Didn't See That Coming: Obstacles and Opportunities
The idea of stepping beyond our comfort zone applies to many aspects of our lives, from food and travel to our faith. If we reject something because it’s outside our box, we will miss out on everything around us and what can happen to us.
The Bible is a collection of 66 books, each written in a certain style. There’s poetry, prophesy, history, and narrative. The Book of Acts is a narrative, a historical account of real events. It’s not figurative; it’s literal.
Acts 8
1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
OBSTACLES VS. OPPORTUNITIES
The church and followers of Jesus are being persecuted for the message they represent. There are obstacles similar to the ones we face. We might not be persecuted like those in Acts, but some things come in the way of where we thought we were headed and where we felt God was leading us.
Even though the followers of Jesus are being persecuted and something isn’t working the way we think it should, God is still at work.
The obstacle you see might be the opportunity you need.
We look at our lives and obstacles and ask God to remove them or make a way around them. We think that difficulty isn’t part of the plan, but sometimes, the things in our path we don’t expect are the opportunities God is giving us to spread the message of Jesus. But it’s tough.
JOY
Something to note about verses 5-8 is what happens when Philip proclaims the Gospel.
There’s spiritual healing, physical healing, and joy as a result. The Gospel message of Jesus, who He is, has the power to heal spiritually and physically, and it has a tangible impact on those around it that no one can dismiss.
When there’s joy around something, it’s relief. It’s saying, “This is better now that these people are here. Thank God the Christians are here.”
There should be joy in the places we embody, but today, that saying might sound more like, “Thank God the Christians are gone.”
Not because we’re proclaiming the Gospel but because we’re proclaiming everything else. There’s no joy in us and no joy because of us. Joy shouldn’t be a mindlessly happy emotion but a community rooted in the reality that Jesus has made a change in our lives that has a ripple effect on those around us.
Acts 8
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[d] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.27 And 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 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now 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.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.36 And 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?” 37: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And 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. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
WEIRD
What did we just read? Let’s highlight some of the weird things going on here:
It’s ok to think this is weird. And when it comes to the weird, the unexplainable, or the supernatural things in the Bible, we tend to do one of two things. We dismiss it or we dilute it. We reject what the Bible says because it doesn’t fit the category we’ve made for it.
CATEGORIES
We create buckets when reading the Bible, which means we pick and choose parts of the Bible we’re comfortable with and like, and we put everything else in the category of skepticism. But when we encounter something unexplainable and weird in the Bible, that shouldn’t be an obstacle to faith but an opportunity for it.
The miraculous and strange aspects of Scripture provide an invitation to see God for who He really is.
As people, we tend to deny the things in the Bible that don’t add up. It’s not an outright rejection, but we place these things in a category of ‘story’ – similar to watching fantasy movies. We are on board when we watch them, but it's back to reality once the film is over.
When we don’t fully grasp aspects of the Bible, that shouldn’t be an obstacle to our faith and belief—it should be an opportunity to sit in awe and wonder at a God who would make himself known and literally do the impossible because He can.
If we have the mindset that if it didn’t happen to us, it can’t happen at all, that attitude plays out in how we live. We’re basically saying that there’s nothing miraculous about our testimony, so there’s nothing miraculous about this story.
When we see nothing special about what God is doing in our lives, we will live lives that don’t reflect the power of God.
If we see nothing miraculous and unique about how God has called us into a relationship with Him, why would we live as though it’s made a difference in our lives? Ask yourself how you really got to where you are. Was it by random chance? If the answer is yes, then that’s weird because that means you see your life as this non-specific progression of seemingly unconnected pieces.
We all have a unique story filled with specific ways that God has called us into a deeper relationship with Him. And if we don’t think there’s anything special about that process, our lives will not reflect the power of God in the world.
Nothing in the Bible is there accidentally, and nothing in our lives is accidental.
We put God in so many boxes. We set parameters on who’s in and out, what God can and can’t do, and what’s special and what’s not. With all these criteria, preferences, and categories, we don’t actually limit God, we limit our ability to see Him at work and who He really is.
Our lack of wonder doesn’t limit God’s power, it limits how we see God in the world. God is constantly doing the weird, specific, miraculous, and unexpected in our lives. He does the things we didn’t see coming.
Acts 8
36 And 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?” 37: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And 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. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
TOUGH TIMES / FIRST TIME
What is the purpose of God doing something weird? It’s to bring people to Him. God uses an obstacle like persecution to move Philip to a certain place. He then uses an angel to speak to Philip, to walk at a certain time, and to ask strange questions of a person outside of the family of God. He provides an opportunity for this Ethiopian to hear about Jesus from Philip, make a public declaration of him with baptism, and then strangely whisks Philip away.
But Philip is probably looking at the situation thinking about how tough it is:
Your difficulty in life may not be about you. It might be what God uses for someone else.
Even if it’s difficult for us as followers of Jesus, this understanding that it might be for someone else changes how we see our lives and God.
Now, it’s time to ask the questions:
If you’re asking these questions and you’re not sure how all of this works out, that’s okay. You don’t have to have it all figured out. We can be followers of Jesus who live by faith and not by sight and are constantly in wonder and awe of how our God works while also knowing that all of His workings throughout history and our lives have been to bring people outside into the family.
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The Bible is a collection of 66 books, each written in a certain style. There’s poetry, prophesy, history, and narrative. The Book of Acts is a narrative, a historical account of real events. It’s not figurative; it’s literal.
