IntElecS
Infinite Never-ending Trinity Everlasting Lord Excellent Christ Savior

Once a small company that served control systems, now a couple that serves the All Powerful God.

To navigate the pages for this site, Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select the page you want to view.  Some pages have sub-pages as the seven sayings series so you must be on that page to scroll down and pick its sub-pages.

All of life's answers are found in His book.

Go Deacons

Acts 8:27 “And he arose and went: and, behold, ta man of Ethiopia, uan eunuch wof great authority under Candace queen of the xEthiopians, who had ythe charge of all her treasure, and zhad come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.” [1]

I.   Where

     A. Institution

     B. Inhospitable

II. Who

     A. Instructor

     B. Inquisitor

III.     What

     A. Inability

     B. Invitation

Introduction:  We have been studying the ministry of the Holy Spirit these Sundays following the traditional day of Pentecost.  Last week we celebrated our national day of independence and yet there was evidence of the Holy Spirit’s ministry even in last week’s message about our deliverance from guilt.

When we decide to accept the free gift of salvation that cost Jesus so much we receive The Holy Spirit Who guides us into the ministry that Jesus will perform through us.  We will hear at His Judgement Seat of those things as we hear of the good things we did in these bodies here and now.  There is no good but God yet through us who love Him and obey God does His ministry.

The title of the message today is “Go Deacons.”  Wake Forest uses a deacon for its mascot and they chant those words as they encourage their athletes to perform well.  I can imagine that maybe God also encourages those deacons whom He calls as they perform the acts that God does through them.

In Acts Six we find the early church was growing so fast that the twelve, who included Mathias by the way, could not keep peace between the several factions of widows.  They chose and appointed seven men over the business of peacekeeping.  Today we will learn that these men were more than peacekeepers.  They were and are ministers of gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Acts 6:5 we hear of Steven first, “ka man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.” [2]  Second we hear of Philip who we will hear more about in our message today.  These men were chosen and there was an ordination ceremony where the apostles prayed and laid hands on them.  Scripture says, “7 And rthe word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and sa great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” [3]

Not all the priests were obedient though.  Reading on we learn of this one Steven was martyred for his faith after giving a great and powerful sermon to the detractors of the day.  Some priests ordered Steven stoned to death and one named Saul was there to encourage those who killed Steven.  That Saul even held Steven’s coat for them while they stoned Steven.

Later we learn that the one called Saul became the Apostle Paul and would forever follow Jesus.

Scripture:  The scripture today is Acts 8:27-28.  Please stand if you can for God’s written word.

Prayer:  Please be seated.

Message:  Keep your Bibles open and follow as we read chapter eight through verse four.  Steven will never be forgotten.  Neither will Saul though he is now known as Paul.  Saul had to acknowledge his part in the murder of the man Steven.  Jesus charged that the crime that Saul had done was against Jesus Himself.

We see Christians around the world today being persecuted and even we here in the “free” country are not as free as we once were.  Jesus accounts these atrocities that are done to Christians as though they were directed towards Him.  That should give us comfort knowing the kinship that Jesus has with us.

Now read on verses five through eight where we hear more about this deacon named Philip.  There is also an apostle named Philip but this is a different man.  He was among those who were scattered away from Jerusalem.  Deacon Philip left for Samaria and the church there had great success though it was not to last.  Greed would take over and though they heard and believed there were some who only wanted the attention that they saw others receiving.

When the apostles came after hearing the news, Peter understood that The Holy Spirit was not in them.  Once the Holy Spirit was received the offender was changed.  Ironically his name was also Simon.  That Simon asked Peter to pray for him.

All that brings us back to this deacon called Philip.  He had to leave Jerusalem, found success in Samaria, but had to leave notoriety and head out of town again.  In verse twenty-six The Angel of The Lord spoke to Philip and headed him south into Gaza which was desert.

Philip had been in a place where civilization supposedly was institutionalized.  Instead of finding peace there, Philip had to leave because he saw his brother in the ministry stoned to death.  Samaria was a place that Jews found to be inhospitable and yet that is where Philip went to continue the ministry of the gospel but he couldn’t stay there either.  Maybe Philip was too charismatic for the ministry.  That other Simon took a hankering to Philip but Peter had to straighten the mess out in the end.  When we allow our message to be about ourselves it becomes a mess and no longer a message.  When that happens we are in danger of our ministry being taken away from us.  That’s another lesson for another day.

Go down into Gaza!  Talk about inhospitable!  Rachael and I have spent time in Phoenix.  They turned desert into town there.  It’s not too bad in October when you can lay around the swimming pool.  In July through September you crank the car with the doors open and wait for the air coming through the vents to cool enough so that it doesn’t take your breath away or else you might have heat stroke.  It’s that hot there!  If it wasn’t for man-made air conditioning it would be downright inhabitable.  That’s like the place Philip was sent and he didn’t have AC.

