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Just yesterday I had the privilege of going out to the Pathfinder Camperee out at Cahuda

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Springs working on a project for camp meeting for the conference and while I was out there

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I was able to see, expectedly, some former pastoral colleagues that were there with their

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churches and their clubs, some former church members from different churches, some old

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college roommate that I roomed with that was there with his club, and so it was kind of

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neat.

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I even saw some of our own church members there.

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Are you back there?

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I don't know if you can see that or not, but a wife and one child I saw, the boy too, but

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I didn't get a picture of him.

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But what was unexpected was in this vast crowd of people as I was making my way through,

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walking around, I was there several hours, two or three different times just walking

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along, I heard Pastor Greg, and as I turned it was a former student from GCA, and now

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one of them is the director of the Brazilian Atlanta Pathfinder Group and another one is

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a staff member for another Pathfinder Group, and so I was not expecting to see these former

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students who I was able to teach about God, and Derek and Bridget back there were able

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to teach about God, some former GCA fellow staff members back there, but now they're

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passing that on and sharing and teaching other people about God, and that was unexpected,

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and I really appreciated that.

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Have you had any unexpected encounters?

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Maybe you heard this story from about ten days ago near Asheville, North Carolina.

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Now I've got some family that lives in Asheville and I know that Asheville's in the mountain

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and from time to time there are bears in the neighborhoods and close by and even walking

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down the center of the city, but about ten days ago there were some people and in their

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apartment building they looked out across the parking lot into the woods and they saw

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a baby bear, a bear cub, so normally if you see a bear cub I would encourage you take

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out your phone, take a picture of it because it's a pretty cool thing, but these folks

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didn't just take a picture of it, they went and they picked the bear cub off the branch

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across the fence and they gathered together and took pictures holding the bear cub and

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getting a selfie with the bear cub and at some point one of them got scratched or something

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and dropped the bear cub and the bear went scampering away and limping away and they

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had to end up taking it to an animal rescue place that they hope they'll be able to release

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it back into the wild.

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Don't do that.

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That's the inappropriate response to this type of unexpected encounter and I believe

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these folks will have an unexpected encounter with a fine in the near future for mishandling

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wildlife and I think they're very lucky they didn't have an unexpected encounter with a

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mama bear who was going to be there and say let my bear down, let my baby down.

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So we're going to dive into Acts chapter 8.

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It's been a few weeks since we've been able to be in Acts.

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We had our MindFit presentation.

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We remembered the cross and the resurrection of Jesus a few weeks before that and you may

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be saying, Pastor, why are we still in Acts?

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We've been doing this since January and yes we have.

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I'm glad you remember that we've been doing this since January, but the reason is because

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the book of Acts tells the story of the early church and they are striving to live out their

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life and to share their faith in the midst of a society which was totally against what

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they were trying to say and I think that as we're living in the last days that that's

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what we are as a church trying to live out our lives in a society which at times and

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in various ways is antagonistic to what we believe and what we hold dear and what we

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look to.

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And so we are going to dive into Acts chapter 8 and just a refresher since it's been a little

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while when we last left Acts we were studying the story of one of the deacons named Stephen

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and Stephen in Acts 6 and 7 was being murdered.

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We could say martyred but murdered, rocks thrown at him laying down his life because

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he was standing for truth just like we talked about in Sabbath school this morning and there

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was someone else there if you remember at the very end of Acts chapter 7 as Stephen

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is breathing up his last and he says, Father don't hold this sin against them echoing those

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words of Jesus.

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But then we see in Acts 8 verse 1 who was there?

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Saul.

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Now Saul it says was consenting to his death to Stephen's death.

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Saul was there with the coats laid at his feet maybe not throwing the rocks himself

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but he was there and agreeing with what was happening and that event of ending Stephen's

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life set off something in the society against the church and it goes on and says at that

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time a great persecution arose against the church which was at where?

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Jerusalem and they were all scattered throughout the region of where?

