When God Calls Your Number

Sunday’s Message:
Yesterday, Pastor Ken (PK) was speaking on the topic of Spirit-led Evangelism, as he continued his series on Spreading the Gospel. There were quite a few excellent insights that I felt compelled to share this morning.

PK explained a very simple fact; we can either witness according to our flesh or according to the Spirit. The flesh or the Spirit. This juxtaposition is seen quite evidently in our culture today. Some people seek to preach the Gospel by the Bible-thumbing method. In other words, they seek to simply scream facts of Scripture, vitriolically condemn certain actions & deeds which characterize the specific listener with whom they’re engaged, and use harsh & stern words, in an attempt to incite one to consider getting right with God. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when sin must be confronted, and sometimes harsh words need to be said to get a point across, but as a standard practice of witnessing or evangelizing, it should not be the common method employed. After all, we are often admonished to be gentle in our speech, even to those who are outside the household of faith. Attempting to evangelize or witness to someone in this way is often a by-product of the flesh.

Contrary to witnessing by the flesh, PK spent the bulk of the sermon explaining how we are to evangelize according to the Spirit, and he brought up an interesting point; we see the triune God involved Spirit-led evangelism. In Acts 8:26, it was the angel of the LORD who sent Philip to Gaza (by commission of the Father). In Acts 8:29, the Holy Spirit told Philip to draw near to the chariot. And in Acts 8:28-33, the Ethiopian eunuch is reading a prophecy about the first advent of Jesus. The Father sent him, the Spirit told him, and the Son was explained by him. In Spirit-led Evangelism, all three Persons of the trinity are involved in reaching the one who is searching.

From there, PK explained that, in Spirit-led Evangelism, we must seek to develop discipline and character in order to share our faith. In other words, we must be ready and willing for the opportunities which lie before us, to share our faith. This can be seen practically in a few areas. First, the discipline is that we must know how to witness or at least know what to say if we have the opportunity to share our faith with a stranger. Oftentimes, people get nervous about talking to strangers because they feel ill-equipped. But really, it’s just a matter of telling someone else how Jesus has changed your life. And how you came to have a personal relationship with Him. It’s really quite simple. We aren’t told to have all the answers. We couldn’t even if we tried. But we are told to share, to make disciples; and it starts with a conversation.

Character-wise, it means that we should have an active relationship, and close fellowship with God. Not just a once-a-week commitment to gather with like-minded believers on Sunday. But rather, a daily walk, daily communication, daily reading or thinking on the things of God. The strength and depth of a relationship is dependent upon both parties’ investment of time and energy. And we know that God seeks all people, so the problem lies not with God, but with the proper investment on our end.

Furthermore, we must also have some tools at our disposal, should a Spirit-led encounter come our way. No deployed soldier outside the wire (outside the security perimeter of the post) would ever leave without their rifle. The soldier’s rifle is the tool which protects them and those around him. If we are considered Christian soldiers, we too must always have a tool with us. The first tool would be the Sword of the Spirit, or in other words, the Scriptures. It doesn’t mean we need to always carry around a physical Bible with us (though that wouldn’t be a bad idea). But it does mean that we should know the Scriptures enough to carry on a conversation about God, Jesus, and the Gospel. Therefore, we must invest time into the discipline of knowing Scriptures.

Another tool would be a Gospel tract. This is an effective way to evangelize, and share the Gospel message, because you don’t have to know the Romans Road, or any other method of evangelism. Just simply share your testimony and hand them a tract. A good Gospel tract will have a clear, simple grace-based Gospel presentation on how one can become a child of God. A third tool would be a church invite card. Our church has created invite cards that has key information on it, such as service times, location, and a QR code to the website; and it’s the same size as a business card, which fits neatly inside a wallet, and undoubtedly inside those large 2,000 cubic inch purses some women carry. This invite card is a very effective tool because it’s an easy way to invite someone to church, and with the QR code, it guides them to a Gospel presentation as well.

Finally, PK revealed another profound part of this historical account in Acts 8. When Philip ran up to the eunuch’s chariot, the eunuch most likely had a soldier nearby because the eunuch was a person of authority and power. For some stranger to run up to a person of authority and influence like this, it would take a lot of courage and boldness. And this is exactly what Philip showed, because he was obedient to the Spirit’s command. And since this was a Spirit-led evangelistic account, God divinely protected Philip from being apprehended (or worse) by the eunuch’s security presence, thus allowing Philip to converse with him. How many times do we feel like the Spirit is asking us to speak to someone, and yet we don’t because of fear or timidness? If we take a page out of Philip’s book, and “run” up to the Spirit-led encounter with courage and boldness, the LORD will be with us and use us as He desires in being a witness for His grace and goodness.

There is much to learn from this encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch! While this account is found within a historical narrative genre of the Bible, and is descriptive rather than prescriptive, we can still see how the triune God works in the life of a servant, when that servant is faithful and obedient to his King.

Illustration:
The phrase “when your number is called”, is often tied to sports. We can see it most clearly in football or baseball. When a team desperately needs a score, or run, there are typically one or two people on the team that the coach/manager knows he can call on for the greatest opportunity to make it happen. Whether it’s a designated hitter in baseball, or a certain play for a specific running back or wide receiver, the coach essentially puts the game in the hands of one of the team’s most competent athletes. And in those circumstances, their “number is called.” No matter the odds, the one who is called has boldness and courage to stand up against those odds in an attempt to make the improbable happen. What makes this star athlete come across the mind of the coach/manager in those situations? Much of it has to do with that person’s discipline, character, and courage. Discipline in that he has often practiced the play, route, scouted the pitcher, and he knows exactly what to do, and how to do it. Character in gaining the coach’s/managers trust in that situation. And courage in the sense that he can step up to the insurmountable odds with boldness. While the star athlete is never perfect, the star athlete is always faithful, and steps up to the plate, when he is called.

There are moments in our Christian life, when God has a specific situation that He wants you involved in. And in those moments, God is calling your number. When He does, will you be found disciplined and courageous, to join Him in gaining the victory?

Sunday’s Echo:
These three things are indicative of Spirit-led Evangelism.

1) Seeking to witness in the Spirit, not in the flesh.
2) Developing discipline & character, to be ready for the opportunities that present itself to us.
3) Having boldness and courage to follow-through and speak to someone about spiritual matters.

This week, and forward, may you be aware of the opportunities that lie before you, and “run” to those encounters with boldness and courage, when God calls your number.


(full sermon is linked below)