This week we’ve watched the Holy Spirit help the first Christians get woke. What is “woke”? Is it “awake”? If this is the first post you’re reading in this five-part series, I encourage you to pause and start with the first one here.
As we studied the amazing events of Acts 8:4-40, which tell the story of the ministry of Philip, we saw what the Spirit of God did in Samaria and with the Ethiopian Eunuch. What did we learn?
1st – We need to be aware of our relationship with God. Are we in the kind of relationship where we are just talking to him? Or are we digging into his words, are we sitting still and learning his voice? Are we able to see where he is moving within our lives, our families, our communities?
2nd – How well do you know your community? At a time like this do you know who around you might be in need? Who might need encouragement? Who might need to see Jesus and his love for them?
3rd – We aren’t all going to go out and move across the globe, especially now when we can’t really leave our homes because of the virus. But do you know what is going on in different countries? In different cultures? Even in ones that we might consider our “enemies.” Are you “woke” to those things?
4th – Pray for God’s love and mercy to be with them just as much as you want it for yourself. He loves deeply, across all cultural, ethnic, and economic barriers. Ask God to grow that in you. During this time when you are a bit more “stuck,” use it to study his heart in this and to ask him to grow your heart to be more and more like his in this area. The more we look like him the more beautiful and hopeful the world will be. Certainly not without trial and struggle, but with hope, joy, and the movement of God. Here are some suggestions for further study:
Read Eric Mason, Woke Church. Read James Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree.
Listen to the “Seeing White” episodes of the podcast Scene on Radio. Listen the the podcast 1619.
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