Let the Spirit Lead - Brad Jones

orbit being generous with the gospel in your world I I got to be honest I love giving talks around this idea it may be uh one of my life messages not because it's like something that I've come up with but I just I get fired up about helping uh people activate their god-given purpose and helping people see that it's not just God want to use a few people up stages but it's God want to use all of his people like Grant was talking about last week all of his people to carry his message to the world uh you are God's workmanship I am God's workmanship it says in Ephesians 2:10 created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance for us to do there is a god-given purpose on your life there are assignments on your life there are Divine appointments on your life does anybody believe that that awesome I hope you're stepping into that I hope you're asking God to help you see it it's like in Acts chapter 8 and like Grant was talking about we're all evangelists we're all called to carry the message in fact actually we're all good evangelist like you know that right you're you're you're a good sharer of things that you're passionate about you're you're a good teller of the good news you're you it would just take me a few moments to sit down with you and figure out like what what you like evangelizing around like telling people about that favorite restaurant you know that uh favorite place to go travel that favorite team I mean you're showing me your favorite team right now with Wisconsin hat and sweatshirt on y'all lost yesterday just being really clear that you know that but respect for you for holding it down right there we also know organs overrated anyway I'm moving on um for for me like right now you can ask one of my friends over here we were just in Texas if you get me talking for a few minutes I'll probably try to bring up pickle ball because I think pickle ball is cool but it's on the way down there's a new thing called padel that is on the way it's p or some call it paddle but it's the new thing you heard it here first I'm telling you the good news all right we're we're all telling the world messages and this idea is that God has given us the message the message of messages the good news of Jesus Christ the Son of God who lived a perfect life on Earth who died in our place Who Rose from the grave who defeated death sin and hell and that gives life to Anyone who puts their trust in him okay I was hoping there was going to be an amen I didn't know when to stop but I was just going to keep going until there somebody's like yeah that's the news we're all we're all we're all called invited to carry that message to a world that desperately needs to hear this Acts chapter 8 I want to show you a story that I believe will be helpful to all of us in this journey you might be familiar with this story it's on the heels of what was talked about last week the the persecution the uh step being killed for his faith and the church being scattered throughout and now there's this man named Phillip who is uh preaching the gospel in Samaria a lot of people are getting saved God's doing wonders through Philip's Ministry and and then we get this story he's in Samaria but in verse 26 says now now an angel of the Lord said to Phillip go south to the road the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza so so he started out and on his way he met an Ethiopian unic an important official in charge of all the treasury of the kandake which means uh Queen of the Ethiopians this man the Ethiopian unic had gone to Jerusalem to worship and on his way home was sitting in his Chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet the spirit told Phillip go to that Chariot and stay near it then Phillip ran to the Chariot heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet and he said do you understand what you are reading Philip asked how can I he said unless someone explains it to me so he invited Phillip to come up and sit with him you know this is a great story of evangelism and I I would just say to all of us it it it's obviously not that hard right all you have to do is hear from an angel and then uh go like a long journey and then look for like some chariots or cars or you know Walkers or pedestrian you know just like you it's it's not that hard people just why aren't we doing no this is pretty weird isn't it come on admit it thank you I got one yes this is fairly weird and some of you are like Brad are you really about to tell us that we need to act like Phillip in the orbits around us because if we do that if we rock up to somebody on 400 in the traffic jam or on the connector roll down our window hope they're listening to some music that we can kind of hear what you listening to no don't be weird but but there's principles that we can learn from this is in acts it's the story of the Holy Spirit working through the disciples and through the early church to carry out God's mission on planet Earth this is philli the Evangelist who was not saved at one point Didn't follow Jesus but we don't know when but at some point he put his faith in Jesus got filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and began to be activated and God's purpose on his life and and yes there was so much there was a unique gifting on his life and I think we can learn from him but we're all called to to let God use us to be his spokesman his spokes women in the life of the people around us there there's some principles really two two principles today that I want us to learn from this story the first one is that we need to let the spirit lead let the spirit lead that's what what happened with philli right it says in verse 26 now an angel of the Lord said to Phillip gave him some Specific Instructions said go to the South Road the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to GA Gaza and then what did philli do in verse 27 it says says he's started out God gave Phillip a message and he followed the message it it's crazy but but God had an assignment he sent his Angel and I'll just be really clear this has not happened to me before I have never been incoming and I got a sight from an angel that told me to go south to M this would have been similar to what's happening first of all why would I ever want want to be in coming can I get an amen why would I ever want to go to make it can I get another