The Monday Memo from John Stanko

875: Go and . . . Stay Near

As we continue the "Go and . . ." series, we want to look at the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch:

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it" (Acts 8:26-29).

Here are some interesting things that stand out to me from this encounter.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

1. The angel of the Lord and the Spirit spoke to Philip. This was not an extraordinary event, but seemed to be normal in the life of Philip. Is it normal in your life? If not, why not? Do you even believe this is possible or normal?
2. The Lord spoke to Philip regarding his purpose (evangelism) and not some random act of kindness. God will speak to you about your purpose as well. You should expect exceptional guidance where your purpose is concerned.
3. Philip received specific, detailed instructions about he was to do—what road he was to travel and who he was to meet.
4. Philip did not receive specific, detailed instructions about what he was to do once he got there. That only came once he obeyed and went. You may be waiting for information that is not forthcoming. God may direct you to go and you find out what you are to do once you arrive—not before.
5. Even once Philip obeyed and got hear the chariot, the Spirit did not tell him what to do. He had to come to his own conclusion that he was near so he could hear, and once he heard, he initiated contact with the eunuch. You may be waiting for specific instructions that will never come, for you are expected to use your brain and reasoning ability to deduce what God wants you to do.
6. Philip did not have to exert much energy to find the expression for his purpose, but he had to exert great energy to fulfill it. The Lord spoke to him—that was the easy part—but then he had to travel by foot to meet the eunuch. You will work in your purpose, but not to find your purpose. God wants you to know, but then God expects you to "walk" down the desert road He shows you and apply your creativity to what you see and hear.
   

We have looked in past Memos at how you will see things in your purpose that no one else sees. It is easy to assume everyone sees what you see, but they don't, because they aren't wired like you are. The same is true for what you hear. Others would have heard the eunuch and not known what to do, but Philip knew because it involved his purpose. It is similar to Nehemiah when he heard the report of how bad the conditions were in Jerusalem. Others heard the report, but only Nehemiah was moved to action. When you hear things that pertain to your purpose, you will be moved while others have no idea what's happening. If you expect them to move as you do, you will be disappointed or miss your opportunity to serve the Lord.

PERSONAL EXAMPLES

I can't say that God has spoken to me to write any of my books. I am a writer, I have ideas, so I conclude that I am to act on those ideas, without waiting for a sign from heaven. In fact, signs are for the unbelieving, not those who have faith: "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah" (Matthew 16:4). The sign of Jonah was Jesus' resurrection and that certainly did not convince the unbelievers who were set against Jesus' and His ministry.

I have done a lot of work in Africa, but I cannot say God has always directed my work. He has directed me to go, and I find what I am to do once I obey and go. If I stay near to my friends there via social media and then personal visits, my days are full of purposeful activity that is fulfilling and joyful. What's more, I seldom leave Africa before I schedule my next visit. How do I know if I have chosen the right date to return? I don't, but I make my choice and count on God to show me if I am not supposed to go. In most cases, I end up returning on the dates I have chosen—in faith.

Where or to whom does God want you to go and stay near? You go in faith and only then will you know what else you are to do. When you hear it, you will know it, but you have to act with the same faith that caused you to obey and go in the first place. This should help you de-mystify the concept of obedience, for while the Lord may initiate your good deeds, you will have to decide when and how to fulfill them. Don't worry, God's not trying to trick you. He wants you to be fruitful, so you can go and do in the freedom you have in Christ. Have a blessed week!

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KENYA NEEDS: I am trusting the Lord for $400 this week to send to Kenya for the needs there. Last week, the $300 need was met—who can help me this week with this faith goal to help the poor? You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you for your help.

874: Go and . . . Report

Every week, I think this series is about to end and every week I find something new to write about to continue it. I know I have at least one more after this one, but who knows, there may be more. This week we look at what the Lord said in Isaiah 21:6: "Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees. When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.”

The Lord was sending His word to Israel through the mouth of a lookout and He is still doing the same thing today. Let's examine that in the context of your life purpose.

