SPEAKER_00 0:14

Today's gospel reading is taken from the Gospel of Acts, chapter 8, verses 26 to 40. And together we say Together we say praise to Christ our Lord. Acts chapter 8, verses 26. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and go towards the south, to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court officer of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the spirit said to Philip, Go over and join his chariot. So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah, the prophet, and asked, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, How can I unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this Like the sheep, he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb before Isherah is silent. So he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation, justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth. And the eunuch said to Philip, About whom I ask you, does the prophet say this about himself or about someone else? Verse 35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water, what prevents me from being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip followed him and Exodus. And as he passed through, he preached the gospel to all the towns, until he came to see the gospel of Christ.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

Today we have Brother Wallace Salton, and he has a passion for evangelism. And since being baptized in the Holy Spirit, he's been empowered with courage and boldness to share God's love and preach the gospel to strangers. He's a senior medical technologist at uh Tantok Singh Hospital and currently worships at Life Church. He's graduated from Tongling Bible School back in 2015. And Wallace with his family, you know what? He is active in evangelism. There are many people who speak about evangelism. Many people agree evangelism is important. Well, he and his family they actually go out uh quite regularly to Bishon Park, to rollerblade, to jog, and to reach out to people and to bring the lost to Jesus. And um we want to welcome them this morning. He's here with his family, uh Joanna, and they have two beautiful children who I just met this morning. Yeah, and they are doing so well today. Uh, their daughter Eliana and their son Eliezer. And so uh we're really blessed to have them here this morning. Could we please give a very warm welcome? Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Okay, so uh yeah, the introduction about my family is done. And uh I remember I was here eight years ago. I was uh married, but now eight years later I've actually uh multiplied, you know. So thank God for it, and uh very thankful that even to be here to to share all my stories, you know, I got so much to share with such a limited time, but I'm gonna do my best, okay? So here we are. Uh does it work? Yes, so these are the slides that uh I mean pictures of my outreach over there, all kinds of stories, all kinds of testimonies, and I just want to say that um it's life, the testimonies are real, it's happening not just 10 years ago, it's just every time I go outreach, it's just all the way it's um I got so much stories to share. So when we cycle with a purpose, we join with a purpose, and even when the kids are actually learning uh blading, right? They are actually uh you know on the way to this process where the family is gonna be on wheels, you know, just gonna just reach out together as a whole, right? So we also do uh outreach in Amokyo door to door. And if you haven't had a copy of my book, right? I mean, the first edition was many years ago, but now currently I actually have the fourth edition, it's a revised edition, and it has all the stories and analogies compiled together in a very systematic manner, including the return of Christ. So I want to encourage you to just get a copy out there, just ten dollars. I think it's somewhere in the refreshment area. And uh yeah, so that's the whole series that I do. I just focusing on in one preaching uh sermon today. And so we go on to the text now, right? Acts chapter 8, verse 26. I think the reader has already uh shared the passage. Uh-huh. But shall we uh take time to pray first? Can I do that? Can I? Father, I come to you this morning and thank you for this moment. I pray that the words that is being preached forth will always produce fruits, it will never return void. And this morning I ask you will awaken the eyes of your congregation here to know that evangelism is made possible, it is made simple. And I ask just today that you hide me behind the shadow of the cross and that your glory is the one that takes over, that we must decrease and you