Now We Are Teleporting ?

Read: Acts 8:26-20

Now We Are Teleporting?

God is going to bring you to where he wants you to go. One way or another, he is going to get you there. The life of a Christ-follower is supernaturally directed. The Lord speaks to us through his word, his Spirit, and sometimes simply through his actions. Think of Philip being teleported as he come out of the water; the Lord “told” him where he was going next by bringing him there! (v.8:39-30) And yet, no matter where Philip found himself he was singularly focused on proclaiming the “good news” of Christ through his actions and his WORDS. Whether he was feeding widows as a deacon, preaching the Gospel to his “enemies” (The Samaritans), or baptizing a magician, Philip was consistently the very hands and feet of Christ wherever he went. This never changed for Philip, the settings would change but the goal would remain the same. That’s the thing for us: we need to become comfortable with the fact that we often times don’t know exactly where the Lord is bringing us, but the mission remains the same… we are the hands and feet of Christ!

What is the hard part in all this? We don’t know exactly what is next when God asks us to walk in faith. Think of Philip in this passage: Why would he leave a flourishing ministry in Samaria to go out to an abandoned desert road? That makes no human sense! God, at times, is going to ask you to do things that will not make human sense to you at first. Notice how Philip isn’t even told what is going to happen, he is simply told to go to a desert road. (v.26) Sometimes God is going to call us out of something that seems to be flourishing to lead us to a desert road because he has important work for us to do there. Philip doesn’t get to the desert road by reading the bible either. There was no passage that told him to go there. He was listening to the Lord. The Lord sent an angel to him. This “angels” show up in many ways to the people of God… in dreams and visions, through people around us (covertly), and directly speaking to us (overtly). (cf. Acts 5:19; 10:3; 11:13; 12:7, 23; 27:23; Judg. 6:12; 13:3, Heb. 13:2) The point is that our lives will be guided in all different ways to carry us to where God wants us to go. It may be something that seems “natural” like persecution (v.8:1) or the death of a friend (v.8:2); or it maybe utterly supernatural such as an angel of the Lord telling you to head out to the desert.

God will let you know what he wants you to do next once you get there. He doesn’t normally tell you ahead of time. (cf. Abraham heading to Canaan) Philip already has the habit of LOOKING for opportunities to serve and share. he finds out quickly why God brought him into the desert! God is consistently leading his people into opportunities to share Christ. Look at what the eunuch says: “So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (v.30-31) God was already working ahead of Philip… he had primed the eunuch for this moment. God is going ahead of you as well! Setting the stage for the work he has for you! Philip reads the scriptures with the eunuch, points him to JESUS, and baptizes him… then poof!… he’s gone. Just like that. On to the next place!

Could you believe that God is leading you the same way he was leading Philip? What flourishing activity is God calling you from to take a trip to a desert road? Philip experiences some of the most wild things in his life… miraculous things… teleporting is one of them. We miss out on the most exciting parts of ministry and life when we are not willing to walk into the places God is calling us. We won’t ever experience the full adventure unless we are willing to go to those “desert roads”. God is probably not going to unfold every detail for you to convince you to go… he is asking you to walk in faith… to trust him. God is leading you. You are the hand and feet of Christ. No matter where you find yourself, this is always true of you as one of God’s children: he is calling you to display the good news of Christ through what you say and do… just like Philip. Where will the Lord bring you today? Love you guys. - JDP