Philip – A Model For Ministry

Acts 8:26-35 - 26 And the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south, on the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is a deserted place. 27 And he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot he read Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go near and join yourself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran there to him and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you indeed understand what you are reading? 31 And he said, How can I unless some man should guide me? And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 And the content of the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His judgment was taken away, and who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth." 34 And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I beg you, of whom does the prophet speak this? Of himself or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached the gospel of Jesus to him.

Our model for ministry is Philip, he has been called the Billy Graham of the first century. The principles we find in his life relate to every Christian.

I. SENSITIVE TO GOD’S CALL (V.26)

Out of the blue, God tells Philip to travel to the desert. No reason is given and no arrangements were made for someone to take his place. But there’s a command from God to follow.

Philip knew that to serve God better is to be sensitive to God’s call and follow him completely.

II. AVAILABILITY TO SERVE GOD (V.27)

Sensitivity has a Siamese twins-AVAILABILITY!

Availability is not just good in hearing God’s call but a willingness to follow it when it comes.

Who would have thought it? Out there in the middle of nowhere was a political leader, riding his chariot, and reading the word of God? No one, but God could have known how receptive this mans was.

Philip didn’t know that the Ethopian was the reason for his unexpected journey. He simply was available to the Lord, who is in his sovereign plan caused the path’s cross.

III. INITIATIVE TO BE OF SERVICE (V.30)

Still obedient, Philip follows the Holy Spirit’s direction.

Read verses 29-30

Philip didn’t wait for the man to learn out of his chariot, he took an initiative—carefully. He wasn’t out to impress or convince. He came graciously, with only one simple question: “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Then on Philip’s simple question, he gets a straight-forward answers that bring them to a good result. He wanted for an invitation to come and share what he knew about Scriptures.

Let us not wait the person to decide to attend our church and our Bible study. Lets simply invite them!

IX. EXPOUNDED THE WORD (V.35)

Philip started at the same scripture and preached to him Jesus.

Guard Your Mind

1 Peter 1:13
Therefore girding up the loins of your mind, being sober, perfectly hope for the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (NKJV)

1 Peter 1:13
So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (GNB)

1 Peter 1:13
So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. (Message)

Gird up the loins

• What does it mean to gird up the loins of your mind? Did you even know your mind had loins and you needed to gird them.
  
• In New Testament times they wore long robes.
• For work they pulled up the hem of their robe and tucked it in their belt.
• They were getting ready for action.
• Look at these verses for an example: 1 Kings 18:46 & Luke 12:35
• What should our minds be actively doing?
• How do we prepare and protect our minds?
• We must begin by protecting what enters our mind.
• This is like protecting your computer.
  

Install A Firewall

• To keep our computer safe we try to strengthen its defenses.
• A firewall isolates our computer from outside influences.
• It allows safe data to enter and blocks unsafe data.
• Proverbs 4”23-27 – Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. Don’t use your mouth to tell lies; don’t ever say things that are not true. Keep yours eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good. Be careful what you do, and always do what is right. Don’t turn off the road of goodness; keep away from evil paths.
• The greatest battlefield in life is in the mind.
• We are constantly at war for its control.
• We must guard what we let in our minds and what we allow to influence us.
• There is a computer term for this – GIGO
• Garbage In Garbage Out
• The quality of the output is directly determined by the quality of the input.
• Mark 7:20 - 23 And He said, That which comes out of the man is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
• All these evil things pass out from inside and defile the man.
• Do not allow ungodly thinking.
• We must keep our minds clear, uncluttered, pure and right.
• Being filled with the Holy Spirit, it is possible to keep the garbage out of our minds.
  

Install Antivirus Software

• There are circumstances, impulses and desires that constantly threaten our thinking.
• This is similar to how a computers processing, its thinking, is threatened.
• We must guard against a virus.
• A virus is a small piece of software that hides inside a real program.
• Once inside the computer it can wreck havoc.
• To control the threat by a virus we must install antivirus software and keep it updated.
• It is the same with our minds.
• We have to guard our minds so that wrong thinking is stopped before it can begin.
• Christians must be careful what they watch, listen to and read. Even in Christian media there are viruses creeping into the church covered by the truth of scripture.
• Remember Satan tripped up Eve by hiding a virus in her mind by misquoting what God had said. He also tried to tempt Jesus by misquoting scripture.
  
