Week 2 Day 1 : GUIDE

Well, well, well. It seems as though we’ve survived the first week as an explorer. I trust that we’re no worse for the wear. I also trust that if you stepped out in faith and initiated conversations, asked questions, and dove into peoples’ lives that it was a rich experience and left you feeling like there’s much more to be done. Many of you have earned the right to adorn a new explorer nickname like Magellan or Leif or Indiana or Hernando or Mouth or Chunk or… well you get the point.

 

If you didn’t explore anyone’s life last week, don’t give up. Challenge yourself to do it this week. Remember one of our goals? Initiate with three new people each week. Hang in there.

 

That brings us to week 2. A chance for us to GUIDE.

Webster’s Dictionary has a few definitions of a GUIDE:

1.  a.One who shows the way by leading, directing, or advising.

     b.One who serves as a model for others, as in a course of conduct.

2. A person employed to conduct others, as through a museum, and give information about points of interest encountered.

This week, we are concentrating on guiding people through the Gospel. What does that mean? It means being able to explain the Gospel in a way that makes sense to your hearer. Tonight I’m going to change things up and be serious. I want to look together at a passage from the Bible. (Now, in case you are deciding to delete this e-mail because you don’t see how this could be funny, remember that deleting an e-mail with Scripture in it is a sin.) (I guess so is lying.) (I’m kidding about the deleting e-mail sin.) (Lying really is a sin though.)

Acts 8: 26-39

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place. 27And 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 28and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." 30So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31And he said, "How can I, unless someone GUIDES me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now 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. 
33In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?
      For his life is taken away from the earth."

 

34And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36And 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?" 38And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39And 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.

 

Do you notice what happened? The Eunuch was clearly interested in spiritual things. He was trying to check things out on his own, but he didn’t know the whole picture. He needed someone to lead and direct him to the truth from the fragments of information that he had.

 

There are so many people on your campuses just like the Eunuch. They have some pieces of information, but for the most part, people are clueless. (Right here I could go on a big tangent about just how clueless people are. You’ve seen the news. You’ve seen the mtv. You’ve seen celebrity jeopardy. People don’t know much about anything, let alone the most unique and unfathomable being ever.) They need you to clear up their misconceptions. Begin with what they know and point them to Jesus.(p.s. If they don’t immediately repent and get baptized, don’t worry, you didn’t do it wrong. Some people just take time. Continue to talk with them about it. However, it’s not a terrible idea to take a friend near a lake or pond or bathtub before you GUIDE them through the Gospel. Just a thought.)

 

-A fellow guide

 

p.s. If you need to know more about being a GUIDE or about Cojourners, follow this link:

 

http://www.godsquad.com/squadroom/evangelism/cojourners/index.htm