must increase. So come and take over this moment. All this I ask and pray in Jesus' name. Okay, so let's move right straight to the utopian. So an angel of the Lord said to Philip, no, go south to the road, the desert road. So you can see this little map over here. Yeah, it's kind of um a little geographical uh area, it's like quite Ulu spot. So the background of this utopian, right, is actually an important official super VIP traveling to Jerusalem to worship and the seeker of his word. Right? Uh yeah. So I want to point out three important points, okay, for this unage, right? So you can see that three points is race, he's a gentile. Gentile, very important point, okay. Then location-wise, in the super Ulu remote area, and third one is defect, okay? Defect is like one of the important points because in Deuteronomy 23, right? So anyone who has been emasculated cannot enter the assembly of God. And Leviticus 21 also talks about if you have a defect, you actually cannot come near the temple to worship. But yet, all these points, you see, all these points doesn't deter him from being safe. And there's a very strong evidence of him being safe, you know. He actually went to the water, he got baptized. And so, nothing actually stops the Lord. His hands are never too short to reach, you know. So I want to share with you this testimony, right? So over here in somewhere way back ago, right? Me and my wife were actually uh jogging at lower piers, and we met this uh very at the Ulu spot, you know, somewhere at the you know, this gravel area that she was sitting below, hiding somewhere, you know, and we just crawled over and we just went to talk to her. Very young adult, Hwa Chong JC. We talked a long time, we were searching for like directions and everything. So I asked, you know, so do you know where you're supposed to go after these studies, right? And she was like, Don't know. Why do you ask Jesus to be your shepherd? He's the one that guides, you know. So, long story short, it ended very long. It was late around 7 p.m., so it was dark. And so we offered to give her a lift to a nearby bus stop and marriage. So we stopped there. I went behind the booth, I passed her a Bible, and I wrote, wrote, wrote uh my wife's contact number down on the track, and then I just never saw her again. And amazing thing is that one month later, she actually texted saying that, hey, you know what? Uh hi Joanna, you know, I met your husband and dropped off a marriage. And so basically, she's saying that someone else led her to Christ a few days ago, you know, and she just wanted to say thanks, you know. So when I hear this news, right, I was actually so excited that even though I learned this important lesson that I may forget the person, you see, but God never forgets. You know, God continues the act of sowing, bringing people into a path. And so we come to the first application point. Number one is that no obstacle can place a person beyond the saving call of the good news. No obstacle, no, whether it's defect, race, or geographical remoteness. So that I think is such a tremendous encouragement to me when I'm out there reaching out. So let's go on to Philip, okay? So one of my favorite characters here, seven original deacons from Acts chapter six, right? And it's a super evangelist, right? We know in Acts chapter eight, like he has this thriving ministry, he's out there, he's like um preaching, he's healing, he's delivering, you know, people get saved, and then the paralytic get healed, and so kind of all kinds of stories. And then suddenly God just called him and said that Philip, I want you to this Ulu place somewhere in uh Samaria, you know, then it's like some wilderness, you know, then he's like, huh? If I were Philip, I'll be like, God, you know, I'm I'm doing well here, you know, it's like such a nice place, you know, I'm very fruitful here. Why don't you call me to this Oulu place? No, why? So Philip is like with little information but yet complete trust in God, he sets out, and that's what I call obedience, you know. It's like 100% obedience, even though we don't understand, you know so because of the obedience, right? God has this helicopter view, you know. We can't see from our limited viewpoint, but God has a helicopter view, and just that single step of obedience by Philip, right? We got salvation of the utopian unage, you know, and the gospel goes to Africa. Can you imagine? No, wow, single step of obedience. So the question that I have for you is are you willing to be obedient even if it doesn't make sense? And add another emphasis: even in the midst of persecution, will you still go forth to reach out?

