Sermon

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July 14, 2002
8th Sunday of Pentecost
Acts 8:26-35
Pastor Robert Raasch

A Ministry to be Remembered

1. God Gives the Opportunities
2. God Gives the Message
3. God Gives the Motivation

Tell me, have you ever accidentally left something behind? Maybe you got all the way to summer camp before you realized that you'd forgotten to bring your backpack. Or you get that trophy fish up to the side of the boat and you realize "I forgot the landing net." Or you get all your groceries through the check-out line and you realize, "I don't have my checkbook!" And yet, as bad as it is to leave something behind, it's not as bad as leaving someone behind. Isn't that right? I mean, have you ever forgotten more than your checkbook? How about your wife? Or your child? Or even the family pet? Maybe you left Rover in the car with all the windows rolled up. Not good. Or maybe you forgot that your wife's flight was coming in at 9:00 and you showed up about 10:30. Oops.

I can think of a time not long ago when someone I know very well was supposed to pick up his daughter from band practice and about a half an hour after band practice was over, he remembered about it. I'm not sure who felt worse. Allison, as she sat she sat all alone on the sidewalk, or me, as I drove up thinking, "Man, what was I thinking? How could I have forgotten my own daughter?" Let's face it, leaving someone behind is no fun-no fun for the person left behind-and no fun for the person guilty of forgetting them. You might say that it's kind of a lose/lose situation.

You know, as I look at our church body these days, I can't help but wonder whether there isn't someone whom we've kind of left behind. A certain segment of our population that we've forgotten about. Maybe it's a case of the old adage, "out of sight, out of mind." Who are these forgotten people I'm talking about? Who are the people that we are tempted to leave behind? Well, they're often called, "the institutionalized," the men and women who are confined to hospital beds and nursing homes and prison cells. The people who for one reason or another are unable to come to the house of God and worship alongside of us. People who maybe feel isolated, alone, people who feel forgotten.

My friends, this morning we'd like to focus our attention on a type of gospel ministry that often doesn't get the attention that other forms of ministry receive. It may not be as hip as teen ministry or as exotic as world missions. In fact, it's often overlooked. You might say that's it's the forgotten ministry. But this morning, institutional ministry will not be forgotten. This morning, in light of the precious souls at sake, institutional ministry will be:

A Ministry to be Remembered

Not just as something that others do in our place, but something that each one of us can personally participate in. For as we will see in our text:

1. God Gives the Opportunities
2. God Gives the Message
3. God Gives the Motivation

God certainly gave a unique opportunity for Philip to conduct some gospel ministry here in our text, didn't he? The Bible tells us that Philip was an evangelist who had been sharing the gospel among the crowds of people in Samaria. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip had performed many miraculous signs, healing people, casting out demons. And what was the result? The Bible says that "the whole city was filled with joy."

But notice what God does with Philip. In spite of all the success Philip is enjoying with the crowds in Samaria, still God pulls him away from those crowds and puts him on some deserted section of highway leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. We read, "Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go south to the road-the desert road-that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."

Now the question is, "why would God take Philip away from this seemingly successful ministry in Samaria and put him all alone on the road to Gaza?" The answer: because God wanted to give Philip a special opportunity to minister to one man who was different, a man whom Philip would not normally come into contact with. A man who could have easily been forgotten. The Bible says that "Philip started out and on his way he met an Ethiopian Eunuch." The fact that the man was from Ethiopia very likely means that his skin was black. The fact that he was a eunuch very likely means that the man had been castrated. In other words, this man was different from Philip. He was someone whom Philip would not ordinarily have spent time with . But what did God tell Philip to do? "Go to that chariot and stay near it." In other words, "Go, make yourself available to that person. Listen to him. Spend some time with him. See if he has any questions of you. See how you can help the man." And so, when Philip goes up to the man, what happens? "Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?' Philip asked. 'How can I,' the man said, unless someone explains it to me?' So the eunuch invited Philip to come up and sit with him.'" Wow, what a great opportunity God was providing for Philip in this situation!

My friends, do you realize that this very scene will be repeated hundreds, if not thousands of time this week? All across the United States, in fact, all around the world, there are Christians who are making themselves available to listen to the needs of others, Christians who are setting aside their own agendas and instead, letting God use them as his instruments, to minister to those who so often appear to be forgotten by our society.

The question is, "Has God given you or me that same kind of opportunity? Who is the Ethiopian eunuch in your life? Is it that co-worker who always sits by herself at lunch? You know, the one whom seems to have a lot of problems? Can you do what Philip did? Can you just go and sit by her? Can you listen to what's on her mind? Is that the opportunity God is giving you?

Or maybe there's an assisted living facility near your home. Have you ever thought about stopping in and visiting one of the residents there? Maybe asking the lady at the desk if there's someone who has no church home, or someone who rarely has any visitors? Can you stop by just to listen to her, spend time with her? Reach out to her? Chances are, that person is lonely, maybe frightened, in need of a word of encouragement. Is this a ministry opportunity which God has given to you?

Or maybe you're a little more daring. Maybe you see yourself paying a visit on people in the county jail. Spending time with them. Building rapport with them. Or maybe you can be a Big Brother or Big Sister, taking a troubled kid under your arm and being a support system for that child. My friends, these are just a few of the opportunities that God gives to Christians like you and me. Opportunities to stop, look and listen to the needs of hurting people all around us. Opportunities like those God gave to Philip on the road to Gaza.

