August 18, 2024
Where Does the Holy Spirit Tell Us To Go?
Acts 8:26-40
Reverend Yong Choel Woo
When I was about two years old, an American couple came to Korea. The husband worked for Korea’s security as a U.S. Army officer stationed in Korea, and the wife did missionary work by teaching acupuncture and establishing an occupational therapy department at a university hospital called Severance Hospital. About 20 years later, I studied theology and graduated from the university that was associated with Severance Hospital. Over the next 30 years, I became a pastor, came to the United States to complete my theological degrees, served as a pastor for two Korean immigrant churches in Michigan and Ohio, and have been serving the Kalkaska United Methodist Church here for five years.
Last Wednesday evening, Dave and Sharon invited three couples who had helped them move to their new house to a special dinner at a Traverse City restaurant. I had the opportunity to meet Greg and Pam, the couple who had served in Korea over 50 years agos. It was fascinating and surprising for me to hear about how they are related to Korea. Although it seemed that I met them by chance, (slide 1) I know that without God’s plan, will, and grace, I would never have met them. I thanked God for the encounter and expressed my sincere gratitude to Greg and Pam for their heartfelt love and dedication to Korea and the Korean people.
As we read the scripture in Acts this morning, we see a very special encounter that took place under the specific plan, will, and purpose of God. (slide 2) It is Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. By examining what happened during their meeting, I would like us to share some spiritual messages and challenges for us to apply to our faith and ministries.
First, let’s consider what was going on before they met. After Philip successfully preached the gospel to Samaria, many Gentiles came to believe in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit. Philip’s Samaritan mission reached its peak, and at that time, an angel of the Lord appeared to Philip and gave him the following command without any reason or explanation: (slide 3) “Go south to the road—the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (v. 26)
From Philip’s perspective, (slide 3) the Lord’s command might have been difficult to accept. He might have been so focused on preaching the gospel to Samaria that he had no time to care about anything else. Additionally, if the command was to go from Jerusalem to Gaza and meet someone, it would seem more efficient to send one of the apostles or disciples who was staying in Jerusalem, which was much closer to the desert road. Philip could have asked the Lord, “Lord, why are you demanding this of me, who is so far away? Could you ask one of the apostles and disciples in Jerusalem to go to the desert road instead?”
However, Philip did not make excuses to disobey His commands. Rather, he willingly stopped his ministry in Samaria and traveled to the desert road. (slide 4) When Philip finally met the Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake, “the queen of the Ethiopians,” Philip heard the Spirit saying to him, (slide 5) “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
At that time, the eunuch was reading some passages from Isaiah, (slide 6) specifically Isaiah 53:7-8, which speaks about ‘the suffering Son,’ and was very confused about their meaning. As he struggled to interpret the scripture, (slide 7) Philip intervened and explained in detail how that passage was referring to the new salvation achieved through Jesus’s suffering and death. Then, something amazing happened to the Ethiopian eunuch. Once he understood the good news about Jesus, he asked Philip to baptize him with some water. Although we don’t have any information about what the Ethiopian eunuch did after he returned to Ethiopia, we can be confident that he must have clearly preached God’s new salvation in Jesus to many Ethiopians.
With this understanding of the scripture today, I would like us to consider two challenging points that we need to apply to our faith and ministry.
First, as in other stories in Acts, (slide 8) we should be reminded that Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch was done under the specific will, plan, and purpose of God for their lives with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The angel of the Lord commanded Philip to go down to the desert road (v. 26). The Spirit of the Lord directed Philip to approach the Ethiopian eunuch’s chariot (v. 29). Immediately after Philip baptized the eunuch, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip to another place (v. 39). We must understand that God had a special plan and purpose for the Ethiopian mission, so He orchestrated Philip’s encounter with the eunuch, which resulted in the eunuch receiving God’s new salvation through Jesus.
Throughout the ages, (slide 9) God has led the evangelism and mission of the church. With His masterplans for our evangelism and mission, He chooses His people to be part of building His kingdom. This is true for our church today. We must never forget that He wants us to rejoice in being His co-workers for His kingdom.
As we strive to be messengers of the good news about Jesus, it is helpful to understand how the Holy Spirit worked through Philip. Initially, the Holy Spirit gave Philip a vague instruction to go down to the desert road without a detailed reason or explanation. Later, as Philip obeyed and was on his way to the desert road, the Holy Spirit specifically directed him to approach the chariot and encounter the Ethiopian eunuch.
Many of us might wonder why God doesn’t call us to be His messengers in the same mysterious way He did for Philip. However, we can hear Him calling us to be His messengers through the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20: (slide 10) “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The Great Commission may seem vague to us if we interpret it as a general command for His people. However, (slide 11) we should see it as a personal command for each of us and a concrete command for us, as the Church, to follow. As we strive to implement His commission in our personal lives and communal ministries, the Holy Spirit will guide us directly to whom we should go and preach the good news about Jesus. If the Holy Spirit confirms that we are willing to obey and spread His salvation, He will provide us detailed information about where to go and what to do for His kingdom.
Likewise, it is crucial that (slide 12) we are first willing to be obedient to His calling to us as His messengers. To be more active in obeying His call, we should pray for understanding of what prevents us from obeying His calling and seek the Holy Spirit’s help to overcome these obstacles.
What prevents us from engaging in evangelism and missions? (slide 13) We may face various life issues such as health problems, financial hardship, and family issues that make us hesitant to answer His call. When material possessions and wealth become our priorities, we may ignore His calling. If we feel we lack special spiritual gifts, we might think evangelism and mission are not for us, believing that only those with a strong faith and spiritual gifts should be messengers. We may also feel uncomfortable meeting new people and sharing our faith due to our personality or other reasons. We may think that the commitment and sacrifice required for evangelism and missions—time, passion, and money—can seem burdensome. We may worry about how others think about us as we try to spread the gospel. There can be many other potential obstacles within us that can negatively impact us so that we feel hesitant to be the messengers of the good news about Jesus.
If this is true for us, we should first remember what God did for Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. (slide 14) The Holy Spirit guided Philip to encounter the eunuch. Before the eunuch met Philip, God prepared him by having him visit Jerusalem to worship and by making him read the prophecy of Isaiah. The Spirit worked through the Ethiopian eunuch to understand why Jesus had to die by being nailed on the cross for the salvation of His people as Philip related it to Isaiah 53:7-8.
As we strive to spread the good news to those around us, God will work in similar ways as He did for Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. He will work through us to overcome obstacles to evangelism and mission and will work through those we encounter to open their hearts and minds to His salvation in Jesus. Having set everything up for evangelism and mission, He invites us to be His messengers and rejoice in building His kingdom as co-workers.
In conclusion, (slide 15) evangelism and missions are not achievements of our own choices, strength, wisdom, experience, or faith. God Himself prepares all missions and evangelism with a special plan and purpose and invites us to reap the spiritual harvest of His salvation. Thus, by trusting in Him, His will, plan, and purpose for our lives, and relying on the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we can rejoice in our evangelism and mission. (slide 16) We should view evangelism and missions as blessings rather than burdens.
As we live out this coming week, (slide 17) let’s seek to understand who God wants us to reach and how He works through us to make beautiful things happen. Let’s pray for the strength to overcome our spiritual obstacles so that we can fully rejoice in His calling and our ministries of evangelism and mission.