• Be sure the Holy Spirit is activated in your life.
• 2 Timothy 1:13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.
• Paul did not have a computer but he understood our minds are under attack.
• The word guard means to protect.
• We must protect our minds with the help of the Holy Spirit.
• Update your software daily by reading the word.
• 2 Corinthians 4:16 For this cause we do not faint; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
• Protecting and directing our minds during our daily spiritual update brings great blessings.
• Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
  

Guard Against Spyware

• Spyware is a program that tracks what you do on your computer and sends the information to a third party.
• These third parties will then send you advertisements according to the way you use the internet.
• Spyware is a program that tracks what you do on your computer and sends the information to a third party.
• These third parties will then send you advertisements according to the way you use the internet.
• This is a lot like the way demons try to track what we are doing.
• They watch us and try to influence us in our weak areas.
• 1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
• Satan tracks our movements and waits for an opportunity to attack when we let down our guard.
• While living in Kenya, East Africa we were able to observe the hunting methods of lions. They would wait in hiding for hours until an animal dropped its guard then they would pounce. Satan is very patient and will wait until we get complacent then he attacks us in our weak area.
  
• Protect your mind from Satan’s spyware.
• Eph 4:14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
• Ephesians 4:15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.
• 2 Corinthians 10:4 - 5 We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
• With God’s help we can take control to root out wrong thinking before it begins.
• 1 John 4:4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
  

Reject the Dangerous

• Do not download unknown software.
• Acst 17:11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. (NLT)
• We must have the resolve to refuse wrong reasoning. It is our responsibility to make sure everything we accept from preaching and teaching is the truth from God's word. This can only be accomplished as we study the word on a daily basis.
  
• 2 John 1:8 Be on your guard, then, so that you will not lose what we have worked for, but will receive your reward in full. (GNB)
• Be always on guard to recognize sinful influences and defend our minds from their attacks.
• How concerned are you about protecting your mind?
• Do you stop to consider your daily diet of radio and television?
• What about newspapers or your favorite magazines?
  

Be An Effective Guard

• We are under attack daily by the philosophies of the day.
• The movies we watch and the music we listen to influence our thinking.
• Even the people we associate with influence the way we think.
• We secure our lives by keeping our eyes open, being vigilant and resisting wrong.
• Remember the most powerful weapon you have is the “Sword of the Spirit” which is the Word of God!
• As we stay close to God we will be secure.
• Psalms 121:7-8 The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
  

NOTE: This message was adopted from a message by Steve Myers called, “Guard the Door to Your Mind”

Discipline In the Forming of Character

Taken from: The Leadership Letter

Dr. Malcolm Webber

www.leadershipletters.com and www.healthyleaders.org

Number 45: July 22, 2002

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The Role of Discipline in the Forming of Character

In the forming of character in the life of a leader, discipline is an essential element. In fact, discipline lies at the heart of character.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor. 9:24-27)

Without the essential quality of discipline, all other leadership virtues remain as dwarfs: they cannot grow. J. Oswald Sanders wrote (Spiritual Leadership, p. 52): Before we can conquer the world, we must first conquer the self. A leader is a person who has learned to obey a discipline imposed from without, and has then taken on a more rigorous discipline from within. Those who rebel against authority, and scorn self-discipline – who shirk the rigors and turn from the sacrifices – do not qualify to lead. Many who drop out of ministry are sufficiently gifted, but have large areas of life floating free from the Holy Spirit’s control. Lazy and disorganized people never rise to true leadership.

Thus, the progression of discipline in the life of a leader is as follows: First, he submits to discipline from without. By doing so, he develops discipline from within. When that is mature, he is then permitted by God to give discipline to others. He has become a leader.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, (1 Tim. 1:1)

Paul’s choice of the word “command” is significant. In this letter he commands Timothy to command the church and the false teachers to do certain things. Thus, he who gives commands is himself under command. Paul was not only under God’s command; he was also accountable to the church at Antioch (Acts 13:3; 14:26-28; 15:2-3, 35-40; 18:22-23) as well as to the leaders in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:2).

