Sharing the GOOD NEWS!!

Think of some good news that you are just dying to share with someone. It comes to my mind, quickly: when our son was born in Atlanta. Part of the joy was being able to call someone and tell them that we have a son, we have a child who was born. I remember talking to my mother. She already had two granddaughters but she didn’t have a grandson, so it was a great joy to share with her. And I remember some of those people who had been pestering me for months to call them when the child came. A lot of them weren’t home when I called, and I just thought, what in the world? You know, they weren’t standing by the phone just waiting for my call, so I just went on and took a nap and they had to find out later.

Good news is for sharing, and the greatest news of all time is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come into the world to live among us, to love us, to die upon the cross, and He has risen from the dead. And it is some good news that when He comes into our lives, He changes us. In the Book of Acts you come to Chapter 8. Persecution has come about; Stephen has died for his faith, and so they begin to spread out. Philip goes to Samaria and then he goes on, as led by the Sprit, the road to Gaza. In Verse 26 it says:

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:

"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.

Who can speak of his descendants?

For his life was taken from the earth."

34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

They call it the Domino Effect, or a chain reaction of what happens when you have a part of introducing someone to Jesus Christ. Not only is that life changed, but other lives will be changed as well. Andy Lambert and Lowell McDan, in their book, Fuel for the Fire, talk about an older lady with a husband who died many years ago, who took an interest in her neighbor. Her neighbor was a nine-year old girl — a shy, timid, a bit of an insecure girl — who had not the best of home situations, so she invited this little girl to go to church, and the little girl looked forward to going to church with her neighbor each Sunday. Finally she discovered the love of the Heavenly Father and became a Christian. But it didn’t stop there. She went home and shared about the Lord that she had found and her mother, soon after that, became a Christian. She had two brothers, and it wasn’t too long after that, both those brothers became Christians. It took a little bit longer for the father. The father was an alcoholic, a rage-oholic. I mean he was just not a fun person to be with. But after nine years, living with a Christian daughter and Christian sons and a Christian wife, he came to Christ. His life was changed. Other lives were changed; those two brothers became, one a pastor, the other an evangelist. Certainly the mother became very interested in the things of God, as well as the daughter, but that father was more than a nominal Christian, content just to get into Heaven: He was a bold witness for Christ. Why? Because he knew that he had lived in darkness and now he was living in light and he wanted others to know how Christ had changed him.

But oftentimes today we are frustrated because we feel like we are afraid or timid we don’t know what other people will think. But that’s why the Holy Spirit helps us. He gives us guidance in sharing our faith.

I want to share with you the difference it makes when the Holy Spirit guides us in sharing our faith, in living this faith that can change lives that Philip discovered that day.

First of all, the Holy Spirit, when He guides us in sharing our faith, tells us who He especially has in mind. For Philip it was an Ethiopian. He didn’t know exactly who he was going to. First of all, He told him where to do: Go to Gaza; and he obeyed Him. He didn’t quite understand why, when he was staying in Samaria, he was to go to Gaza but he was already used to obeying God so he went to Gaza. And then here is this great caravan going about and He tells him to go up to this chariot. He is trusting the Spirit’s prompting. And he sees this as a man, in a very important caravan. He is the Secretary of the Treasury of Queen Candace of Ethiopia. He just happens to be reading a scroll from Isaiah, chapter 53, the greatest Messianic prophesy of the Messiah. God knows what He is doing. He knows Who; He knows the preparation of their heart; He know who He wants for us to influence for Christ.

What is your sphere of influence? Who is that God is wanting to use you to influence for Christ? The Apostle Paul said it this way: “We are ambassadors for Christ.” God making His appeal through us. He tells us who, but He also gives us wisdom. A verse in Proverbs says:

“ . . .he who wins souls is wise.”

He went up to the chariot and when he heard the man reading Isaiah out loud:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearers is silent . . .

"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?"

So, he invites this Greek, gentile evangelist, to come into his chariot. I would be like our limousine today; this is a very important man.

