This week we have taken a look at the life of Philip - perhaps one of the lesser-known Christian leaders of the early church, but one who certainly lived an extraordinary life.
I want to remind us today that in Christ, ordinary people can live extraordinary lives.
Philip wasn't an angel or a superhero. He was a normal person - just like you and like me. But his faith in Christ, and his reliance on the Holy Spirit, meant that his life became quite extraordinary.
Rethinking What Extraordinary Looks Like
Perhaps you think: my life is pretty mundane. I have my home, my work, my hobbies, my church. It's all pretty ordinary.
I think the people in Acts, and in the Gospels, and in the whole Bible really, thought exactly the same thing. Most people feel that way.
But 'extraordinary' doesn't necessarily mean a wide impact. Perhaps that is where we get it wrong - we think the extraordinary people are those who touch the lives of many, many people. Maybe we put too much stock in numbers and stats!
Because there's something extraordinary about the young parents who love their child with the love of Christ. There's something extraordinary about the faithful churchgoer who shows up and does what they do with no fuss. There's something extraordinary about the ordinary employee who works hard but shines the love of Christ at work.
Philip, in the early days of the church, didn't necessarily have a huge reach in his work. But what he did, he did to the glory of God - and this made him extraordinary.
You Can Live Like Philip
As we explored his story this week, maybe somewhere in there was God's Word to you, saying: "You can do this sort of thing too."
Yes, you - you can be a table-tender like Philip, serving and loving with a joyful heart!
You can be a boundary-breaker like Philip, refusing to indulge any prejudice but treating all people with the same respect.
You can be a Spirit-seeker like Philip, living a life of simple devotion to God in daily Scripture reading and prayer.
You can be a legacy-leaver, practically living out your faith at home and wherever you go.
Friends, you and I are just like Philip, all these years later. Let's live extraordinary lives like he did - simply by living for Jesus in all things.
Lopez Lomong wrote the best essay he could for a chance at a new life in America, then left the outcome entirely in God's hands - consider today what you're still trying to control instead of committing to Him.