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Judea and Samaria except the apostles.

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So this was a time of persecution and Saul and others began to fight against the church,

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to war against the church, to arrest people, to do whatever needed to be done and look

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at verse 4.

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It says therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

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Now we could look at that first verse and we could see the persecution took place and

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we could say that was a tragic thing, that was an awful thing.

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But we can look at verse 4 and we can recognize that these early Christians did not run away

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simply to hide, simply to be afraid because when they went to a new place they let everybody

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know who they were.

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They went everywhere continuing to preach the word.

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It says they were scattered everywhere preaching the word.

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I think sometimes we can see from scripture and from more modern times that as bad as

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that thought or that idea of persecution is that sometimes there can be positive results

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that come from persecution.

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There's an old saying about the dark ages that says the blood of the martyrs watered

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the seed of the church because as people were dying for their faith other people saw them

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taking a stand and they said you know what I want to take that stand too.

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And persecution can also force a church to connect with each other better because they

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recognize that we don't have anybody else.

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It can force the members of a church to connect with God on a deeper level because they recognize

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we don't have there's nobody else we can turn to there's no other direction that we can

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turn and sometimes as in this case it can allow the gospel to be spread and in fact

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in this case it's actually fulfilling a prophecy or a command that Jesus made.

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We're not going to put it on the screen but in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 I'm sure you remember

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when we talked about that a few months ago it says you shall receive power so we're going

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to have power the followers of God are going to have power when the Holy Spirit has come

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upon you not going to be our own power but it's going to be the power of God and there's

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a purpose for this power it says you shall be witnesses to me so we're going to receive

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power from God for a purpose to be witnesses and then it gives some locations it says in

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Jerusalem well they've been doing that they've been doing that pretty well for you know the

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day of Pentecost Acts 1 2 3 4 5 6 and 7 they're tracking along but then it says Judea and

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Samaria they hadn't done that yet and it was only because of this persecution that it reminded

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or perhaps forced the Christians to leave Jerusalem and to begin to fulfill that statement

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that they would go from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and from there a stepping stone

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eventually to the ends of the earth and so that's what's happening in verse 4 it says

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those who were scattered went everywhere not to hide but to preach the word and then even

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though it's a multitude that go it names one of them it says then Philip went down to the

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city of Samaria and preached Christ to them now there's kind of two main people in the

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Bible named Philip one is one of the twelve disciples and one was one of the seven deacons

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who was chosen along with Stephen who do you think this is is this the disciple or the

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deacon I would say it's the deacon because what we just read in verse 1 it says they

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were all scattered except for the apostles and so this Philip which I think is Philip

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the deacon is one of those who is scattered and just like we saw Stephen standing up and

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proclaiming in the power of the Holy Spirit so Philip is now going to the city of Samaria

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and he's preaching in the name of Jesus and he's preaching the salvation of Christ and

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he's preaching about this man that he was following that he was serving that he was

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being persecuted for and he went to Samaria now think about that a land of animosity often

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the Jews and the Samaritans notoriously did not get along with each other and the Jews

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would avoid the people of Samaria at all costs they would like nope we're not going to go

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there we don't want to be with those people we don't want to see those people in fact

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two of the disciples James and John while Jesus was in his ministry they said let's

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call fire down from heaven upon these people of Samaria they disrespected us let's Jesus

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call fire down on these people and yet here now we see Philip going to this land of animosity

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not calling fire down but preaching Christ to them calling down the fire of the Holy

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Spirit you know so often I think we want to put up barriers in our society whether it's

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education levels whether it's economic levels or our racial divisions or ethnic backgrounds

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or political divisions have mercy whatever it is we want to put up a barrier between

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different groups of people but I think we see here that this reminds us that the message

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of the cross is stronger than the differences of the culture the message of Jesus is stronger

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than any kind of barrier that we want to put up between us and someone else and we can

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look for opportunities when we can share the gospel and share the message of Jesus with

