We have been talking much about following the lead of the Spirit. We have used the word “discern” to describe our the need to distinguish God’s leading from our own agenda. Too often, we make plans and ask God to join us. Rather, we should begin by asking what God desires and join Him.

In this week’s story, Philip finds himself caught up in God’s story. He encounters unlikely characters, announcing the good news (euaggelizō) as God enables him. I am struck by the haphazard sequence of events. Philip, dispersed from Jerusalem by persecution, travels to Samaria. Samaria was not on the “Top 10 Desirable Places” in Jewish travel magazines.
Next, he finds himself accompanying an Ethiopian eunuch: Explaining Jesus’s fulfillment of Isaiah was probably not on his “to-do list”. Yet, standing in a roadside pool and baptizing a dark skinned man, Philip found fulfillment in following God’s plan.

We often have our ideas of what we would like to accomplish for God. Perhaps our ideas are not all bad. But sometimes God has different plans. The challenge for First Baptist Church is to discover the leading of the Spirit. We must consider God’s leading rather than asking him to join us in our endeavors.

What is God doing in the world? How can we join Him? What role does he desire for us to play as the sent people of God? We may be surprised, finding ourselves — like Philip — in unlikely places as we open ourselves to His leading.