Acts 8
This summer the preaching series will focus on preparing ourselves to answer the questions skeptics pose to us. One of the most common objections we face is put this way, "What about the heathen in Africa, who has never heard about Jesus, how is it fair that God would judge them?
This issue is dealt with in an incredible narrative in Acts 8. We pick up the story during a great revival that breaks out in a Samaritan city. This revival has miracles, shrieking spirits, healing and it ends with the whole city filled with great joy. If you are playing the numbers game this is the place to be, cities, possible regions are going to be impacted.
But an angel breaks up the party and says to Philip to head south on a desert road. One would have to question the plan of God with this decision. But God has made a promise and he will always fulfill that promise. In Psalm 19 it tells us that the created world makes it plain to everyone that there is a master designer. The existence of stars, the beauty of the seasons, the intricate design in a zucchini plant all point to a master watchmaker. God has also placed in our hearts a moral compass which continually passes judgment upon the rightness or wrongness of our deeds, words and thoughts. Finally God has given us his "Word" by which we can know the heart of God.
Through both general and specific revelation every person on this planet must make a decision. Do they want to respond to this light by receiving more light or will they reject the light and ignore master watchmaker.
In Acts 8 we see exactly what God will do when one person wants to have more light. He removes Philip from the revival and sends him to meet with one guy in the desert who is searching for the truth. That is the commitment of God. By the way, did you see the passage the Ethiopian eunuch was reading? He is reading Isaiah 53 which is an incredible chapter pointing to Jesus 750 years before his birth.
Jesus told us about the heart of God in John 3:17 "For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." God will do anything necessary to give the truth to those who seek to know him.
I know this is true because of our 2010 trip to Africa. On Tuesday afternoon a guy walked up to one of my team members, Erik, and said he needed to speak to him. This young man said he was troubled by terrible nightmares and dreams because of his connection to a witchcraft shrine. But during the exact time we were traveling over to Africa God spoke to him in a dream. God said that in 3 days a white guy was coming to his town and he needed to speak to him and listen to what he said. This young man listened to Erik as he explained the gospel message and he believed the good news about Jesus. If a person in Africa, India or Stamford says, they want to know more about God, God will send them light, that is the heart of God, and that is the promise of God.
Finally, we need to switch this question because Africa is more Christian than the USA today. The new question is this, "How can God send a heathen in Stamford to eternal condemnation who has never heard about him?" This new question defines our mission; we must share the WORD with the people around us in this dark place called Stamford. Will you join me in the mission?
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