so i've recently given a talk in Chi uni CU on acts ch 8 vs 30 "do you understand what you are reading?" I luv ed it no end and hope they'll invite me back to do it again, i thought i'd share some of the pionts here (obviously the passage was used in context)
- God, we see him in controll of the events guiding the course of the story, The eunuch is teraveling down the road and God sends philip to Him
- Philip, not the apostle Philip, he is just some guy doing the Lords work and obeying God
- The eunuch, probably a proselyte, thats a gentile who wants to be a jew. Just come back fro juersalem, intresting that in the OT system he would be barred from the temple under pain of death for bieng a eunuch and a gentile. Yet here we see God chooseing to bring the message to him
What can we learn, well this seems to be a good case of 1-2-1 evangelisum.
- Philip takes the Gospel to the Eunuch, When Jesus acsended he told us "go out into the whole world..." so first piont we should GO TO others with the gospel and not expect them to come to us
- Philip get to the Eunuchs need, the Eunuch is struggling to understand the scriptures. When we evangelise we should be looking to put the gospel into peoples lives in a relevent way. looking to thier needs and issues and showing what the gospel says on it. Choose your "slant" carefully, look for thier need, BUT remeber each persons greatest need whatever situation is JESUS amd the CROSS !!!
- Use the bible, Philip uses the scripture to explaint he good news about Jesus to the Eunuch, (issiah 53 check it out!) likewise if we acept the bible is God breathed then it should do the talking for us. However we may need to explain, clarify be there to answer questions on it. Using the bible also shows a source, if people sit there discussing what God is like what makes you any differnt unless you show them from the bible???
- Evangelisum is relational and personal, we deal in people not projects. You dont like being treated like a project so why should others. When evangelising, shar eyourself and share the bible, they are your friends and treat them as such.
- Who can people understand? the euncuhs problem was that he could not understand unless someone told him the scriptures, Romans 10 deals with this "how can they belive unless someone preaches to them". People need to hear the Gospel, we are he beacuse God wants us here therefore we should seek to make the most of oppertunites.
- "preach always use words if nescarry" is a more popular apraoch today this was st francis of assi, mind you he also advocated evanglising to animals. We need to use the bible yet we need to help people understand it. Therefore other things can be used in conjunction. Drama, film, music,art, dance, etc all good TOOLS to back up a gospel message, Advice if you see something that works USE IT! check if there is a copy write if not get a copy or duplicate it. use wisely to illistrate the Gospel
well thats kinda a basic outline of the talk, based on a relay talk, out of the slatshaker and The gospel and social action. The main aim was to challange who peaople apraoch personal evangelisum and consider a back-to-bible aproach on a personal relational level with thier friends.
posted by Jonny:) @ 3:41 PM
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