unknown 11:49

Right?

SPEAKER_01 11:49

In the book of Acts, people are being persecuted and yet they will still go forth and share the good news. So for me, it's how we started, is many years ago. I remember uh God spoke to me and says that you know, uh, why don't He's like telling me in my heart saying, Wallace, no, go forth and reach out in Bishan Park and rollerblade and share the gospel. That was what God impressed very deep in my heart. I was like, huh? What? You know, no evangelism 101 course and everything, you know. So I just went, took a track, and I rollerblade, and the first time I see the person like Pastor Daniel, very scary, you know, like I see them, oh then see, and then the other person was very scary, I see yum the whole night, uh nothing, you know, and then I was like resting at this spot, and there was this lady jogger that just finished jogging, and I was like 9 p.m. I was like, Oh my god, this is it, you know, my last chance, you know. Did I hear clearly from you? You know, yes, I did hear. So I went and approached her, trembling with my hands, you know, like lady some more, no, what is this, you know, at night some more? So all kinds of questions, you know. So I went and approached her and said, Hi, can I share with you about this track? And stammering, you know. Then she looked at me with a very weird look, and I was like, I just want to share with you this gospel, and I just started to share a little bit. And then, long story short, I just shared my testimony of how I received Christ. And at the end of it, the lady started to tear, you know, she was just tearing, and I was like, Oh, are you okay? You know, she said that I've been looking for meaning and purpose, you know. I want that Jesus that you have. And I was like, Okay, do you want to receive Christ? And I yes, and so I just prayed a simple serious prayer. Next day, brought her to church and connected her with the sisters, and I told God, you know, wow, God, like that also can came on, you know. So I was like there every week at Bishang Park, rollerblading, reaching out all kinds of stories, broadcast my testimonies, and then I went to Tongling, got equipped, and then I wrote a book, and it's like wow, you know, then suddenly the flood gets open. God just opened the doors to go forth to different churches to preach, minister, equip the body of Christ. And it all started with that single step of obedience. Will you go forth to be obedient? Right? Now, let's go to Philip, right, the heart of evangelism. I love this part because he is such an inspiration to me, you know. And I break it into three points. Number one is that do you actually know the word of God? Do you know the word of God? Philip knew that what the Yunaj was saying is actually from Isaiah 53 because he knew the word of God. Imagine if I'm at a pantry, right? And then a colleague is like saying, you know, uh, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten Son, you know, that whoever shall believe in him will not perish but eternal life. Can you imagine that you do not know that is John 3.16? Can you imagine? It's a bit strange, right? So the question is, do you actually know what the gospel is? You know, the full gospel. Is it like some sort of ticket to heaven, you know, or is it a gospel where you preach about prosperity? Believe in Jesus, you know, you can become rich one, you know. Believe in Jesus, he can heal you. Your life will get better. Is it the kind of gospel that we're talking about? The answer is no. Because you can see um right in the scriptures over there, right? In 2 Timothy chapter 4, there will come a time in the last days, and we are living in the last days now that people will no longer pull up with sound doctrine. They will just suit their itching ears, you know. I want to hear this, you know, what their itching ears want to hear, and they will turn away from the truth. The time has come. Look at all the LGBT agendas out there. There are even churches that endorse same-sex marriage. Doctrines are getting haywire. Well, you preach the correct gospel. The gospel that starts right from the cross, it's not like a ticket to heaven, not some sort of fire insurance, but it goes all the way to discipleship and all the way to the return of Christ, preparing as a bride. So with the church that the person that comes to church stays in the church, you don't escape by some back door because of a flawed gospel that was preached. So, all this I'm going to cover in my workshop in a lot of details, right? From beginning. So, I want to encourage you to sign up for the workshop. I can share stories, analogies, and all kinds of tools to illustrate this point to make it uh very simple for the user to understand. So, uh second point, this one is also important, a wheeling vessel. Are you willing to be close to people? Or are you just staying in your own comfort zone, your own cocoon? You know, are you going to be out there talking to people, knowing their Christ, knowing their struggles, their challenges, and then you introduce Jesus at the entry point, right? If someone is going through uh direction searching, you share Jesus as the shepherd. Someone is going through loneliness, you share Jesus as the father to the lonely. Are you close to people, right? And you can see in Acts chapter 8, verse 1, right? Uh sorry, let me just go back a bit. Oops, I went all the way back. Uh Acts chapter 8, verse 1, right? So actually, it talks about a very important scriptures, right? So I read this and I was very astounded because in Acts 8 1, right? On that day, a great persecution broke out against the church of Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered, you know. All except the apostles. So you underline that in your Bible. The super apostles were all in Jerusalem, and ordinary