Acts 8
1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
OBSTACLES VS. OPPORTUNITIES
The church and followers of Jesus are being persecuted for the message they represent. There are obstacles similar to the ones we face. We might not be persecuted like those in Acts, but some things come in the way of where we thought we were headed and where we felt God was leading us.
Even though the followers of Jesus are being persecuted and something isn’t working the way we think it should, God is still at work.
The obstacle you see might be the opportunity you need.
We look at our lives and obstacles and ask God to remove them or make a way around them. We think that difficulty isn’t part of the plan, but sometimes, the things in our path we don’t expect are the opportunities God is giving us to spread the message of Jesus. But it’s tough.
JOY
Something to note about verses 5-8 is what happens when Philip proclaims the Gospel.
- Impure spirits are cast out.
- There’s healing.
- This results in joy in the city.
There’s spiritual healing, physical healing, and joy as a result. The Gospel message of Jesus, who He is, has the power to heal spiritually and physically, and it has a tangible impact on those around it that no one can dismiss.
When there’s joy around something, it’s relief. It’s saying, “This is better now that these people are here. Thank God the Christians are here.”
There should be joy in the places we embody, but today, that saying might sound more like, “Thank God the Christians are gone.”
Not because we’re proclaiming the Gospel but because we’re proclaiming everything else. There’s no joy in us and no joy because of us. Joy shouldn’t be a mindlessly happy emotion but a community rooted in the reality that Jesus has made a change in our lives that has a ripple effect on those around us.
Acts 8
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[d] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.27 And 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 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now 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.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.36 And 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?” 37: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And 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. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
WEIRD
What did we just read? Let’s highlight some of the weird things going on here:
- An angel tells Philip to travel, and this GPS angel isn’t telling him to head 3 miles down the road, his journey is about 65 miles.
- This is a deserted place.
- Philip goes on the journey – he doesn’t ask any questions.
- The Spirit tells Philip to go over to the chariot, and he does.
- In the deserted place, they find water, and there’s a baptism.
- Philip is then carried away by the Spirit and finds himself in Azotus, roughly 34 miles away.
It’s ok to think this is weird. And when it comes to the weird, the unexplainable, or the supernatural things in the Bible, we tend to do one of two things. We dismiss it or we dilute it. We reject what the Bible says because it doesn’t fit the category we’ve made for it.
CATEGORIES
We create buckets when reading the Bible, which means we pick and choose parts of the Bible we’re comfortable with and like, and we put everything else in the category of skepticism. But when we encounter something unexplainable and weird in the Bible, that shouldn’t be an obstacle to faith but an opportunity for it.
The miraculous and strange aspects of Scripture provide an invitation to see God for who He really is.
As people, we tend to deny the things in the Bible that don’t add up. It’s not an outright rejection, but we place these things in a category of ‘story’ – similar to watching fantasy movies. We are on board when we watch them, but it's back to reality once the film is over.
When we don’t fully grasp aspects of the Bible, that shouldn’t be an obstacle to our faith and belief—it should be an opportunity to sit in awe and wonder at a God who would make himself known and literally do the impossible because He can.
If we have the mindset that if it didn’t happen to us, it can’t happen at all, that attitude plays out in how we live. We’re basically saying that there’s nothing miraculous about our testimony, so there’s nothing miraculous about this story.
When we see nothing special about what God is doing in our lives, we will live lives that don’t reflect the power of God.
If we see nothing miraculous and unique about how God has called us into a relationship with Him, why would we live as though it’s made a difference in our lives? Ask yourself how you really got to where you are. Was it by random chance? If the answer is yes, then that’s weird because that means you see your life as this non-specific progression of seemingly unconnected pieces.
We all have a unique story filled with specific ways that God has called us into a deeper relationship with Him. And if we don’t think there’s anything special about that process, our lives will not reflect the power of God in the world.
Nothing in the Bible is there accidentally, and nothing in our lives is accidental.
We put God in so many boxes. We set parameters on who’s in and out, what God can and can’t do, and what’s special and what’s not. With all these criteria, preferences, and categories, we don’t actually limit God, we limit our ability to see Him at work and who He really is.
Our lack of wonder doesn’t limit God’s power, it limits how we see God in the world. God is constantly doing the weird, specific, miraculous, and unexpected in our lives. He does the things we didn’t see coming.
Acts 8
36 And 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?” 37: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And 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. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
TOUGH TIMES / FIRST TIME
What is the purpose of God doing something weird? It’s to bring people to Him. God uses an obstacle like persecution to move Philip to a certain place. He then uses an angel to speak to Philip, to walk at a certain time, and to ask strange questions of a person outside of the family of God. He provides an opportunity for this Ethiopian to hear about Jesus from Philip, make a public declaration of him with baptism, and then strangely whisks Philip away.
But Philip is probably looking at the situation thinking about how tough it is:
- I’m being persecuted for my faith in Jesus.
- I’m being spoken to by an angel and given instructions outside my normal.
- I stumble upon an outsider and am told to talk to him.
Your difficulty in life may not be about you. It might be what God uses for someone else.
Even if it’s difficult for us as followers of Jesus, this understanding that it might be for someone else changes how we see our lives and God.
Now, it’s time to ask the questions:
- Where have you lost the awe of God’s work in your life?
- What obstacle is really an opportunity?
- Who’s on the outside that needs to be brought in?
If you’re asking these questions and you’re not sure how all of this works out, that’s okay. You don’t have to have it all figured out. We can be followers of Jesus who live by faith and not by sight and are constantly in wonder and awe of how our God works while also knowing that all of His workings throughout history and our lives have been to bring people outside into the family.
For more LHC content, subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on Instagram.
Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
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