Preach It!

PASSAGE OF THE DAY:
Acts 8 (click the link)


KEY VERSE:
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (Acts 8:4, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
This chapter contains some incredible stories:

• The campaign of persecution that broke out against the church…
• Deliverance from shrieking, impure spirits…
• The lame and paralyzed restored to full health…
• The craziness surrounding the salvation and repentance of Simon the sorcerer… 
• The way-cool story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch…
• The disappearance and re-appearance of Philip (how crazy is that!)…

What a crazy, wild ride the church experienced in its earliest days!

Amidst all these mind-blowing stories, one thing stands out to me with convicting clarity: The church constantly proclaimed the message of Jesus "wherever they went."

Despite the very real dangers of persecution and death, the scattered believers boldly shared the gospel of hope found in Christ.

We see Philip go down to a city in Samaria and preach that Jesus is the Messiah. While in that place, he "proclaims the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ," and many people believe and are baptized, including Simon the sorcerer.

We see Peter and John travel to the same Samaritan city and "proclaim the word of the Lord and testify about Jesus." As they return to Jerusalem, they "preach the gospel" in many Samaritan villages along the way.

We see Philip, guided by the Holy Spirit, climb into the eunuch's chariot and explain the "good news about Jesus" to the Ethiopian official.

After apparently disappearing into thin air, we see Philip reappear at Azotus and "preach the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea."

What conviction I feel as I read the stories of these great evangelists!

These guys were just a bunch of average Joe's, like me. Not long ago they were fishermen and tax collectors and blue-collar workers. Now, they are boldly proclaiming the message of reconciliation.

It's easy for me to beat myself up when I compare the early believers' faith and passion for preaching to mine. 

So often I am more concerned about my agenda than God's plans… I am more focused on myself than the spiritual needs of those around me… I am more concerned about avoiding the uneasiness of sharing the gospel than about the hope it might bring to the lost… I am more worried about causing offense than sharing the truth that might bring glory to the One who heals the brokenhearted and sets the captives free.

When comparing myself to be early believers, I feel so ashamed for my lack of concern and so convicted for my lack of faith in the power of the living God.

I try to worm my way out from under the conviction by saying that evangelism isn't my spiritual gift. But I know that's no excuse for failing to speak of Jesus. I may not indeed be gifted as an evangelist, but I've still been called to tell others about my Lord (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2Corinthians 5:18-20; 2 Timothy 4:1-2).

Today, I want things to change. Rather than getting bogged down with guilt from my failures at evangelism, I choose today to ask God to help me serve as a conduit of his love and as a spokesperson for his Son.

Building on what Beth Peeples shared this past Sunday, for too long I have been reactionary in my efforts at evangelism. I have simply reacted to the conviction I feel when looking at my failures to share the gospel. I feel guilty and vow to try harder to share the gospel, only to fail again and continue the whole vicious cycle.

However, I am ready to become more proactive in sharing the message of hope found in Christ. With God's help, I want to grow to be a champion of evangelism, boldly and persuasively carrying forth the message of Jesus. So I cry out to God, asking for his grace to work powerfully in my heart so that I might joyfully join with him in proclaiming his message of salvation.


PRAYER:
I ask God to stir within me a passion for his name, to open my eyes to see afresh how glorious, how marvelous, how full splendor is the Lord our God. I want to be captivated with the glorious reality of our God, so that, out of a love for his name, I might be moved to "declare his glory among the nations and his marvelous deeds among all peoples." (Psalm 96)

I ask Jesus to open my eyes to see the lost as he sees them and to help me understand in the deep places of my heart that they are "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." I want to be filled with a burden for the lost—to be moved from a place of merely "desiring" their salvation to one of "aching for" their rescue from sin. (Matthew 9:35-38)

I ask God to strengthen me to walk through life with a prayerful attitude, always ready and willing to respond to any guidance he might provide concerning conversations with those who are unbelievers. When those opportunities arise, I ask that he might provide me with the creativity and clarity of mind to speak the truth with grace, gentleness, and respect. (Colossians 4:2-6; 1 Peter 3:15-16)

I ask that God might fill me with a Spirit-inspired courage so that I might set aside my own inhibitions and "fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel." I want to move from living in my own strength to walking and speaking in the power, courage, and boldness of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:19-20)

I ask that God might use my life—both my actions and my words—as a showcase for his Gospel of Reconciliation, and I pray that through the movement and empowerment of the Holy Spirit this message of redemption might spread rapidly and grow to be honored by our culture and our world. (2Thessalonians 3:1; Matthew 6:9-10)


WHO AM I?
Hey! My name is Tres Sansom and I have the privilege and honor of serving as the Associate Pastor of PRF. I love, love, love living in the Hill Country. One of my favorite things about living here is being surrounded by the beauty of Creation. All around us we see hills, trees, lakes and rivers as opposed to the concrete and skyscrapers of the big city. Hopefully, one day soon we'll be able to enjoy the cool refreshment of Lake Travis as we once did in a bygone era.