amen no I'm kidding please keep coming to our church if you're from coming or Mak but but this hasn't happened to me but then it it says a little bit later then the Holy Spirit started moving and the Holy Spirit started speaking it was divine activity it was a message from Heaven and the same holy spirit that was moving in and guiding Philip's life is moving in and guiding our Our Lives it's this the same spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is the same spirit that lives in us we have access to this spirit it's not it he he is alive and he is moving John read it this is what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit John 16:12 I I have much more to say to you it's right before he uh it's in his last week of life right before he dies on a cross rises from the then eventually ascends to Heaven I have much more to say to you more than you can now bear but but when he when he the spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all the truth he will not speak on his own he will speak only what he hears and he will tell you what is to come check this out Jesus says he will glorify me he will make much of me he will point to me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you all that belongs to the father is mine that is why I said the spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you we want to live a life on Mission we want to bring impact into the people who are orbiting around us then we need to let the spirit lead you and I I don't know what your church tradition is or what's your understanding of the Bible and Jesus's promise of the Holy Spirit but for me I off often time didn't embrace the power of the Holy Spirit I would be more likely to ignore the power of the Holy Spirit some of you aren't embracing the life of the spirit you're actually based on your actions grieving the Holy Spirit but you in in Jesus we've all been given in the spirit the holy spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance we we we need to be aware that the Holy Spirit lives in us we need to be open to his leadership on our lives and we need to walk by his power as I Was preparing this message I was sitting in a chair at our house and uh in our kitchen and I was looking at this cabinet that barely gets opened and behind that cabinet I know is one of uh our most prized wedding gifts the thing that no offense to Britney but the thing that Britney probably wanted most on our uh for our wedding or registry she was like I'm going to put this out there I don't know if anybody's going to buy it but I would really love to have this Kitchen Aid mixer you know what I'm talking about and she is like I you know it it it's not cheap maybe somebody will just like you know feel like just so overwhelmed with love for us that they just give us our most expensive thing on the registry Well turns out we got it so thank you to our family who purchased that for us I'm sad to say it's been a while since we've used it that that cabinet stays closed I I'm looking at it going I know what's back there I just don't know if it still works and sadly as followers of Jesus were too often ignoring the holy spirit's leadership in our lives I I love that Phillip he got a word from heaven and and he he responded he was listening he was communing this wasn't a one-time thing this was a lifestyle for him based on what we can see in Acts chapter 6 that he was full he was being directed by the Holy Spirit but in this this specific situation God put something on his heart and he went for it so you and I we should be listening we should be asking Holy Spirit what do you have for me in this situation Holy Spirit what do you want me to do today Holy Spirit right now in this moment is there with something would you impress something on my heart and just to make sure we're clear the holy spirit's always going to be in a lead in a way that aligns with God's word the holy spirit's never going to tell you something to do something that contradicts what God's word says because the Holy Spirit inspired this word this is uh God's word through the Holy Spirit Empower inspiring men to write this and and the stories behind it it's all the Holy Spirit I also want to say Godly counsil is very important have Spirit-filled people around you that can help you interpret the hey am I am I sensing right am I hearing right but but be asking be be listening start your day H Holy Spirit would you would you move in me today as I read God's word to to help me understand to open my eyes to a greater comprehension this is the work of the spirit Holy Spirit would you move in my life today to make me more like Jesus Holy Spirit I know you're interceding on my behalf and you're you're crying out the spirit inside of me ABA father but but would you also be working in me convicting me of sin showing me what I need to get rid of helping me embrace what I should be doing and then and then Holy Spirit would you use me today got you got you're in charge you orchestrate you run the orbits if you can keep the planets on track then surely you can keep my life uh orbiting in the right direction lead me today use me today imagine what could happen if there was a church full of people that embraced the leadership of the holy spirit in their lives let this Spirit lead I hate to tell you this but when the spirit lead you you won't always you won't get the plan the whole plan the entire time does that frustrate any of y'all type A personalities thank you for the one hand of honesty you're like hey I really want to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit I just need like the full plan you know because like I'm a scheduled person I'm a routine person I like to have my life in order well that's that's not what happened with Phillip he he got like a he said go go down to uh the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza but that's all he got you're going to be called to step out in the unknown you're not going to have the complete instruction manual that there's going to be there there's going to be Faith involved it might not always make sense to the the world around you imagine Philip being like hey guys I know life is going great ministry is exploding a lot of people in need here in Samaria but I just I'm supposed to go to the desert roads two days journey and they're like well why what what do you got down there and you're like I