investment is definitely worth making. You may not see an immediate payoff, but it will have an incredible impact on your life nonetheless. And on the lives of others. Invest yourself in missions. Many in our world still have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ, but we can use the opportunities and resources available to tell that good news. God s heart and mission is that all people everywhere know Him, and the mission He has given us is no less. This study is a call to missions. It is a call to seize the day. Lyn n Pryor Lynn Pryor is the Team Leader for Bible Studies for Life. A native Texan, Lynn has been a part of the LifeWay family for over 20 years and teaches each week in his church in Nolensville, TN. He writes each week about these studies at lynnhpryor.com. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 119
SPECIAL FOCUS SEIZE THE DAY: A CALL TO MISSIONS 120 Special Focus
When did a change in plans lead to something better? QUESTION #1 #BSFLseizeday BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 121
THE POINT Take your place in God s mission to the nations. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE If your car s windshield has ever taken a hit from a rock, you can thank Edouard Benedictus. No, he didn t throw the rock but he did protect your face. Benedictus was a French chemist who one day accidentally knocked a glass flask to the floor. He expected to hear the glass shatter, but the flask stayed for all intents and purposes in one piece. It was a mystery until his assistant told him the flask had contained cellulose nitrate (a liquid plastic). The chemical had evaporated, and the flask appeared to be clean, so the assistant had just returned the flask to the shelf without washing it. The evaporated chemical left an unseen film on the flask. In that moment, Benedictus gave the world safety glass. We don t know what Benedictus was planning to do in his lab that day, but an unexpected event led to countless saved lives. As we ll see in Acts 8, interruptions to our plans can lead to great things especially if God is bringing about the change. 122 Special Focus
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Acts 8:26-35 (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 the Kandake (which means 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. 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 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its 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. 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. Eunuch (v. 27) Technically, a male who has been emasculated. The term seems sometimes to have been applied to men in high or responsible positions, even if not emasculated. Kandake (v. 27) This was not the name of the Ethiopian Queen; instead, scholars believe Kandake was a title or office and authority, similar to Pharaoh. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 123
THE POINT Take your place in God s mission to the nations. What stands out to you about Philip s response to God s call? Acts 8:26-27a QUESTION #2 My wife and I used to enjoy listening to our youngest son argue his way out of something he needed to do. He would use every form of logic and reasoning he could muster to convince us his way was better. The only thing he convinced me of was that he has great potential in the legal profession! When an angel of the Lord gave Philip the word to Go (v. 26), I m sure he didn t try to argue his way out of it but a lot of us likely would have. Philip had a good thing going. His ministry was strong. Earlier in Acts, Philip went to a town in Samaria, where he preached the gospel of Jesus and performed many signs. Great things were happening for the kingdom of God (see vv. 5-8). Had I been in Philip s situation, I wonder if I would ve followed my son s example, trying to convince God that this was not a good time to leave the work in Samaria. Not only that, but look where God was telling Philip to go: south to the road the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip was to leave a thriving evangelistic ministry in Samaria to go to what even Luke described as the desert road (v. 26). Nothing of significance was out there. Gaza was the last watering hole before the route through the desert to Egypt. We know from the text that Philip obeyed. And it appears that he went eagerly and joyfully. The reason Philip was even in Samaria was because of persecution. Acts 8:1 describes the great persecution that caused believers to head out of Jerusalem. Philip didn t respond to that persecution by hiding or cowering in fear; instead, he went to Samaria a dangerous step, since the Jews and Samaritans were not the best of friends (see John 4:9). And when he got there, Philip kept right on talking about Jesus. After Philip s experience on the Gaza road, he appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (v. 40). Do you see the pattern? Jerusalem, Samaria, the Gaza road, Azotus, and Caesarea. Philip embraced a lifestyle of going whenever and wherever God sent him. And so should we. 124 Special Focus
