Acts 8:26-40 - To the Ends of the Earth: The Benefits of Believing (a Faith that Genuinely Saves)

Romans 10:15 - To The Ends of the Earth: A Sending Church

A special message from a special guest this week. Passageway Church welcomed back Lincoln Murdoch of Step Up To Life (https://www.stepuptolife.com), a friend and mentor to many at Passageway Church. Though not a continuation of our walk through Acts, his message this week fits with the current To The Ends of the Earth series. Few understand both ends of the relationship between a Sending Church and the Goers they send quite like Lincoln.

Acts 8:26-40 - To the Ends of the Earth: The Benefits of Believing (a Faith that Genuinely Saves)

Have you ever had a divine appointment? A divine appointment refers to an unexpected, meaningful encounter with another person specifically orchestrated by God. The timing, purpose, and outcome of the experience are more than simply random chance or coincidence.  One of the most well-known New Testament examples of a divine appointment is described in Acts 8. The Lord led Philip to an unlikely place at an unlikely time, where he encountered an unlikely person. On a desert road, Philip met an Ethiopian official traveling from Jerusalem, reading from the book of Isaiah. Philip joined him in his chariot, and beginning with this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. The Ethiopian believed and asked to be baptized. Philip agreed, and when they came up out of the water, he was snatched away, but the man went away rejoicing. Luke contrasts the Ethiopian official’s heartfelt response with that of Simon the sorcerer in the previous episode, who thought the gift of God was something to be manipulated for personal advantage. Unlike Simon the sorcerer, the Ethiopian official responded to the gospel in genuine faith. Genuine saving faith originates with the Spirit and is founded upon the Scriptures.  After his encounter with the Ethiopian official, Philip kept on preaching the gospel throughout Judea. He undoubtedly had many more unexpected, meaningful encounters along the way, leading people to a faith that genuinely saves.

Acts 8:9-25 - To the Ends of the Earth: Believing for the Benefits (a Faith that Doesn't Save)

Jesus once compared the kingdom of God to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants asked, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers to gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.” Jesus used this parable to explain that in the world there are both genuine believers, the wheat, and false believers, the weeds.  In last week’s episode, we read that as a result of persecution, the church was scattered like seed throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Philip, one of those who had been displaced, was a particularly gifted evangelist and went down to the capital city of Samaria. The people there were captivated when they heard his message and saw the miraculous signs that he did.  As we continue reading in Acts 8, the story turns to the response of one particular Samaritan man, a famous sorcerer named Simon. He, too, found Philip’s ministry compelling. Luke tells us that Simon also believed and was baptized. Though he might be mistaken for wheat, he was actually a weed. When he saw that the Holy Spirit came upon genuine believers at the laying on of hands by Peter and John, he offered money to have this same power. Simon saw the gift of God as something to be manipulated for personal gain, which revealed the true intentions of his heart. If a person’s heart hasn’t changed, he isn’t saved. The story of Simon warns against the kind of faith that doesn’t save. Don’t believe just for the benefits. Be broken over your sin.

Acts 8:1b-8 - To the Ends of the Earth: Taking the Gospel With You

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Perhaps you never intended to be in your current career field. Maybe you never envisioned yourself as the mother of 3 young children or living in a small midwestern town. Most often, life’s circumstances are the result of our own choices, both good and bad. However, you might find yourself in a certain situation because of someone else’s actions. How do you respond? With bitterness or resignation? In Acts 8 we read that in the aftermath of Stephen’s murder a great persecution arose against the church. Saul was tearing them apart, going house to house, dragging people off to prison. This resulted in the church being scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.  But what man intended for evil, God intended for good. Wherever those who were scattered went, they took the gospel with them.  One of those evangelists was Philip, who ended up in Samaria, a place despised by the Jews. But because of his powerful witness, the gospel continued its forward movement to the ends of the earth, and there was much joy in that city. Wherever life’s circumstances might lead, you can bring joy to that place by taking the gospel with you.

Acts 7:54-8:1a - To the Ends of the Earth: Mob Reaction vs. Christ-like Response

According to the organization, Open Doors International, 315 million Christians worldwide are living right now under extreme or very high levels of persecution. This past year alone, 4849 Christians have been murdered for their faith. 4712 imprisoned. The most dangerous countries to be a Christian are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan. In North Korea, persecution is the result of dictatorial paranoia. In Somalia it is the result of Islamic oppression. The constitution makes it illegal to convert from Islam. Christians have no legal protections. In other places persecution is the result of clan violence, ethnic hostility, or organized crime.  We are blessed to live in a country that guarantees the free expression of religion. You and I cannot comprehend this kind of systemic oppression. Even so, perhaps you’ve been shunned by a family member because of your faith. Maybe you’ve missed out on a promotion at work for reasons of conscience or gotten turned into HR for saying something perceived as imposing your religion. Maybe you’ve been excluded from a group of friends because you talk and act differently. How should a Christian respond to persecution, however severe? At the end of Acts 7 we read the dramatic conclusion to Stephens’ speech. The members of the Sanhedrin were enraged. They drug Stephen outside the city and stoned him. Though the angry mob was filled with hate, Stephen was filled with the Spirit. He responded like Jesus. Expressing his faith in Christ and love for his enemies, Stephen was a powerful witness of eternal consequence. There in the murderous crowd was a young man named Saul who would one day take the gospel to the ends of the earth. You never know who’s watching. Regardless of the mob, respond like Jesus.