don't know people like what are you but but there's when the Holy Spirit leads us there there there will be interruptions on our life hate to tell tell you the agenda guy right back here like it's not going to fit in your specific time window all the time it could feel like an inconvenience there will be sacrifice involved there will definitely be Steps of Faith there will be moments that you're outside of your comfort zone I bet philli thought it was weird especially when he gets to the chair gets to the desert road and he sees a chariot the Holy Spirit says' go run by The Chariot like seriously can we just wait for like a bathroom break you know there there there I guarantee you Philip's not up there in heaven going man I hate I hate that I probably came across weird I can't believe I did that no he's like it was crazy and I'm so glad I followed the leadership of the Holy Spirit last thing I want to say before I switch to uh Point number two is that when Phillip got to the desert road and when he met the Ethiopian it it was very clear that God was already working God had already been softening the soil preparing the heart he was causing growth in this Ethiopian unix's life where he was reading the word he had been to Jerusalem to have an encounter with God we don't know exactly his faith background but we just know he was open and then there right there at the very moment is when God put philli in his path why is that important when it comes to sharing your faith when it comes to living on Mission when it comes to being generous with the gospel the pressure is not all on you it it it's not all up to us there's a great book Experiencing God by Henry blackaby he said look for where God is working and join him join him there John 5:17 Jesus says God's always working often time he's working in un unexpected places and unexpected people and let's look instead of trying to conjure up the work and we got to do it all on our own it's like no God's moving God's working let's try to join him there let's let the spirit lead us uh last maybe uh section go to Colossians chapter 2 if uh four if you got your Bible give us some specifics Brad like we're definitely not going to be like maybe philli running up next to chariots but H how can we let the spirit lead us Colossians 4:2 is a great instruction for all of us encouragement devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful and pray for us too so that God may open a door for our message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ for which I am in Chains pray that I may Proclaim it clearly as I should be wise in the way you act towards Outsiders make the most of every opportunity and let your conversation be always full of grace seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone being devoted devoted to prayer being thankful being watchful praying for open doors praying for opportunity praying for courage praying for conviction praying for the words to say praying for uh opportunities this is if we're walking through this way it's embracing the power of the holy spirit in our lives and then it's stepping into the opportunities that he creates for us to the carry the me message of Jesus to a people that so desperately need to hear it all right let's get back to Acts chapter 8 and and then we'll wrap up here um I'm going to start back in verse 30 this is when Philip ran up to the Chariot he heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet do you understand what you're reading Philip asked how can I he said unless someone explains it to me so he invited Philip to come up and sit with him this is the passage of scripture the unic was reading y'all ready he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and as a lamb before it Shear is silent so he did not open his mouth in his humiliation he was deprived of Justice who can speak of his descendants for his life was taken from the earth anybody know what that passage is about who it's about the unic didn't because the unic said to Philip tell me please who is the prophet talking about himself or someone else then Phillip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus when it comes to evangelism sharing your faith I would like to call this example as God putting it on a te for you to be able to hit the ball pretty easily like if Phillip would have messed this up in fact I don't even know if we should call him Philip the Evangelist because If he if he earned that name from the church leaders based on this story it's like bro anybody could have done that you know it maybe maybe not anybody it I mean this hasn't happened for me often but a few times like one time I was in South Africa and I'd woke up early and I was eating breakfast in the hotel I had my Bible open and I had my journal and was just having a little time with the Lord and no lie some guy comes up to me in the middle it's like hey man what what what are you doing I was like uh eating breakfast no he's like what are you what are you reading I was like the Bible and I was like um and then he was like well what why are you writing stuff down like what why why is that journal open I was like I'm writing things that I'm learning in the Bible he's like I've never seen anybody do that I was like excuse me then can I can you move on so I can get back to read no I didn't say that what did I say you want to sit down and talk about the Bible you know it's not always going to be that easy so don't get your hopes too high but like this is setting it on a te for Phill it but but what did he do what did he do he let the word work so the first principle is he let the spirit lead and the second one he let the word do the work he he didn't say well let let me let me tell you I know what Isaiah is saying but but let me tell you what I think or what like you know some of my Phil he said the Phil the unic asked him a question and then he he started with that very passage and told them about the good news of Jesus you know what the world needs they need this word says in Scripture that faith comes from hearing and hearing comes and uh and hearing comes from hearing the word of God do you want to see Faith come it it's the word of God the Isaiah also says or God through Isaiah says this word will not return void but it will always accomplish the purpose for which it's sent or Hebrews 4 that this is a living and active word it it's sharp it's