The Man Who Went Away Rejoicing
Joe Alain
Acts 8:39
Everywhere that Philip went there was great joy! For instance, in Acts 8:8 we are told that there was great joy in the city of Samaria. What happened? Philip had preached to them Christ! And the people heeded the things which Philip told them. That is the secret of joy. It is not just hearing the message of Christ and the good news but it is believing the good news. It is doing the word that brings freedom and joy not just hearing the word.
Going Into the Desert
In our text (Acts 8:39), joy is once again experienced because of Phillips obedience to preach Christ and a man's obedience to respond to the message of Jesus Christ. Our story begins with an angel speaking to Philip (8:26). The angel gave Philip specific directions to go south from Jerusalem to Gaza. Luke reminds us that Gaza is a desert. The way to Gaza has changed little in the last couple of millennia. It is still a desert, an inhospitable place, a barren place. Philip was to leave the comfort of Jerusalem to go to the wasteland. Such is God's call to us sometimes. He calls us to go to the desert places of this world, the spiritually barren places! Why? Because there are people dying in the wasteland and in need of Jesus. God calls us to leave our comfort zones. There is no other way to reach people outside of the church except to go and compel them in with the sweet aroma of the Gospel of life.
Philip heard from the Lord and he obeyed (8:27). He didn't complain. He just went and isn't he glad he did! He was about to be a part of a tremendous blessing. He was about to witness a soul being born into the kingdom of God. You'll never know what God can do and will do until you step out into obedience. Too many times we stay within our camps and we wonder why God isn't moving. God is moving, but it involves us moving too. If we want to be used by God to do something great, we have to be willing to get up and walk by faith.
Meeting God at the ...
Joe Alain
Acts 8:39
Everywhere that Philip went there was great joy! For instance, in Acts 8:8 we are told that there was great joy in the city of Samaria. What happened? Philip had preached to them Christ! And the people heeded the things which Philip told them. That is the secret of joy. It is not just hearing the message of Christ and the good news but it is believing the good news. It is doing the word that brings freedom and joy not just hearing the word.
Going Into the Desert
In our text (Acts 8:39), joy is once again experienced because of Phillips obedience to preach Christ and a man's obedience to respond to the message of Jesus Christ. Our story begins with an angel speaking to Philip (8:26). The angel gave Philip specific directions to go south from Jerusalem to Gaza. Luke reminds us that Gaza is a desert. The way to Gaza has changed little in the last couple of millennia. It is still a desert, an inhospitable place, a barren place. Philip was to leave the comfort of Jerusalem to go to the wasteland. Such is God's call to us sometimes. He calls us to go to the desert places of this world, the spiritually barren places! Why? Because there are people dying in the wasteland and in need of Jesus. God calls us to leave our comfort zones. There is no other way to reach people outside of the church except to go and compel them in with the sweet aroma of the Gospel of life.
Philip heard from the Lord and he obeyed (8:27). He didn't complain. He just went and isn't he glad he did! He was about to be a part of a tremendous blessing. He was about to witness a soul being born into the kingdom of God. You'll never know what God can do and will do until you step out into obedience. Too many times we stay within our camps and we wonder why God isn't moving. God is moving, but it involves us moving too. If we want to be used by God to do something great, we have to be willing to get up and walk by faith.
Meeting God at the ...
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