people like you and me were out there sharing the gospel, wheeling vessels, you know, used by God. Why not, right? Why not? And the third point is Holy Spirit leading and empowerment. You need the Holy Spirit, you need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the and and and the verse says very clearly, you know, and you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you shall be my spectators or like eye power, you know, no witnesses, right? You're supposed to come forth and step forth to witness for Christ. That is your role. So I'm gonna share with you this um this testimony, right? So uh I was meeting my insurance agent like two years ago, father of two kids, and before meeting him, I was praying. I was praying for him, you know. And uh at the end I just signed some savings plan and just finished about 10 minutes. Then I spent time talking to him. You know, have you been to church? Do you know God? You know, and he tells me he's in this mega church, and he's like very lost, you know, and eventually somehow or another he just backslided. So I went forth, right? And I actually went to take the word of God, you know, and I laid out to him, you know, step by step, what is the biblical test for Christianity and time narratives, and I prayed for him and I released the word from Philippians 1.6, you know, the work that God has done, he will bring forth to completion in his life. And so he was like so um, so how do I say overwhelmed, you know, to a point that he messaged me saying that, Wallace, you know, I truly believe our meetup is planned by Jesus to remind me of my detachment. And then next, you know, after that sign, you know, follow-up signs, whatever stuff, right? Uh one month later, right? So I did a Bible study with him. Five steps of biblical truth. I went through scriptures, emphasized Jesus as Lord and Savior, and eventually he went back to church. And guess what? You know, just last month, you know, a sung out another plan, you know, and then he was he wanted to meet me, but somehow his wife was hospitalized, he couldn't meet me, and so he he he messaged me this very interesting thing. Wallace, I actually wanted to meet you, but for some selfish reason, right? I really wanted to come because I wanted you to pray for my wife. Wow. Two years later, he's still in the Lord, somehow he's still in the Lord, you know. And remember one uh thing this just three days ago, or two days ago, right? He came again, and then we went through some plan, you know, and then me and my family, we got the kids to come and we actually prayed for him. We prayed for him, you know. Wow! So is it possible? Word of God, willing vessel, and holy spirit guidance. So that's our second application. No, are you willing to be fully obedient, equipped with the word of God, willing to be close to people, empowered by the Holy Spirit? Ask yourself these questions. And now finally, Philip, right? Three sub points I want to anchor in before I close the whole sermon, uh close the sermon. It's like first point is whoever the person. You look at Philip, right? He's like utopian, gentile, you know, something that's just never come across his mind, you know. But yet in our modern context, right, how can the word of God be relevant to us? It can be anyone, like cabinet minister, the cleaner, the principal, the colleague, Filipinos, Indonesian, you know, anyone, whoever that has breath and made it the image of God, you know, that is a potential witness for Christ. Right? And so scriptures actually anchors it, you know, that Acts 11, right? The men from Cyprus and Cyrene, they went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks. And a great number has been added. So this they speak to anyone who's over out who is uh when they're going through persecution, right? And so I want to share this example, right? So whoever the person, right? This this doctor came to actually attach to my lab, right? 3rd February. And so um she's a consultant, right? I'm yes, I'm here, a medical technologist, and I just okay, go through some workflow, share with you some how the lab procedure works and everything. So at that moment, there was a half an hour incubation period. So and right at that time, my partner who is opposite me, right, went for a break. So I was just alone with her at the corner of the lab, you know, and then I started to ask her questions, you know. So, how your Sundays like as a doctor, you know? She's like, Oh, I used to attend church, but not consistent, you know, there's post-night calls and there's tiredness and all this stuff. And then I started to share with her about Jesus being the shepherd. I shared with her about this uh handful of analogy, and I brought her to the purpose of why God is supposed to be central in our lives. And I began to preach the word of God, you know, and then at that moment, right, the Holy Spirit must have touched her because she was tearing up, you know. And she's like, Wow, I know what I must do. I need to come back to God again, you know. So is it possible? Yes, it is possible, you know. That at any moment you can outreach, you know. And then after that, right, my partner came back, you know, and then we just continue talking about work stuff, right? And then I pass her two tracks with her permission. So is it possible, whoever the person, possible, right? Working with a purpose. And the next one, wherever the location, you know, for Philip it's like a wilderness, desert road, but yet for us, modern context can be anywhere. MLT stations, workplace, you know, petrol stations, you know, the NTUC where you used to go to, it is possible, right? And so scripture says, right, in Acts chapter 8, right, those who had been scattered preach the word wherever they went. Wherever they went, right? That's what scripture says.