TO THE NATIONS On the map below, use an X to mark countries or regions where you have a personal connection with someone working to spread the gospel. This could include personal relationships with missionaries, missionaries from your church, your financial support of missions work, times when you personally traveled to advance God s kingdom, and so on. What obstacles are hindering you from taking a more active approach in God s mission for the world? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 125
THE POINT Take your place in God s mission to the nations. Acts 8:27b "To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map." WILLIAM CAREY I m a planner. I have several to-do lists going at once for my different projects. In fact, the first task each week on my to-do list is to create a to-do list. Mission trips are no different. When I lead mission trips, I always work out all the details, logistics, and schedule ahead of time. Planning is a wise thing, but obedience supersedes any list. Philip had no agenda. He had no idea what he would be doing. He trusted that God had called him to the desert road for a reason and that if he obeyed, God would show him what to do. It helps to have a heart for God and to be open to see the opportunities in front of us. What we might see as an interruption, Philip saw as an opportunity. His opportunity came rolling by in a chariot. The man inside was an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means queen of the Ethiopians ) (v. 27). Ethiopia was not the same country we know today, but it was a thriving area and culture at that time. The Romans were fascinated with this advanced culture on, what was to them, the edge of the civilized world. So why was this official not in Ethiopia? Luke s account indicates he was interested in the religion of the Jews. He had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a God-fearing Gentile a man who believed in the God of Israel even though he was not a full convert to Judaism. Philip didn t know all these details when he first saw the chariot rolling by, but he did see a foreigner and a black man someone very different from himself. Philip grew up in a culture where the Jews primarily stuck to themselves, but that didn t matter in this situation. God had called Philip to go, and he looked past ethnic and cultural differences to see a man who needed the gospel. What kinds of differences exist in our community that could be barriers to presenting the gospel? QUESTION #3 126 Special Focus
Acts 8:28-35 God goes before us and empowers us. How should this truth shape your involvement in missions? QUESTION #4 How would you begin a conversation with a total stranger? For Philip, the door of opportunity swung wide open. Isaiah 53 as a whole addresses the Suffering Servant and wonderfully points to a Messiah who was sacrificed for us. In fact, Jesus did and said many things during His ministry that fulfilled prophecies from Isaiah 53 (see Matt. 8:17; Luke 22:37; John 12:38-40; Isa. 53:1-12). Now, here was the Ethiopian asking about such an important prophetic passage about Jesus! But Philip didn t merely interpret that passage. He began with that very passage of Scripture (v. 35) in order to share the gospel. He began there, but he didn t stop there. For those of us who struggle to start a conversation with someone we don t know, the feeling may be compounded when we re on mission and step into another culture. But God meets us in our obedience. He empowers our obedience and willingness to go by opening doors ahead of us. And when our hearts are prepared and under His Lordship, He will give us the words to say when we need to say them. Every time. What can our group do to be more engaged in missions? The Ethiopian eunuch responded with faith and acceptance (see Acts 8:36-38). And who knows what role he played when he got home in sharing the same good news with others in the Ethiopian government and nation. Perhaps this was the beginning of something huge! And it all started with one man s obedience to go. QUESTION #5 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 127
THE POINT Take your place in God s mission to the nations. LIVE IT OUT It s a big world out there, and it has a big need for the gospel. What will you do to be a part of God s mission to the nations? Pray daily. Pray for others as they go on mission. Place their picture someplace you ll see it regularly, and pray for them each day whenever you see their faces. Give above and beyond. Give freely and sacrificially to support the missionaries and mission organizations with whom your church partners and supports. Go yourself. As a group, talk about different ways you could go and be directly involved in sharing the gospel to the nations. Don t be afraid to dream about going for a weekend, a week, a month or a lifetime. You don t need an unexpected interruption to spur your passion for God s mission. You don t even need a direct command from God you already have it in Matthew 28:18-20. The opportunity is there. Go for it. My thoughts 128 Special Focus