Miracles and Training

Acts 8:26-31 tells the story of Philip on the road to Samaria. It’s quite the story – Phillip is told by God to go to a particular road, and to just be there. While he’s there, an eunuch from the court of Queen Candace rides by, reading in his chariot. He’s reading the prophet Isaiah, and Philip, running alongside him, overhears this and asks him if he understands what he’s reading. He doesn’t, and invites Philip to sit with him and explain it to him.

Philip was used miraculously by God in this story – he’s given clear instructions by the Holy Spirit on who to engage and how, and later on he simply vanishes and reappears elsewhere – it’s pretty intense stuff! But there’s one thing that happens entirely analytically, and that’s the core of the event – Philip, sitting beside the Ethiopian in his chariot, and explaining to him the meaning of the words of Isaiah.

Training is valuable in the Kingdom of God. In fact, training is valuable in any arena of life. Whether it’s a direct intervention of God or just the course of life that brings us into contact with others – in a job interview or on the bus or street, in a coffee shop, or wherever it happens to be, when there’s something that needs to be understood, it’s normally what we have already inside of us – our experiences and training and history – that is shared with others.

I once heard a pastor speak to a bunch of people whose tendency was to “rely on the Spirit” at the risk of proper preparation. He asked a simple question – why do you think God can inspire you better when you’re standing, unprepared, on a platform than he can when you’re in hours of study and preparation in your office? And besides, what have you lost? If you prepare and then feel that God is leading you to go in a different direction, surely you are better and not worse prepared for that?

This was the core of my message to the graduates up in Marangu a couple of weeks ago. 20 men and women of God had given of themselves for a sustained period of time, gathering from two countries and several provinces to come together to study. And now they were getting their diplomas. That training center is now going to register its second class, which delights me, and the leadership and students are united in their vision to see growth. They want to see not one training center, but ten others started by those first 20 students, and I simply wanted to encourage them. There’s such a need for training in East Africa – from primary education to biblical studies and everything in between.

Building a hunger for education is one thing. Building an understanding of what it is that education is supposed to accomplish is quite another. Based on the (albeit very preliminary) results of a survey we’re currently doing of children in Tanzania, I’d say that in terms of the first thing – hunger for education – there has been success. Children want education. In terms of what that education is supposed to accomplish in their lives I think we’ve got a ways to go, so lets keep on and trust that God will bring the appropriate opportunities our way.