23 Who is the church?

 

Who is the church?

Acts 8:29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do

you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Many years ago when I worked for Prison Fellowship, I planned a trip to Penningham Prison which is close to Newton Stewart around 50 miles west of Dumfries. I usually travel alone but this time I had a new friend I met in a church during a visit there. He had joined Prison Fellowship as a volunteer and asked to accompany me. After about 130 miles travel we broke down somewhere near Gatehouse of Fleet. We were on a long country road but stopped beside a solitary cottage house. We hoped someone was in and when we got an answer we asked to use their phone. PF had given me a breakdown card but it only covered a tow to the nearest garage, it seemed we were in for a long night. However God had other plans. My friend who could not drive had an AA card on him which he bought through his job with the council as a partner card with his wife who did drive. It covered him in any vehicle and promised to take the car to it's home destination. I was astonished but happy. The couple on the cottage let use their phone and we enquired of some Christian books we saw lying on a table. The couple were on a house exchange holiday with other Christians who were now at their house in England. We explained who we where. The atmosphere which had been cordial was suddenly one of family. We were invited to some tea and sandwiches and some good chat.

When the man came from the AA he was of course faced with a long trip to Edinburgh and back. Again we explained that we were Christians who had intended prison visiting. He told us his child at school had came home with a New Testament asking questions he couldn't answer. For the next two hours we all chatted and managed to witness for Christ. It was not at all an arduous journey.

I have no idea whether that AA man ever became a Christian. But like Philip we were satisfied the night had not been a wasted journey. We had been hoping to witness to some men in jail, but perhaps God wanted us to speak to that man, God had also firstly seen to our immediate needs, food, shelter, communication.

The Ethiopian was reading but had no knowledge of Isaiah and what the verses taught. Philip was told by God to walk alongside. He ended up unravelling scripture which revealed the Messiah Isaiah was prophesying of.

That night in Dumfries God introduced us to a brother and sister in Christ. Later he introduced us, a small part of the church to the man from the AA. The Ethiopian who did not know where to seek his saviour was led to read Isaiah and then introduced to a representative of the church in Philip.

Who is the church? No one asked what church we all attended, we merely accepted we were Brother's and Sister in Christ and welcomed each other as such. The Ethiopian did not ask what religion Philip followed but was shown WHO to follow. Who is the church? It is us, you and I and the Ethiopian or the man from the AA would recognise that when God inspired people to witness to His Truth, His Son our Lord Jesus