THE LOOKOUT REVISITED

In Ezekiel 33:7-9, the Lord warned His prophet about not sharing what he saw:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved."

Ezekiel could not afford to assume that everyone saw or heard what he did. He had to express what he saw -- in a sense express who he was -- or God would hold him accountable for not sharing his insight. Many people apply this concept only to the prophetic ministry, but it has larger implications. You are also a watchman for God's people in the purpose God has assigned you, and God wants you to feel the same pressure Ezekiel felt as you express it.

YOUR UNIQUE INSIGHT

Your purpose causes you to see the world as no one else sees it. What you see is so clear and natural, however, you believe that everyone must see it, and if they are not acting on it, they must be disobedient or lazy. What you misunderstand is that your view of the world is unique to who God made you to be. if you don't express what you see through art, the written word, starting a business that meets a need, or some other creative expression, you are depriving the world of a contribution no one else can make.

My purpose is to create order out of chaos. When I look at a person or a situation, I see the potential and quite often it is so clear to me that I wonder why others don't respond. They don't respond because they can't see it; only I can see it. My job is then to find a way to share what I see or else it won't ever have a chance to be seen by others.

When you walk into a room and see hurting people, you can get angry that no one is helping them because their pain is so obvious to you. Have you ever considered that the others cannot see their pain, and you are the one to point out the pain but then are the one to do something about it? When you say, "Someone should do something about this or that," have you considered that no one is doing anything because they cannot see the need or don't feel what you feel?

God is holding you accountable to help others according to the gifts and insight He has given you. Stop complaining about how others aren't doing something about your burden and do something yourself. It's time that you take your place on the wall and tell the people what you see, however you are wired to do that. When you do, you will begin to see that God has designed you to be His special envoy to the world with a message found only in you. If you don't respond to what you see when you stand on the wall, then God's cause will be hindered and the people will never have what only you can provide. Have a blessed week.

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MINISTRY NEED: This has been a challenging time financially in my ministry work. I have a special need of $300 and ask you to consider helping me help them at this time. You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you!

873: Go and . . . Ask

This past week, I finished editing the revisions on my second book I ever wrote, I Wrote This Book on Purpose . . . so You Can Know Yours (to be released in time for Christmas 2018). This expanded edition will include seven PurposeCoach sessions not in the 1997 version. In one of those sessions, I discussed the importance of asking good questions in order to find good answers. That made me think of this week's verse, "The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying" (Acts 9:11).

The Lord gave this command to a man named Ananias and the man who was praying was Saul, who later became known as Paul. Let's examine this "go and" encounter that both men had with the Lord to see what we can learn and apply to our lives.

MORE INFORMATION

The Lord and Ananias went back and forth about this assignment:

"In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name" (Acts 9:12-16).

Ananias did not have enough information after God's command, so in essence, he ashed a question for clarification: "Are you sure, Lord? You want me to go? I have heard that this Saul is a dangerous man!" The Lord let Ananias know the purpose He had for Saul, which gave Ananias confidence for his own safety. Notice that the Lord had shown Saul a man was going to pray and heal him from his blindness.

LESSONS

What can we learn from these few verses?

1. The Lord was not offended when Ananias asked for clarification.
2. While both men had a supernatural encounter with God, neither one of them could be complete or obedient without the help of the other.
3. Saul was praying and waiting for Ananias to come and set him free.
4. Ananias was given the specifics of where Saul was, but he didn't know who he was, so he had to ask for him by name.

There are people who are waiting for you to fulfill your purpose. They cannot move on because God has created a partnership between their need and what you have to meet that need. Your procrastination of hesitation causes them to continue in their situation because you have the key to open their locked door of opportunity, freedom, or understanding. Those people waiting may be across the street, across your town, or across the globe. Your job is to find them. God will give you the specifics but you must "go and ask" for the opportunity that God has assigned you.