sharp enough to pierce through bone and Marrow into the to The Souls of people you and I this isn't some rule book to follow but this is the good news of Jesus the the the story of a a perfect holy God who is ruling and reigning and a broken people who have turned their back on God but yet God has sent a solution he has sent a savior he has sent someone to do for the people what we could never do for ourselves it's Jesus the perfect Son of God this this is the word do do you not only can you teach this word but maybe more than that do you do you know this word do do you love this word do you believe this word because maybe before you you're walking around sharing it with everybody maybe you maybe for you the step is I just actually need need to know this word and trust this word and build my life on this word and let this word do the work in me because right now my life doesn't look like this word Brad why would somebody want what I have because my life is a mess well maybe for you it's like I want to know God through his word and I want his Holy Spirit and this word to change my life and when that happens I promise you you'll have Open Door after Open Door after open door to share the story of what God's done for you let let this word do the work in you and let this word the good news of Jesus do the work in the lives of people around you this uh week I got the privilege this last Sunday I got the privilege of preaching in uh near my hometown Amarello Texas I grew up just 15 minutes south of it but I was was a HomeTown kid that had come back to preach at a couple of the downtown churches I was a little bit out of my element to be honest it was the First Presbyterian Church in the morning that I preached at at 8:30 which was way too early I know some of y'all are still hoping that we get an 8:00 you know gathering around here I just know our pastor Louie and I I just hate to break your heart I doubt it'll ever happen anyway moving on but um I I did the morning Gathering morning service they call it then I then your boy taught Sunday school still exist by the way Sunday school's out there and I I I taught a Sunday a combined Sunday school class and then I spoke in the the 11:30 or 11:00 and then an evening gathering with a few downtown churches was out of my comfort zone but but it was really special and so much so I was was preaching on one of those raised pulpits and you know some of the people when I told about they're like well how did you get your feet across this you know stage did you even know how to preach without being able to do that I'm like again I was out of my comfort zone but as I was up on that little elevated Pulpit I got to look around and I I I saw some people that had taught me this word growing up I I saw some of my former Sunday school teachers who had invited me I saw the son of the pastor of my church First Baptist Canyon Texas saw the his son and one of his sons and his wife sitting back over there I saw few more of my Sunday school teachers I saw a few more people that were in my youth group and I look back with such fond memories because they were people that taught me this word and yes they had an impact but it's this word that changed my life and and and so for you maybe maybe an action point is who is in your orbit that you need to be mentoring or discipling or helping them understand this word or maybe you're in here thinking like Brad you're this has not made any sense to me except the Ethiopian unic guy and I don't even know what he unic is you're probably thinking you could look that up for yourself but if you you're like that's the only thing a guy that doesn't understand well you know what the unic did the Ethiopian unic did he he invited Phillip to come and explain it to him so maybe a step for you today or in this season is to admit you don't understand and you ask God to put somebody in your orbit that does know this word and can help you understand the word I heard a story after the 9:30 of a young person that came with their FCA leader to church that person came not knowing all what this whole thing is about what Jesus is all about but they trusted their FCA leader and the Gathering ended with them putting a light bulb in the Jesus his life 
((applause))
 wall you don't you don't have to have all the answers but maybe for you a step is I want to invite someone that I respect that knows this word I'm going to invite them to help me CU maybe you're here and you're like God's moving I sense there's something special I can't put words around it I don't have all the answers but I I do believe and but but it doesn't all make sense and you're like I maybe you're like that's what the ethiop was like he was going to worship God he was reading the scripture but he hadn't heard about Jesus hadn't put his faith in Jesus or maybe you're someone else you're like man actually Brad uh I I need help because everything I'm doing isn't working it might look like it on the outside might look like I have it all together but inside man this whole thing what I've been put my hope in would I've been chasing after it ain't working well find somebody you think it is working for life and say hey could you come and help me and invite them in you never know how God's going to use them in your life this is the end of the story Philip was invited in he shared the good news of Jesus in verse 36 as they traveled along the road they came to some water and the unic said look here here is water what can stand in the way of my being baptized I like that he's like I ain't getting my name in any Q I'm not going to like fill out an application I'm going to tell this guy we're stopping the Chariot right now I'm getting baptized right now I I don't I I would say please let us baptize you and fill out that application so I wasn't trying to mock that by any means sorry we can edit that out he he he gave orders to stop the Chariot he he was a man of means he had people with him he was an influential person says then both Phillip and the unic went down into the water and Philip baptized him when they came out of the water it's crazy the spirit of the Lord suddenly took philli away and the unic didn't did not see him again but he went on his way rejoicing Philip however appeared at at azotus and traveled about and he kept preaching the gospel in all the towns until reached cesaria again I would just like to remind