Bible Verses for Sunday Service September 4, 2022
Psalm 119:64
The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
teach me your statutes!
Announcements:
Awana featured twice in the announcements this Sunday. You need a reminder that it will start on September 14th at 6:30PM and run to 8:00PM, and we will be meeting every Wednesday until April. Please get the word out to encourage children come, and please be in prayer for this important ministry.
Besides reminded you about Awana’s impending start, Steve also reminded us that although we have 12 leaders committed to help, we could always use some more help, and it is a rewarding ministry. You could also help by baking cookies and saving the kids from Walmart cookies.
We will hosting a special missionary speaker on October 16, 2022. Dr. Alvin Low, director of Acts International, will be with us to speak during the Sunday School hour, the morning service and a service right after lunch. He will speak on world missions.
We were all very happy to see Phil and Rosemary back to the service today.
Sermon:
Continuing Acts, Pastor spoke to us on “Snapshots of Obedience” using as his text Acts 8. To help us understand today’s sermon, Pastor analogized it to walk on the moon that we saw in the Apollo program. It might look like someone getting out of a lunar capsule and walking. But, the reality is that every step was carefully and meticulously planned in advance. All the astronaut did was faithfully execute the plan. That is a lot like experiences we read about in Acts. Philip initially appears as deacon in the issue of feeding widows. In this chapter though, he makes an appearance as an evangelist doing his part in taking God’s word, the Gospel to the end of the earth, starting in Samaria.
Philip firstly in Samaria was obedient by being a good servant despite the difficult situation. He also understood that he could be a success despite the outcome. He had the lesson of Stephen who also was a wonderful evangelist, but in speaking to the jews he was stoned. Stephen didn’t get to see the results from his evangelizing this side of heaven, but Philip did get to see the fruit of his work.
Now later Acts 8 has another snapshot of Philip in the desert when Philip met the Ethiopian ruler through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit arranged the meeting at the perfect time so that Philip could explain how Jesus was the Messiah the Ethiopian was reading about in the scroll of Isaiah. Pastor pointed out that this snapshot shows the responsibility for obedience; God’s will does not always have explanations. But, again by being obedient, we see that reward, God’s work is done as we obey.
Almost twenty years later we see the last snapshot of Philip in Acts. He is living in Ceasarea and now is known as the Philip the Evangelist. Besides having a God given reputation, he also has a wonderful family, including daughters who prophesy. This last snapshot illustrates the responsibility of obedience again, being faithful in the routines of life. It also again illustrates the the reward of obedience; we get to enjoy the blessings of life.
In closing Pastor asked us to think on these snapshots showing an obedient Philip. Shouldn’t we consider whether we are routinely obedient. Are we faithful. We probably have room for improvement. Let’s let these snapshots inspire us to routine obedience.
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