In the list of deacons we read that Steven was a man of faith of the Holy Ghost.  Next in the list it simply says, “and Philip.”  Not much said about Philip until chapter twenty-one verse eight where he is called “the evangelist.” The Tyndale Bible Dictionary explains this Philip as a Hellenistic Jew.  That is to say that he was Jewish though he had a Greek name.

We don’t have much information on his background but we know that he was an awesome instructor.  Recently I had an opportunity to speak of a man who inspired me.  Clyde Watson was a teacher to many people.  He taught the curriculum that he was given to teach and many learned.  For me Clyde invested things that he himself had experienced.  The structure that God placed into me was put there by Clyde and the Carpenter finished the building.  Philip must have been that type of instructor.

We have determined that Philip was a Jew with a Greek name so he probably was not a dark skinned person.  So what do we know about this man who we call the inquisitor?  This inquisitor was an Ethiopian which means he is from northern Africa.  He probably didn’t have much in common with Philip but the thing that they had in common was enough!

There is that other fact about this inquisitor that might make a bigger difference.  When you hear of someone who has had a sex change how does that knowledge cause you to respond?  I have to tell you; it doesn’t make me want to run up and embrace the guy, or the lady for that matter.  What would make a person reject what God made them to be?  Right or not that’s what I think about.  I’m just saying…

Deuteronomy 23:1 says this, “He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.” [4]  If that is not clear enough there are other translations that make it easier to understand.  People then and even now have an uneasy response to this idea of a man becoming a Eunuch.

This inquisitor was totally opposite from Philip yet here they were together in the middle of a desert.  He was extremely important to Queen Candice but had enough freedom which allowed him to worship in Jerusalem.  He worshipped about the One who was prophesied in Isaiah, but didn’t know Jesus and had an inability to understand.  He wanted to know but he needed a preacher to explain because he didn’t even know enough to know what to ask?

Please think about this.  Who gave the invitation?  Did the Eunuch invite Philip onto his chariot?  There is no mention that he did.  Did Philip invite himself onto the chariot with this fellow that he had nothing visibly in common with?  Notice too that Philip wasn’t close enough to hear what the Eunuch was reading until he accepted the invitation from the Holy Spirit to go near.  The Holy Spirit didn’t just say to approach and observe the guy.  “29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” [5]  I especially like what happened next.  Philip ran!  He couldn’t get to him fast enough.

“30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, aUnderstandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should bguide me? And che desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, dHe was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip eopened his mouth, and fbegan at the same gscripture, and hpreached unto him Jesus.” [6]

We know that it doesn’t end there.  They went on along and when they found water Philip baptized the man after he proclaimed, “I believe that lJesus Christ is mthe Son of God.” [7]

39 And when they were come up out of the water, nthe Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way orejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at pAzotus: and passing through he qpreached in all the cities, till he came to rCaesarea.[8]

Prayer:

Invitation: 

Evangelism is not only the calling of the preacher and the deacon.  We are to tell others about Jesus when The Holy Spirit gives us opportunity.  It might not be your kin or even someone that you might consider a friend.  When God uses you to bring someone in they are part of His church and our family.  The invitation today is to listen and act and go as He calls you. 

Consider as we sing…

t See Zeph. 3:10.
u See Gen. 37:36.
w See Luke 1:52.
x See 2 Kin. 19:9.
y Ezra 7:21 (Chaldee).
z 1 Kin. 8:41, 42. John 12:20. So ch. 24:11.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 8:27–28). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
k ch. 11:24. So ver. 8. ch. 7:55.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 6:5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
r ch. 12:24 (Gk.). So ch. 19:20.
s So John 12:42. Comp. John 7:48.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 6:7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Dt 23:1). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 8:29). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a 2 Cor. 3:2 (Gk.).
b John 16:13.
c 1 Kin. 20:33. 2 Kin. 10:15.
d Cited from Isai. 53:7, 8.
e See Matt. 5:2.
f Luke 24:27.
g So ch. 17:2, 3. & 18:28.
h See ch. 5:42.
[6] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 8:30–35). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l Matt. 1:18.
m John 9:35, 38. See Matt. 14:33.
[7] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 8:37). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
n See 1 Kin. 18:12.
o ver. 8.
p See 1 Sam. 5:1.
q ver. 25 (Gk.).
r ch. 9:30. & 10:1, 24. & 11:11. & 12:19. & 18:22. & 21:8, 16. & 23:23, 33. & 25:1, 4, 6, 13.
[8] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ac 8:39–40). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.