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other people a few weeks ago my wife came home and she was talking to one of her friends

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and this other lady said that she had been at the doctor's office and she asked my wife

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she's like aren't you guys at Ringgold and Rossville yes well she said I think one of

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your members tried to give me a book she had been at the doctor's office there's a gentleman

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named Tony who's a member of the Rossville church he had tried to give her a great controversy

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and she said well thank you but I'm a pastor's wife so I already have that book but she was

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just impressed that someone was reaching out just this week at our prayer meeting Wednesday

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night at 630 just a little advertisement for that one of our church members who lives in

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Michigan Lenny and Jan still church members here maybe they're watching I don't know if

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they are not but they Lenny mentioned that his wife had gone to the doctor's office and

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had a steps to Christ to share with someone and someone in the doctor's office was so

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excited to get this book are we looking for opportunities when we can share Christ with

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people because the message of the cross is stronger than the differences of culture but

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let's go on and see what happened here verse 6 it says the multitudes with one accord he

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did the things spoken by Philip so he's teaching them he's preaching to them and seeing the

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miracles which he did and so he's also in the power of the spirit working different

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miracles different things are taking place and it says oops it says in verse 8 that there

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was great joy in that land so as Philip was preaching Christ as he was doing wonders in

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the name of Jesus people were listening people were excited and there was great joy in the

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land so Philip was preaching in the power of the spirit just as Stephen had done but

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I think that Philip was also reaping a harvest of seeds that had already been planted because

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if you go back to say John chapter 4 it tells the story of Jesus and it says that Jesus

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had to go to Samaria and we know that most Jews did not go to Samaria and would go a

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few extra miles to avoid that but Jesus had to go there because he had someone that he

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needed to meet and he met a lady a woman at the well we call her in Samaria and Jesus

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begun with perhaps the most profound statement the most profound question that he could ask

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this lady he said give me a drink he was thirsty just like the folks on the 18 mile hike 17

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mile hike he was thirsty and he asked this lady for a drink and as his disciples had

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gone in to get lunch to get food he begun a conversation with this lady who was not

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there at the well at the normal time to draw water and he went from that superficial request

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to much deeper spiritual conversation and he revealed himself for one of the very first

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times if not the very first time as the messiah to this lady and he said go and get your husband

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and she said well I'm not married and Jesus said you're right you're not married in fact

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you've had five husbands and the lady you're the man you're with now is not your husband

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and so she went into town and she told everybody and she said come and see a man who knows

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everything that I have done come and see this guy come and listen to him talk and if you

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read down through John chapter 4 sure enough the town of Samaria came out and they listened

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to Jesus and they believed and before that event that several-day event was over they

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told the lady first we believed because of what you said but now we've heard the words

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of Jesus and we believe because of what he said and now here we are several years later

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seeds were planted by Jesus himself in Samaria and here comes Philip preaching Christ to

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them you think you said hey remember that guy who came and spoke to you well guess what

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he did he laid down his life he he died on the cross and he wants to offer forgiveness

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to you and sure enough he was able to reap a harvest that Jesus had planted the seeds

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and that reminds me that before Philip even arrived the Holy Spirit was already at work

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that's right do you think God still works that way do you think God waits for us to

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do something before he's trying to impress someone's life I think that before we show

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up in a situation God is already active God isn't sitting back and saying come on folks

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I've got something for God is already working in someone's life and he's waiting for us

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to step into that situation he's waiting for us to connect with someone he's waiting for

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us to to meet a divine appointment because that's what Philip is doing here in Samaria

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and we see what his message was in verse 12 it says but when they believed Philip as he

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preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ both men

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and women were baptized so he's telling them about Jesus this guy who had been in their

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midst this God who had come down to earth this Savior who had left the glories of heaven

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to surrender himself to a cross so that everyone could have eternal life and it says both men

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and women were baptized the book Acts of the Apostles said there was a precious harvest

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from among those who had once been their bitterest enemies what an incredible success Philip