you I doubt this is going to happen to any of you exactly this way you're not going to preach the gospel and somebody's going to get baptized and when they come out of the water you're not going to disappear a 100 miles down the road I just hate to I hate to break your heart hate to disappoint you I just strongly doubt it happens that way but what did happen in this story could happen cuz CU what did it say about the Ethiopian unic after he got baptized he was rejoicing there there was a joy that came over him because he had realized that Jesus had done for him what he could never do for himself and his life was changed he he was rejoicing when people get saved around here at the 9:30 people got saved there's bunch of rejoicing people get baptized those are some of the favorite favorite days people rejoicing but what else did it say he did let's put it back up on the screen because uh obviously we're not participating right now um so we're just going to like hang out here for a moment um verse 39 um verse 39 but he went on his his way he he he he didn't stay on the desert road he he kept going to Ethiopia he it this is crazy IM imagine the disciples because they had received this instruction this word from Jesus acts 1: 18 you will be my wait wait wait in Jerusalem until you receive power don't go out without the spirit's leadership let the spirit lead then you'll be my Witnesses you will let the word do the work you will share the word of God you'll be my Witnesses in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the ends of the Earth imagine them hearing that and you're like okay we we we we maybe can get we might can get Jerusalem maybe Judea Samaria oh we don't like the samarians Samaritans we don't we don't like them but they're like you're going to use us to get this message to the ends of the Earth do you know how hard it is to get there do you know we don't even know where the Earth ends like Jesus are you sure it's going to take it's going to take centuries no it took a moment cuz that Ethiopian unic got saved in a Divine encounter and he went on his way and he went to Africa to Ethiopia and he was now a Jesus follower in and so when he shows up they're like well how was the trip like well there was this weird thing when this guy started running in my Chariot and getting in my business but I felt led to like invite him in and then he told me about Jesus and I put my faith in him and I got baptized and now I'm telling you and church tradition Church tradition is uh pretty consistent that the gospel in the early first and 2 centuries was exploding in Africa exploding in Ethiopia and this is one of the few stories we have of somebody getting saved and going somewhere and now it became a carry of the Gospel you're like Brad okay that's awesome you never know you never know the Harvest that is going to come from the seeds that God uses you to plant you never know and you might not know this side of Heaven how God's going to use the seeds that you plant produ to to produce the most beautiful significant Harvest and so what do we do we keep planting we keep watering we keep planting we keep watering we keep praying we keep we keep talking we keep sharing we keep praying we keep Shar we keep inviting because we're planting seeds we're watering seeds and God he's causing the growth there's a story I heard just a couple weeks ago I was at fallfest out in the front parking lot with passion kids and Bloom team leading so strong I'm so grateful for them and it's a beautiful little snapshot of our church people coming from all over the city a lot of people were getting to know each other building Community it was like just a beautifully diverse group and I I looked at some of our team I'm like that I I love our church just kept looking at just the kind of the array of people all the door holders that were making it happen I was like I I love our church it's a good little picture of our church not always easy to find your spot but when you do you realize man God's using us to reach the city and reach the world and it's all people from all over all different walks of life I love our church and I was standing in the line telling somebody that and then there was a a lady I didn't know and I said hey we're in the coffee line I was like I haven't met you I'm Brad just told me your name and I said how long you been coming said I've been coming for a few years um she I was like you know a lot of people you you know got connected she was like No my daughter's may my daughter may be come today didn't really want to come I'm actually one of those that just comes and sits in a chair and then leaves um and I was like well how how'd you find this place and she's like well her tone changed and you could see the heaviness come on her she said a few years ago uh my husband tragically died and um at the time I was living in a rental house and the people the people that owned that house come to this church and they cared for me they prayed for me they invited me and they didn't ask for my rent for a few months until I could get back on my feet and I was like you mind if I ask who that was I might know him just told me their name and I knew them and and what was fun for my little part in it that that they had actually lost touch cell phone numbers had changed and this family actually now goes to Cumberland and so I took a picture with her and just sent it to them and they're like is that our friend I was like oh yeah that's your friend I sent her sent him a voice memo and I was like and by the way uh she took several minutes to tell me if it weren't for you in that season of life she would not be where she's at today doing doing near as well as she's doing today does it make the pain any easier probably not but God used people to in in intersector life and what a joy it was to send that voice memo to them and say way to go way to go I'm so proud to go to church with people like you who are generous with the gospel in their world and if it weren't for people like you I don't know where she would be so thank you and keep it up and come back to 5:15 every once in a while hang up nobody actually hangs up a phone anymore so cck you never know now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all that we could ask or imagine to him be the glory in Christ Jesus and in the church throughout all generations for forever and ever amen