Surrounded by the Hurting
Fast food restaurant Chik Fil A produced this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v0RhvZ3lvY as part of their training for their employees. It’s theme is simple: “Every life has a story.” Not all of those stories are filled with happiness. Some are filled with hurt.
In a way that was the theme of last Sunday’s message from Acts 5. We witnessed how the early church realized a truth illustrated in this video: We are surrounded by hurting people in need of healing. In Acts 5 we saw a church that recognized this. They made a warm and welcoming place for the hurting. And people thus flocked to the church.
We want Highland to be such as place. We want to realize that when we walk through The Commons, come into a worship area, come into a Sunday School classroom, or walk down a hallway or through a parking lot, we are surrounded by people who have stories, guests who have stories, and not all of those stories are bright and sunny.
And we want to realize this when we leave this place. When we go to our favorite coffee shop, cafe, or diner. When we go to work, to school or to our neighborhood, many of the people we see have stories that have plots characterized as hurting. We are surrounded by hurting people in need of healing. And we want to be a warm and welcoming place for those people.
How Do We Know?
But the question is “What do we do with all that hurt?” On a typical Sunday morning at Highland, you’re surrounded by more than 900 people, many of whom have stories, many of whom are hurting. That’s overwhelming. When you leave here and go to your neighborhood, workplace or school, you’re often inundated with people who have stories of hurting. And the question is raised: How do we know which hurting person we should try to heal?
Our text sheds some light on this question. Our text shows that there is a God who knows all of these stories of all the people around us and this God may be actively involved in sending us to specific people–if we will listen for his guidance.
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[d] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:26-40 ESV)
The Angel and The Spirit
A person from Ethiopia has gone to Jerusalem for worship. He’s started his return trip home. Philip’s been preaching in a town called Samaria. And, all of a sudden, we’re told that an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. We don’t know if this was just audible. We don’t know if this was also a vision. We don’t know if this was like when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her that she’d be giving birth to Jesus. It just happens. And it happens matter-of-factly. Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, doesn’t even draw our attention to this. It’s like this kind of thing happens all the time: “Oh, by the way, an angel of the Lord said to Philip.”
And the angel told Philip to head to the road that led out of Jerusalem–the road which this Ethiopian was driving down on his way back home. Philip didn’t know that. He wasn’t given details about what and why. Just where. Still, Philip went. Notice vs. 27. Let’s read that out loud:
“And he rose and went.” (Acts 8:27 ESV)
Just like that. Philip received supernatural guidance about where to go, and he rose and went. No hesitation. No reservation. No, “But…” No, “Just a minute…” An angel spoke. And he rose and went.
Once Philip got there, he received even more supernatural guidance. This time it came from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit said, “Go over and join that chariot.” This was the chariot which the Ethiopian was riding in. Once again, this is reported by Luke matter-of-factly: “Oh, yes, by the way, the Spirit spoke to Philip.” As if this kind of thing happened all the time.
And, in fact, it did. This kind of thing happened all the time. Throughout the experience of the early church, the Holy Spirit regularly spoke to Christians and to the church. Notice these examples:
| The Holy Spirit Speaks |
| 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” (Acts 10:19 ESV) |
| 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). (Acts 11:27-28 ESV) |
| 13 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:1-2 ESV) |
| 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: (Acts 15:27-28 ESV) |
| 6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. (Acts 16:6-7 ESV) |
| 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. (Acts 20:22-23 ESV) |
Again and again, the Spirit speaks to Christians and to churches in the book of Acts. He does so here to Philip.
And, notice Philip’s reaction in vs. 30. Let’s read that out loud:
“So Philip ran…” (Acts 8:30 ESV)
The angel told Philip to go to a certain place. And Philip rose and went. The Spirit told Philip to go to a certain chariot. And Philip ran. He didn’t walk. He ran. Apparently that was the only way he could catch up to the Ethiopian.
Consider that! You may find yourself in a situation where it’s clear God wants you to talk to a certain person and the only way to fulfill that prompting is to run!
Notice what happens next. It’s not like Philip comes up to the Ethiopian and says something like, “Excuse me, but an angel of the Lord and the Spirit of God prompted me to come to you.” It wasn’t that way at all. Philip knew he had a divine appointment with this person. But he didn’t hyper-spiritualize it.
Notice what he did. He was present enough to notice what was going on. He observed. And then he just asked a question about what he noticed. That’s it.
Notice what the Ethiopian did then: He invited Philip to come up and sit with him. He invited Philip closer. When we are unassuming and humble and personable with those to whom God sends us to, they may invite us into their space. We don’t have to force our way into their space.
The Spirit’s Guidance Today
There are many important lessons to gain from this encounter. But what I want to draw our attention to is this: God’s Spirit may guide us directly to specific people for divine encounters.
Can you believe in a God who still says things like “Go to the Commons” and “Go to the parking lot” and “Go over and join that woman in that row over there” and “Go over and join that man in that hallway over there” and “Go over and join that student on that sidewalk over there”? Can you believe in a God who is still speaking directly to us by his Spirit to guide us to specific people?
“Well, I don’t hear him speaking,” you may say. The problem may not be that God isn’t speaking. The problem may be that we just aren’t listening. What if God’s Spirit has never stopped speaking, never stopped giving these kinds of specific forms of guidance–but we’ve stopped listening. What if we’ve stopped developing an ear for the voice of the Spirit?
It is possible to get that back. It’s possible to learn to be sensitive to what some call “the nudge” of the Spirit. I’d like you to hear the testimony of Brent Ragin, Highland member. He’s one who strives to be sensitive to these promptings: https://vimeo.com/252779946
The Spirit is still speaking, still guiding. And one of the greatest ways to show we love God is to hear his Spirit and to obey. Even when we’ve got to run to do so!
Two weeks ago Eric pointed us to a simple habit that would help lean in this direction. It was called Pray as You Park. Each Sunday, as you arrive on campus and park, pray. Before you get out of your vehicle, pray. Pray for God’s Spirit to lead you to the people you are uniquely called to help and heal that day. Pray for ears to hear the guidance of the Spirit. Pray for courage to go to those the Spirit sends you to.