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was having but Philip Philip was not done here there's a whole other story there about

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a one of the people that got baptized named Simon who was really just following God because

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he wanted attention on himself he even tried to buy the Holy Spirit got severely reprimanded

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we're going to skip that story because we want to continue this story of Philip because

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Philip has an interesting thing that happens here in the midst of this great success as

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many many people are getting baptized Philip is then called to go somewhere else in verse

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26 it says now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying arise and go toward the south

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along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza and then it says this is desert now

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if we think of Gaza today we think of wars and bombs and bombed out buildings maybe you've

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seen on the news or whatnot but this was a different time and it clearly says this is

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desert so imagine Philip he is in this place of great success he's teaching about Jesus

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lots and lots of people are being baptized and then the angel comes to him and says you

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know what I want you to go on a wild goose chase I want you to go down this road you

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know that that hot dusty road that's the one I want you to go down and it's the desert

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and I want you to go in that direction and that's all I'm telling you I'm not giving

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you any coordinates I'm not giving you any logistics I just want you to go in that direction

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he was having immense success people were following Jesus people were being baptized

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and this is where he's supposed to go next notice what he did verse 27 it says so he

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arose and went I love that he is willing to leave somewhere where it seems like everything

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is going the way it should because it was but he was willing to follow the prompting

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of the Holy Spirit seemingly without question he'd left Jerusalem because of persecution

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he preached Jesus and now the angel is telling him to go in a different direction and it

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says he arose and went and what happened as he went it says behold a man of Ethiopia now

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I want to pause here because we can read verse 27 and so we can see what's going on we're

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able to kind of get a bird's eye view and see what's happening Philip did not have this

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verse Philip was living this Philip was walking down that dusty road so we're able to see

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what's about to happen Philip didn't know all this information yet it says behold a

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man of Ethiopia a eunuch of great authority under Candace or Candace the queen of the

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Ethiopians who had charge of all her treasury had come to Jerusalem to worship so we can

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learn some things about this gentleman he's a he's an important figure in the world of

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finance because he's a treasurer of a kingdom he's a he's a government official he's not

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royalty himself but he's he's close to royalty he hangs out with royalty and that that word

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Candace or Candace see that's probably not the Queen's name that's probably the title

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in that region like Pharaoh in Egypt and so he was a government guy he was a finance guy

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he was a world traveler because from Ethiopia to Jerusalem that's like a 500 mile journey

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so this is a well traveled intellectual important person and Philip doesn't know all this and

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it goes on and says he was returning from Jerusalem and he was sitting in his chariot

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and he was reading Isaiah the prophet so Philip comes up the dusty road the desert he sees

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a chariot he that's all he sees he knows it's probably a wealthy guy and then the spirit

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talks to him then the spirit said to Philip go near and overtake this chariot and so what

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does Philip do he responds what does he do Philip ran he didn't walk he didn't say you

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know I've gone 17 miles I don't have enough water I got to get there the spirit said go

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overtake this chariot he didn't wait he didn't delay he ran up next to this guy and it says

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he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and he said do you understand what you are reading

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and so he comes up next to this important looking chariot maybe there's a couple chariots

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maybe it's a caravan going together he sees this person he doesn't know he doesn't know

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this whole story he sees him he knows he's meeting someone in the place that God sent

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him and he hears him reading what's he reading the book of Isaiah and maybe things are starting

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to click ding ding ding maybe he realizes this is why God sent me here this is the divine

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appointment because I am here at the perfect time in the perfect location not by chance

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to happen across someone in the middle of nowhere who happens to be reading something

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that I could share something about now he knew why God had sent him and he says do

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you understand do you understand what I'm talking about and he said how can I how can

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I unless someone I got to find it here how can I unless someone guides me and he asked

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Philip to come up and sit with him do you understand what you're reading I don't I

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need someone to help me can you help me do you want to help me do you want to ride along

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in this chariot or do you want to keep walking this dusty road in the middle of the desert

