RAVEN STREET DISCIPLESHIP

AT WORK

Acts 8:26-39 Gives the account of Philip the Evangelist meeting the Ethiopian Eunuch on the road. It says that He saw the Ethiopian reading from the Book (Scroll) if Isaiah and asked him if he knew what it meant to which the Ethiopian said, "How could I understand without someone to explain."

Soon Philip found himself "riding along" with this man and teaching (discipling) him along the way. While their time together wasn't very long, it was certainly valuable. He was able to bring someone who had no knowledge of Jesus to a thorough understanding of Christ and explaing to him the meaning and significance of water baptism as well--all in a brief period of time!

Following the baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch is says, "Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing."

The eunuch "saw him no more!" Philip was gone! He didn't even take the time to get him "plugged into a local church!" What about follow up! Didn't Philip understand that this man would never make it on his own! He was setting him up for failure! Without a church family and a place on the front pew this guys would soon just be another statistic----or so many on the modern church would lead us to believe.

One night last week my cell phone rang at about 11:30 PM. (I always answer my phone 24/7.) The voice at the other end of the line identified himself as "Alex" and asked if I remembered him---and I did.

He was a young man that we encountered one night while witnessing on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I told him that he was with two friends that night, Rocky and Tito and that they were on their way to Florida, but were low on money for gas and that I gave them gas money.

He was shocked that I remembered him and with such detail seeing that it was last October when we met! I told him that his two friends were very receptive to what we were telling them and that we got to pray with them, but that he was ver stand-offish and resistant to the Word at the time.

He then shared with me that he had heard everything that I had said and that God was now really dealing with him. He now lives in Minneapolis and I was able to connect him to a friend of mine who also lives there so that he would have a Christian brothe in the area.

When I shared the Gospel with this man and his two friends--I pulled no punches with them. I gave them the pure, unadulterated, blood bought Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that was the tool that saved thousands upon thousands in the Book of Acts.

The follow up that I offered them was my business card and the full assurance that "HIS WORD will not return unto Him void!" As a brother in the Lord once said, "Whatever you win them with is what you win them to." If would just dare to take the WORD OF TRUTH to a lost and dying world, there would be little need to chase people down for Jesus--they'll chase us down instead!

When Philip encountered the Ethiopian Eunuch he didn't have a lengthy church program or follow up team to make sure that this guys "stayed saved." He had to rely upon the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do the work of convicting, transforming, and leading and guiding into all truth. I wonder how the Church ever survived without us begging people to come back or without us dumbing down the Gospel so that people wouldn't be run off!

I get calls on a regualr basis from people across this nation who we have lead to Jesus in some of the darkest and most desperate places you could imagine. Many times all that I could leave them with is a thorough explanation of the redemptive work of the Cross, a prayer of agreement, my business card and the assurance that "He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him."

Jesus said, "If anyone desires to be my disciple they must first deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Me (not follow up)." The Holy Spirit is so much better than I'll ever be at convicting and keeping those with a sincere heart.