unknown 22:33

Right?

SPEAKER_01 22:33

So wherever the location, I just want to share with you, right? On our trip to uh Australia, taxi driver, right? The best, you know, they're just sitting with you for 20 minutes, right? And you have to listen to you, right? So I began to share with him, you know. Uh he was telling me about his daughter in Sydney, and we talk about some parent-child stuff, right? And I began to use a washing machine analogy, you know. How can you be sure your daughter is okay in Sydney, you know? For all the influences out there, and then you just talk about really as a father's heart to the daughter. And then she tells me, you know, oh, actually, my daughter has been reaching out to me, you know. She's been telling me about Jesus, and now you come and tell me again, you know. So at the end of the whole cap journey, I passed him a track, and he was so thankful. He shook my hand, you know, and said, Thank you for this. It's possible, right? And then next one, you know, uh, I remember at the strawberry farm where uh where my kids were actually engaging another child that was playing, they were playing together with the child. So kids they got they got work to do. So they started to engage, and then the the mother was sitting there, and then we started to creep towards the mother and the hi. My wife was talking to her, and so she's a Muslim from Kuwait, you know, Kuwait, you know, has a son from the first marriage, and she married in Australia, who's attending church, and they have a four-year-old daughter. So we talked about marriage and family, you know, and we shared our testimony, Ephesians 5, and just preaching to her about God's design. And she was just listening and listening and thanking us for our time. Is it possible? Yeah, it's possible. And uh this one I want to share, it's quite interesting because we were attending a church in Albany, right? And after the service ended, I remember, right, uh the pastor was talking about uh Book of Acts. And so the pastor was walking down the aisle, I was somewhere at the side, and then God dropped me this verse, you know, Isaiah 40, verse 31, in my heart. Right, those who hope in the Lord, right, they were always running and got worried, you know, that verse, right? And so at the end of the service, I approached the pastor. I said, Hey pastor, you know, thanks for sharing, you know, fellowship with a lot. And I said, I have this verse for you, you know, Isaiah 40, 31. Can I pray for you? And the pastor looked at me, right? He paused for a while, looked at me in the eye, and says, That verse was on my brother's tombstone, you know. He passed away last month. Wow! And I was like, Wow, he was so encouraged that God actually knew what he was going through. And he used a Singaporean man to speak forth a prophecy into his life that encouraged him. Why not, right? Wherever the location it is possible, right? And so going to the third sub point is whatever the means, you know. So don't put God in a box. Don't put him in the box, you know, whatever the means, you know, whether it's rollerblading or reaching out or home visitation interest groups, you know. So the scripture tells us, you know, I become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some. All possible means. Last two stories before I overstruck my timing, okay? So much to share, right? So, whatever the means, right? I met this medical student. I I know my wife was not feeling well, so we wanted to, I just want to get the kids out. How many of you parents here understand, right? The wife needs rest. So we get the kids out, and so with the school thing, and then we just met this interesting guy, this medical student, young adult, Li Kong Chen Medical School. So I was telling him, right, if you look at a car, a Hyundai car, right, the fact that a car exists, there must be a car company to make all the tires, whatever, right? And so, what about the human eye? Look at the eye, the the hundreds of nerves, uh, glycoma, everything. He's a medical student, no, there must be a creator. And so he agreed, there is a creator. And so I preached the whole gospel, and long story short, right? I passed him a Bible, passed him a tract, and I got the kids to come together and pray for him. And he was so touched, you know. He was late for school, no, but he still listened throughout. And our dear Ileana, you know, passed him a franji penny flower and said, you know, hey, God loves you, you know. God loves you, and he was like so you know, so touched by a little gesture, right? Right? And uh last one before I finish, there's two um China contacts, one China, one Malaysia, you know. So very interesting. Um they were asking this question because they wish to attend church, then they backslid because they cannot answer this question. No, no, the their question is if God is all loving and sovereign, why put the tree of knowledge and evil? No, why do you put someone there to stumble? Right? So basically it was in Mandarin. I was just talking in Mandarin, like yes, to us, use a Google translate. But somehow I managed to answer the question. I used a knife analogy, you know. Knife analogy is very simple. I was like, somehow the God just spoke to me about this thought. So if my kids are playing, right, and I tell them, you know, don't play with knives. If I don't have the knives in front of them, how do I know whether they are obedient? There's no test of obedience, right? But if the knives are in front and I told the kids instruction, commandment, do not play with knives. And then I go to one corner and I look, you know, and then somehow my kids were there talking among each other, T-J, look at the knives, you know, it's so nice, I want to play, you know. And then my then Iliana says, No, cannot, Titi, cannot play. Daddy says cannot play because he says so. I trust him. He knows the full story, you know, he knows what's good and bad for us. So let's trust Daddy, let's play something else, right? And I, the father at the corner, I look, wow, how do you think I'll feel? I feel so proud. Because they have listened to my commandments, even if it doesn't make sense, right? So, and that's how Father uh Heavenly Father feels. And suddenly this Chinese guy, right, is like, whoa chella, understood already, light bug moment, you know, wow, finally I understood, and then he decides to go back to church, you know. Wow, so amazing, right? So, what I'm trying to say is that even though it's a Chinese contact, but the the verse says, right, Matthew 28, surely I'm with you always. When you're doing the work of evangelism, he is with you. When I go back home and rehearse, I cannot, but when I'm at that spot, right, God enabled me, you know. So isn't it amazing that it's true, you know, when you're out there reaching out, he is really with you, in accordance to Matthew 28. So that leaves the third application point, right? So, whoever the person, wherever the location, whatever the means. So that's um, you know, those who were keen to join me in the outreach, you can sign up later. Let's practice what we have learned after the equipping workshop, right? And so, in summary, right, I just want to share, right? So, this is what I've been taught, this is the application point, and I just want to mention something that like what uh our brother shared is that you know, knowing the word of God is different from living it out, it's different from living out the word and reaching out and preaching whenever it's possible.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

We pray that you've been ministered to by the word of God today. If you'd like to know more about Ishun Christian Church, please visit our website at yccanglican.com. Have a blessed day.