From Mike
Acts 8:35 – Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
This verse falls smack dab in the middle of a crazy story in Acts. In the first part of the story we learn that Philip had been summoned by an angel of the Lord to go for a walk to Gaza. On this walk he bumped into a very prestigious, devout Ethiopian eunuch headed for Jerusalem to worship. The most interesting thing about this eunuch is that Philip found him reading the words of Isaiah in his chariot. In the second half of this story, we learn that the eunuch confessed Jesus as the Son of God and was baptized. From all this we can conclude that this eunuch did not believe in Jesus at the time Philip met him, but that God was at work in the eunuch ”both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Although this eunuch apparently had it going on (except for the eunuch part!), he did not have the most important thing in all of life, and yet God was at work in Him long before Philip showed up on the scene. What does this teach us regarding our ministry at CR? God is at work! He is working in the heart of every person who shows up at CR. They may not be Ethiopian court officials or eunuchs who have been reading Isaiah while riding in a chariot, but God is at work in them. In fact, I believe that God is at work even in the midst of hurt, pain, suffering, addictions, pride, fear, or control. Through these various trials, God is drawing them closer to the end of themselves and the realization of their need for Him.
As I think about this, I am utterly amazed. As leaders in CR, we have been invited by God to walk the dusty, dirty road to Gaza to meet with people on their journey to meet Him. We are invited to participate with God and witness Him do an amazing transformation right before our eyes!
How do we participate in this divine invitation? We preach Jesus. The Word tells us that Philip opened his mouth and preached Jesus. What a privilege and responsibility we have as CR leaders, to preach Jesus to the hurting and the lost. Who have you preached Jesus to lately? What was the response? How can you grow in your knowledge of Him to effectively and boldly “proclaim the excellencies of Him who brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light?”