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now he's reading from Isaiah does anybody know any more particular what part of Isaiah

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is he reading from he's reading from this book of Isaiah and he's reading from Isaiah

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chapter 53 and fifth Isaiah 53 is an incredible passage and your Bible probably mentions something

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about a suffering servant in that chapter because it's one of the portions of scripture

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that may be more than any other points to the promise of Jesus as the Savior as the

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Messiah and not just the Messiah but the one who was going to die for our sins it says

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he was wounded for our transgressions the verse right before where he's reading he was

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bruised for our iniquities by his wounds or by his stripes we are healed do you understand

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what you're reading how can I unless someone guides me and so Philip is able to jump into

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the chariot where this man is reading the most vivid Old Testament passage pointing

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not just to Jesus but pointing to salvation and not just salvation but salvation through

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the cross and I love this next verse verse 30 well I skipped verse verse 35 it says then

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Philip opened his mouth and beginning at this scripture preached Jesus to him he started

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where this man was he started right there in Isaiah 53 he met this traveling important

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wealthy person from an entirely different culture he met them right where he was and

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he started to answer the questions and he preached Jesus to them and I wonder do we

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ever try to answer questions that people aren't asking do we ever meet someone and they're

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over here and we're trying to tell them about something way over here we ever try to change

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how somebody eats or dresses or thinks or whatever when they don't care about that right

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now they are just desperately in need of someone that they know that cares about them and loves

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them and died for their sins and gives them the power to overcome the things in their

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life and sometimes we expect them to have already overcome before they've met the overcomer

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before they've met Jesus we need to meet people where they are like Philip and preach Jesus

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to them because we can't change people but Jesus can and that's what Philip did beginning

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at this scripture he preached Christ he met him where he was and he took him to Jesus

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now I've been making some points as we go along but I just want to pause here and make

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sure we're connecting with them that's right so the first lesson be willing to listen to

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the prompting of the Holy Spirit are we listening when the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do

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something are we willing to talk or to share with someone new that's the second thing if

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the Holy Spirit is prompting us to talk to somebody are we willing to do that several

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years ago my in-laws they like to go to a Wisconsin camp meeting they grew up in Wisconsin

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and that's a really big camp meeting where people come and camp for 10 days and whatnot

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and they always say you know you need to come to camp meeting for vacation and as a pastor

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I don't when camp meeting vacation you know don't really tie along there because pastors

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usually work during camp meeting but a few years ago we went to camp meeting in Wisconsin

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and my wife had gone up a few days earlier with her parents and then me and my kids were

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driving up a few days later and I said we're gonna stop and see some sights so we went

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to Mammoth Cave we went to Chicago and so we were gonna spend a day in Chicago so we

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parked outside of the city we got on a train we rode into Chicago we saw the science museum

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we ate some Chicago style pizza and all those good touristy things and we were riding the

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train back to where the car was and I wish my daughter could tell this story because

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she tells it best but as we were on this elevated train someone stands up in the car the train

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car and he says I'm sorry for what I'm about to do and my daughter says I thought this

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guy was gonna take out a gun and start shooting us but he did not do that he said I'm sorry

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for what I'm about to do and he said I need some money for a bus ticket and could anybody

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spare a little money I need a bus ticket to Rockford Illinois to see some family and then

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he sat back down I think he circled the car and then he sat back down and in my head I'm

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thinking this is a good teaching moment here I got my kids here I can show them how we

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can help those that are less fortunate and so I discreetly went to find where my wallet

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was you know tucked away so nobody could take it you know in the big city or whatever so

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I pulled out my wallet I opened it all I had was a 20 I wasn't sure that this was that

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much of a teaching moment a few bucks five bucks but a 20 so I put my wallet back in

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my pocket a little bit later the guy stands up again he says I just want you to let you

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know I've got two exits so I have to get off if anybody has anything to spare and so I

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just okay I pulled out the 20 I walked over to him he's gonna get something you know that

