The theme for day five is evangelistic outreach from Acts 8 where and what we find that those who are ready to preach the good news, those who are ready to share the gospel, often found themselves with divine appointments. They were at the right place at the right time to tell the gospel to someone that was ready to hear. Here, Philip was preaching the gospel throughout Samaria with good results in
Acts 8:12 “But when they believed Philip as he* was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being baptized.”
And then, Philip heard a strange word from the Lord in
Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get up and go toward the south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)
Philip was only told to go and stand on a road outside of town. He did not tell him what to do when he got there he simply said go. As Philip responded he found that there was a man in a chariot in
Acts 8:27 And he got up and went, and behold, there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch (a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasury) who had come to worship in Jerusalem
Then the spirit spoke to him again in
Acts 8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Approach and join this chariot.”
You can imagine Philip wondering who’s out on this desert road and trying to act natural as he introduces himself to this man. God was positioning Philip to be in the right place to minister the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch who was ready to receive it. There are moments when people are ready to receive the gospel. These windows of time don’t come naturally, they often require some preparation as Philip went to this desert place and as Paul later went to Jerusalem even though the prophets told him trouble waited for him. Paul spent two years in prison before he was able to present the gospel to the Roman governor of Israel and the king of Israel and his wife.
These windows of time come when God is drawing someone. They may come when someone has received bad news or when they’ve experienced loss or heartbreak, it may happen with a change in job or can also happen when someone is just seeking the Lord. Philip responded to the voice of the Lord and did what may have seemed silly to him, and as he did, the Ethiopian eunuch responded by listening and then saying in
Acts 8:36–38 And as they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water—Philip and the eunuch—and he baptized him.
Right there he received the Lord and was baptized.
As you begin to read and pray through Acts 8, ask God to raise you up and to raise up other Philips in your city to follow the leading of his spirit and to share the message of Jesus with people that are ready to hear. Pray for divine appointments to be set and fulfilled for effective evangelism. Ask the Father to send laborers into all parts of your community where Jesus is not known as Jesus did in
Luke 10:2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.
Begin to get specific in your prayers and ask the father for divine appointments in your county courthouse, local hospital, with the police and sheriff departments, with paid and volunteer organizations in your community. The object is to penetrate unique groupings of people with the Gospel. Also, pray creatively for a breakthrough with special interest organizations such as motorcycle clubs, an arts appreciation league, or a single parent co-op. Include media outlets in your prayer list then pray specifically that they are redeemed for the kingdom God to publish good news. As you pray expect breakthroughs in low-income projects, nursing homes, drug houses, local teenage hangouts, apartment complexes. Wherever there are people, there is a need for us to be a visible witness for Christ. And where the gospel is preached and accepted, it produces results as in
Acts 8:8 And there was great joy in that city.
Imagine the joy caused by healed marriages, change lives, and lower crime rates as public testimonies about Christ happens right where you are.
The Word Guiding Prayer for the Day
Matthew 28:19–20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.”
Matthew 9:37–38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.”
Acts 8:4 Now those who had been scattered went about proclaiming the good news of the word.
John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name—that one will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything that I said to you.
The Needs
Intercede
Intercede that the gospel will be preached Word has not been heard
Acts 8:4
Matthew 28:19
Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord for raising up Phillips to evangelize the following areas
Acts8:5-7
- Court systems
- Medical complexes
- Police, fire, and emergency services
- Industrial areas
Redeem
Redeem in prayer media groups:
- Newspapers
- Radio
- Television
- Social Media
Seek
Seek God for the following leaders in local and trans-local governments to be saved
Acts 8:35
2 Timothy 1:1-6
- Name local leaders and pray for them.
- Name state leaders and pray for them.
- Pray for a Christian witness in your state capital and in Washington DC
- Pray for the president and his staff
Expect
Expect breakthroughs for professions of faith in difficult areas such as low-income housing projects, apartment units, drug cultures, jails, prisons, nursing homes and more.
2 Timothy 4:5
Acts 8:8
Answers
Record answers to corporate prayer.
Matthew 18:19–20 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask, it will be done for them from my Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Day 5 Reading
- Acts 8:1-40
References
- 1. Teykl, T. (Dr.). (1997), Acts 29: 50 Days to Invite the Holy Spirit. Prayer Point Pr. https://www.amazon.com/Acts-29-Days-Invite-Spirit/dp/1578920450/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ref_=nav_signin&&linkCode=ll1&tag=prayny-20&linkId=f53533b082e7ab3aa9a206bf08fd85db&language=en_US