That means you have to have faith that you have heard from the Lord. Then you have to get up and go, trusting it will be as God described when you get there. There may be some perceived danger in what you are called to do, which doesn't disqualify what you heard, for God knows more about the circumstances than you do. That only adds to the faith element you need to succeed.

 I encourage you to ask all the questions you need about what you are to do, but by all means get busy doing it. People's lives hang in the balance, so you must write your book, make your trips, start your business, or do whatever else you need so you can "go and ask" for the opportunity for which you have prepared. When you go and come back, I promise you will have a testimony of how God used you as His agent to set someone free who knows you are coming, but just doesn't know when. Have a blessed week.

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KENYA NEEDS: This has been the slowest season of giving to my ministry since 2014 and the needs in Kenya, as well as my own, are great. Please give a gift to my work, either by using PayPal on my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA 15221-0882. Thank you and God bless you!

872: Go and . . . See

Up to this point in the "Go and . . ." series, each of the commands to go and do something have been issued by the Lord. This week, we look at an order that came from a human agent, this time Jacob, Joseph's father. We know Joseph was his father's favorite son, so he kept him close to home while the other sons were out tending the herds. The other brothers hated Joseph, and Jacob miscalculated the depth of their hatred, so he naively sent Joseph on a reconnaissance mission to check on how the brothers were doing: “Go and see if your brothers are safe and if the flock is all right; then come back and tell me.” So his father sent him on his way from Hebron Valley" (Genesis 37:14a).

Little did Joseph and Jacob know that this would be the last time they would see each other for 22 years. Joseph found his brothers but never got to bring back a report because they sold him into slavery, then sealed their crime with a lie that he had been attacked and killed by a wild animal.

GOD WAS IN IT

There is an interesting twist to the story that is found in the verses immediately following Jacob's commissioning:

Joseph arrived at Shechem and was wandering around in the country when a man saw him and asked him, “What are you looking for?” "I am looking for my brothers, who are taking care of their flock,” he answered. “Can you tell me where they are?” The man said, “They have already left. I heard them say that they were going to Dothan.” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan (Genesis 37:14b-17).

Who was this man who helped guide Joseph to his fate at the hands of his brothers? We don't know, but without him, Joseph would not have found his brothers. God used the man to ensure that Joseph would get to Egypt and carry out God's plan, as Joseph later acknowledged: “Don't be afraid; I can't put myself in the place of God. You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened" (Genesis 50:19b-20). The psalmist corroborated Joseph's perspective when he wrote:

The Lord sent famine to their country and took away all their food. But he sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who had been sold as a slave. His feet were kept in chains,and an iron collar was around his neck until what he had predicted came true. The word of the Lord proved him right (Psalm 105:16-19).

RESTING IN HIM

Your life may have been changed forever by a chance meeting, an accident, or an unexpected catastrophe or setback, and you have reflected on that event, wondering "what if" it had never happened. You may still be in the midst of the consequences so the full result has not ripened or appeared for the event to make sense. That is where faith comes in. I once read that the less we feel or understand, the more we should trust. If your life doesn't make sense, if there was an event you considered routine that turned into a life-changer, then it's time to trust God all the more.

I have been reflecting lately on the many life disappointments I have had in ministry. It seems most of what I have done or begun has not ended the way I had hoped, and I have been facing the reality that I have a broken heart where ministry is concerned. I am not sharing that for sympathy, but it is a reality, and I find myself often declaring, "Lord, I trust You, I trust You." I am speaking the truth, but that truth cannot gloss over or anesthetize the pain that is there. I look back and see my times where I went to find my brothers, only to be sent off in a direction I did not anticipate, and I feel like I am still waiting for the outcome and resolution, which may not come before I pass into God's presence.

I am resting in God these days and not my own perspective, for my insight is limited, and as Joseph said, "I can't put myself in the place of God." I am trusting the Lord that my path is the one He ordained, even when I lack His understanding on the end result. I invite you to join me as we follow in the steps of Joseph to walk out our lives, trusting that what we have often declared is really the truth: The Lord reigns. Have a blessed week.