But now, someone might ask, "Okay, so I go out and spend time with someone in a nursing home or someone else who needs my help. And I listen to them. I empathize with their problems. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to say something to them, right? I mean, what am I supposed to say to them?" I'm glad you asked-because right here in our text, God gives you and me the answer. In fact, when it comes to a ministry to be remembered, you might say that:

II. God Gives Us the Message

Isn't that how it worked in Philip's case? Philip comes up to the chariot and what does he hear the man reading? Of all things, he's reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Probably had a scroll that he was unrolling to read. But the man is confused. When he reads about someone being led like a sheep to the slaughter, he says to Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Wow! If there ever was a golden opportunity to talk about Jesus, Philip has it laid in his lap right here. And Philip doesn't miss the opportunity, does he? "Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told the man the good news about Jesus." You see, God had not only given Philip an opportunity to minister, God gave him a message to minister with.

My friends, isn't that same thing still true for you and me today? God has given us a message to share. That means that when you're sitting next to the bed of a nursing home resident, you have something to say, don't you? You can talk about what Jesus has done for the both of you, the promises which God has made to you in his Word. Be honest about your weakness and struggles. But more importantly, be honest about the love which Jesus has shown to sinners like you and me. Not sure you can carry on a whole conversation on who Jesus is and what he's done for you? Then take along a daily devotional book like the Meditations or a Forward in Christ magazine. Read out lout one of your favorite Psalms or one of your favorite Bible stories. Maybe even read a hymn verse or two with that homebound member or friend in need.

Remember the promise that God makes to you and me in Isaiah 55, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." In other words, God's Word works. The simple message that we share, the message of God's unconditional love in Christ-that gospel message brings to people's hearts the peace they crave; it provides them with hope for the future.

Does that mean that the gospel is some kind of magic dust that we sprinkle on people's problems so that they all disappear? No, remember Jesus parable of the sower and the seed. The farmer is out there spreading his seed on the ground and what happens to it? Some of it falls on the hard ground, some among the thorns. The Devil is working overtime to snatch God's Word out of people's hearts and choke that word out with worries and pleasures of this life. But that dare not stop us from doing like the farmer. Our job is to make sure seed is sown. The results we'll leave up to God.

So, now we've considered where God would have us go, namely to those who feel left behind. We've considered what we would say to them, namely the good news of God's love in Christ. The last question we need to consider is Why? Why would I want to go visit someone in the hospital or nursing home? Why would I want to get involved in some sort of prison ministry? The answer is simple, namely, because: III. God Gives us the Motivation.

Let's be honest. There are a number of things that might motivate us to spend some time with people who feel left behind. One of the most powerful motivations is guilt. "Oh, I suppose I should do something for that person. I'd feel bad if I don't do anything." Let's understand, sometimes guilt has place in our lives. Sometimes, when I compare how I spend my time with how God would have me spend my time, my conscience convicts me. I feel guilty because I am guilty, guilty of selfishness.

That guilt leaves me with two choices: I can let that guilt jab me onto doing some good deed so I feel less guilty for a while. Or I can confess that I am guilty of habitual selfishness; I repeatedly put my priorities ahead of God's. I deserve to be punished. But miracle of miracles, Jesus allowed himself to be punished in my place. I am a forgiven child of God. That means that I am no longer guilty. You and I have been washed clean and set apart for a special purpose, just like the china that your mother used to wash by hand.

And what is that special purpose God ahs set us apart for? St. Peter tells us, "You are a people belonging to God, so that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Or as Jesus himself said, "You will be my witnesses." In other words, we want to share the gospel with others because of who we are. We are Christ's ambassadors. We are members of his body. Will we all function in exactly the same way? Will all of you stop to visit some of the residents of Franciscan Care on the way home from church? I doubt it. Besides, I'm not sure how much the lady at the front desk would appreciate the whole congregation traipsing in there all at once.

But just because all of you aren't going to go, does that mean some of you can't? Maybe there's room in your heart for a shut-in our two. Give Pastor Stensberg a call and he'll give you some first hand knowledge of which of our homebound members might especially appreciate a visit from you.

Can all of you walk into the Oshkosh Correctional Facility and start leading a Bible study with a room full of lifers? I doubt it. But that doesn't mean there aren't any number of you who have what it takes to become a Christian pen pal with someone in prison, anonymously sharing your faith with someone in need. Did you know that our Wisconsin Synod has one of the largest-if not THE largest lay led prison ministries in the nation? In fact, Mount Olive has a number of members who either correspond with prisoners or correct Bible studies for prisoners all over our country. Maybe that's the ministry that God has in mind for you.

Finally, even if every one of us were involved in some form of institutional ministry, there would still be places we could not go. Sometimes we still need other people to go in our place. That's where the Wisconsin Lutheran Institutional Ministries fits in. For the last 100 years, WLIM, as it is called, has been sending chaplains to visit our members in places like Milwaukee and Madison as well as inmates in places like Waupun and Tacheedah. Is that ministry? You bet it is. It's soul-saving ministry to the people who feel alone. People who need Jesus. People whom we simply cannot leave behind. May God bless the work we do and the offerings we bring to carry out such a ministry as this, in Jesus name. Amen.