Tylenol PM, a Bag of Peas, and Acts 8

What do Tylenol PM, a bag of peas, and Acts 8:26-40 have in common? Most likely absolutely nothing to the average Joe, however, to me, they have much in common.

Yesterday my family and I (I love saying that) went to watch a Liberty University basketball game vs. UNC Asheville. I was particularly pumped for the game because UNC Ashville has the tallest player in the NCAA playing for them. My boy(he's not my boy, I just use that phrase a lot), Kenny George, is 7 feet 7 inches tall. Even though he got dunked on by Tyler Hansborough, I still wanted to see this mammoth of a man play the game of basketball. On our way to the game, we received a phone call from Erica's mom telling us that we need to go pick up some Tylenol and a bag of peas for my brother in law, Stephen, who broke his nose playing pick-up basketball. So, we went to Target and I ran inside to pick up some Tylenol PM and a bag of peas.

On another note, just the other week, I had the opportunity to speak on the topic of being obedient to the Spirit's prompting in regards to sharing the Gospel. I used Philip as a prime example of someone who embraced the Spirits prompting instead of stiff-arming it. At Target last night, I was fed up with missing opportunities to share the Gospel and not embracing the Spirit's promptings. I returned to our sporty Ford Taurus and had a few minutes to spare(Abigail was getting her grub on). I saw a kid pushing carts and I was prompted immediately to share the Gospel with him. He looked pretty down and was visibly not having a good time. I walked over to him and introduced myself. His name was Luke and he was a student at a nearby community college. To make a long story short, I had the privilege of giving him a few bucks in appreciation for what he does and followed that “act of kindness” by sharing the good news of the gospel with him. Luke didn't receive Christ as Lord of his life; however, he heard the gospel and numerous scripture passages.

In Acts 8:26-40, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian is shared. To summarize this text in a few words, an angel of the Lord prompted Philip to approach a man who needed to hear about Jesus Christ. Upon the spirit's prompting, Philip had to make a split second decision. Do I embrace or stiff arm the Spirit's prompting? According to the scriptures, Philip embraced this opportunity to share Christ and the Ethiopian was saved and baptized. Glory to God!

Every day, just like Philip, you and I are going to be prompted by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel. At times, you will be prompted to share with a friend, co-worker, or even a stranger. As a team, let's embrace these opportunities to advance God's kingdom through the proclamation of the Gospel! Never succumb to the exclusivity of “friendship evangelism” in your life and avoid opportunities to share the Gospel with random strangers. Jesus is coming back and people are going to hell. We don’t have time to wait….