And there he is. “Now who is this man talking about? Himself, or someone else?”

Well, Philip just happened to know who Isaiah 53 was pointing to: Jesus, the Messiah.

And it says in verse 35: Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Jesus is good news. John said it this way:

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whomsoever believes is Him shall have not perish, but have everlasting life.

I think of years ago when a young man named Steve took an interest in me. He had been a star basketball player in Charlotte, a couple of years older than me, lived in my neighborhood. He had gone off to college, the same one I was going to, Chapel Hill. But he had gotten to where he took his faith seriously, and I wasn’t taking my faith so seriously. Somehow, his car had broken down and he needed a ride to work that summer. He was working across the parking lot from my father’s business where I was working. He needed a ride and so, that was fine; I was glad to give him a ride to work. But then as he began to talk about the things of God, which he was prone to do, he asked me if I was reading the Bible. I told him, “Well, not like I should.” He said, “Well, how would you like to read the gospel of John together? You know, we just read a chapter at night and then we talk about it on the way to work.” Well, I didn’t want to do that. I was embarrassed to tell him that I didn’t want to do that, so I read a chapter of the Gospel of John each night. Sometimes I’d think: Oh, no. I’m going to have to face him tomorrow. So, I’d read it and we would talk about it. I remember the caring, non-judgmental way he went about it though. He was very wise. He didn’t come on strong but you could tell he was taking an interest in me. He could tell, and I could tell he could tell, that I had drifted, but I could tell that God had put me on his heart for a reason. And I am glad that He did. He gives us wisdom in sharing the good news of Christ.

And as they traveled he preached Jesus to them and also the Holy Spirit, when He guides us, He will do His work. For the Holy Spirit is the one who converts, not us. We simply share the Christian faith. The eunuch in this case was ready. He says as they traveled along:

"Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

He believed that Jesus was the son of God and his life was changed. The Holy Spirit is the one who converts.

Billy Graham tells the story of when he was on the elevator one time at one of his conventions. At a crowded elevator a man got on, very obviously drunk, very obnoxious, loud, and as happens oftentimes, he recognized Billy.

He said, “Billy Graham! You converted me in Minneapolis years ago.”

And as Billy got off the elevator he said, “Well, it’s obvious that I converted you because the Lord had nothing to do with it.”

And they got off. We don’t convert anyone; God does it. That’s why we can rest and believe as Wesley said, “There is prevenient grace.” God is at work long before we ever share anything. There is justifying grace. There is that time, that key time that happened for this eunuch, that we are justified by faith when someone invites Christ into his heart. There is sanctifying grace, that God is not content with just a convert; He wants a Disciple. He is not content with just a soul; He wants a soul-winner.

Why do we do it? Well, we certainly are motivated people who spend eternity in Heaven, not Hell. But why do we do it? Our primary motivation is the love of God. This is beautifully portrayed in His glorious appearing. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have written probably the best selling book series ever, the Left-behind series. The last one, His Glorious Appearing, I highly recommend, because, what they do is — I’m sure it’s Tim Lahaye’s Biblical theology and Jerry Jenkins's gift of fiction writing — but they certainly portray the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords coming back in power and majesty. But especially what I loved was their portrayal that Jesus called everyone by name. And they can’t fathom it. How does He do it? All these people, but everyone hears Him by their own name. Everyone hears Him in their own language. They even hear them in their own Texas dialect. What is it? It’s because He is the Lord. But what took them all by surprise, I suppose, was the incredible love that they were experiencing. (tape change)

. . .What’s He doing, where did they find Him? Out in the woods, on His knees, praying. God uses all types when He wants to use you to share the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.

Lord, Thank You for the Good News that we have. Forgive us for our reluctance to share the hope that is within us; the hope that has changed us; the hope that changes our families; the hope that we believe that gives us an assurance of spending Eternity with You. Lord, empower us once again by the Holy Spirit. Guide us in ways that You want to use our gifts, our talents and our opportunities for You. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

First United Methodist Church

Lenoir, North Carolina

© First UMC Lenoir