These three stages in the development of character are:

1. The emerging leader submits to discipline from without.

2. He establishes discipline within.

3. He is permitted to establish discipline for others.

This is the order of character development: one submits to discipline first. Then, in that context, internal discipline is built. Once internal discipline is in place, God permits him – and man trusts him – to lead others. This order cannot be reversed. Internal discipline must be in place in the leader before he can effectively lead others, and his own external discipline must be in place before he can build true inward discipline. Thus, if one does not truly submit himself to another, he should never be trusted with true leadership responsibility.

Furthermore, please notice that these three stages are cumulative. They are not sequential in the sense of giving up one when moving to the next. They do not replace each other. The healthy leader maintains both his submission to others and his internal self-discipline while he leads others.

Here is another way of presenting these three stages using slightly different terms:

1. The emerging leader submits to leadership.

2. He establishes self-leadership.

3. He expresses leadership.

Naturally, this process takes time. Be patient.

Where Are You Looking

by Steve Mills

Isaiah 6:1-9 - In the year that King Uzziah died I then saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. 6:2 Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 6:3 And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory. 6:4 And the doorposts moved at the voice of the one who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 6:5 Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts. 6:6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, snatched with tongs from the altar. 6:7 And he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged. 6:8 And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me! 6:9 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know.

With the state of today’s economy and the trying situations around the world people find themselves wondering where to look for help. Many are looking to the new president and his administration to pull us out of hard times. Others are looking to the new age religion being endorsed by popular TV hosts. While still others are lost not knowing where to look. We can get encouragement by the call of Isaiah and where he looked.

Look Toward Heaven – The Upward Look (v 1-4)

We can see from this scripture the first place Isaiah looked was toward heaven. When Isaiah turned his look toward heaven he saw the Lord. Until a person sees God for who He really is they will never be able to see themselves for who they really are. Isaiah was given a glimpse of heaven and he saw the Lord on his throne in all his splendor. This vision allowed Isaiah to see the contrast between the holiness and perfection of God and the ungodliness and sinfulness of man. God is perfectly perfect and is separated from man because of man’s sinful nature. God is the standard by which all moral and spiritual character is measured. By seeing the separateness of God Isaiah was confronted with his own sinfulness and the sinfulness of humanity. When a person truly sees the Lord everything changes.

Look at Yourself – The Inward Look (v 5-7)

Once Isaiah had the Upward look toward heaven he was forced to take the inward look at himself. What he saw inside himself was not very pleasant to look upon. Look at what different translation tell us about Isaiah’s reaction to the inward look.

• Jerusalem Bible: “What a wretched state I am in! I am lost…
• KJV: “Woe is me, I am undone…”
• NASB: “…I am ruined…”
• NLT: “My destruction is sealed…”
• MSG: “"Doom! It's Doomsday! I'm as good as dead!”

Isaiah saw the great difference between the holiness of God and his own failures because of sin. Isaiah also saw that God offers him forgiveness from his sin. What Isaiah experienced is exactly what John promised in 1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” As Isaiah looked inward he saw himself as sinful but because of God’s mercy he was able to see himself as forgiven. There is no greater message of hope than the message that God forgives sin. It is sin, and sin alone that separates us from God, and it is God, and God alone who can forgive us of our sins. Jesus didn’t come to earth to start a new religion, but to remind mankind that God desires to have a relationship with all people, and to give His life on the cross to make that possible.

Look at the Lost – The Outward Look (v8-9)

As Isaiah was having that inward look at himself he heard God call; “Whom should I send…Who will go?” And Isaiah responded immediately, “I’ll go…send me!” That is an OUTWARD look. That is a missionary vision. It was a vision that began by Looking Upward and seeing that God is worthy of our worship. It was made possible by Looking Inward and seeing himself as sinful and that God forgives. Now Isaiah was Looking Outward to the world where he was being sent.

God told him in the verses that follow that he was going to preach and people weren’t going to understand. He was going to try to open their eyes to the greatness of God’s salvation but they were going to refuse to see. He was going to try to open their ears to God’s offer of forgiveness but they were going to refuse to hear. Isaiah asked the LORD quite honestly: “How long will I have to do this?” God’s answer was that it would be a lifetime commitment. Isaiah had the strength to stick it out because he had seen God.

It has been stated “Before you can have out-reach there must first be an up-reach and an in-reach.” Our ministry philosophy should be as follows:

1st You minister to God (Look Upward)
2nd Let God minister to you (Look Inward)
3rd You minister to others from the overflow (Look Outward)