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he shouldn't get but I said here do something good with this and I went back and sat down

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it was less than 30 seconds later when this guy's right leaning over me and he's got my

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20 and he says do you know you gave me a 20 he says I only needed $16 for the bus ticket

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can I give you some change I've got I've got a little bit of change that I could I could

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give you something back I was shocked I was touched there was a learning experience I

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don't know about for my children but it was a learning experience for me but I shouldn't

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judge someone and I said no just keep it do something good with it see your family or

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whatever do we listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit are we willing to talk and

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share with someone else then the third lesson we need to start where someone is we need

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to meet them where they are at and finally and most importantly we need to point them

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to Jesus the one who has the power to change their life that's what Philip did it had worked

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in Samaria and here in this random divine appointment as he has an unexpected encounter

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he responds in an appropriate way and notice what happens in verse 36 it says verse 36

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it says now they went down the road and there came they came to some water and the eunuch

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said see look here is water what hinders me from being baptized is there anything that

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stops me from being baptized and Philip said if you believe with all your heart you may

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and he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God if you believe with

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all your heart so the question for today is are you letting anything hinder you from coming

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to Jesus whether it's hindering you from being baptized from joining a church or simply from

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living out the truth that God has shown you in your life are you letting anything hinder

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you from walking fully with Jesus and it says they went down verse 38 he commanded the chariots

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to stand still and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him

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and I wonder where are you in this story which one of these characters today do you perhaps

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resonate with the most maybe you're feeling Philip today because I think we all need to

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listen a little closer to the Holy Spirit and we need to be on the lookout for for those

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divine appointments we need to expect something unexpected and be willing and ready to share

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and talk and point someone to Jesus or maybe today you're more like the man from Ethiopia

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maybe today is your divine appointment and now you're you're hearing the story of Jesus

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or you're being reminded of all his loving grace and maybe it's time for you to to stop

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making those excuses time to stand so that everyone can know what you believe and which

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side you are on time to declare with your words and your actions that I believe Jesus

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Christ is the Son of God and nothing can stop me if that's you man I just take out one of

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those cards in front of you and write down I want to join I want to be baptized I want

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to do Bible studies whatever it might be I want to close with a story my very first church

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district two churches the smaller of the churches there was a lady that was one of the pillar

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of the church she was always there always cooked lots of food for potluck an amazing

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cook her husband was always there with her Carl but Carl made it very clear from the

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first time I met him that he was not a member of the church and he had no intention of being

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a member of the church but he was there almost every week he was there to do maintenance

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on the church he was there to set up chairs for potluck or whatever needed to be now Carl

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was a very elderly gentleman in southern Arkansas so very very southern accent just just an

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old I would call him an old codger in the nicest the nicest way you can say that and

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so I visited with him shared with him always greeted him at church just appreciated him

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and there was one day before church that he's like pastor I'm not going to do the accent

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so pastor I need to talk with you so we stepped over to the side and I said what do you need

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Carl and he said pastor God's been bugging me and I said okay Carl what's God been bugging

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you about he said pastor God wants me to join this church and I said you know what Carl

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we can do that we can make that happen he'd been baptized before so we were able to surprise

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his family and he was able to stand up and say I am joining this Magnolia Seventh-day

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Adventist Church and I want everybody to know it I'm not going to let anybody hinder me

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from standing for Jesus anymore where are you at today are you Philip are you needing

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to hear the Holy Spirit guide you to a divine appointment this week are you this Ethiopian

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official who needs to take a stand needs to take commitment and not let anything hinder

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you let's bow our heads for prayer dear God thank you for these stories thank you for

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the story of the Spirit guiding thank you for the story of Jesus who can convert a heart

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and change a life and Lord I want to pray for each one here that no matter where we

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are on this scale that you're going to help us to take the next step with you Lord send

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people into our path this week that we can talk to because we know you're already working

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there Lord convict our hearts to stand up for you and let nothing hinder us in your

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name we pray amen.