Scripture
Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:40

Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” Exodus 32:29

Observation
In one denomination in Papua New Guinea a pastor cannot be ordained until he has started at least one church from scratch. Those leaders know that the proof of a pastor is not in the academic degrees on his wall but in the results of his ministry.

There is a path to full time ministry that involves Bible college, interviewing boards, letters of recommendation, trial sermons, and the like. It is a well worn path and it works well in some cases, but it is not the only method God uses.

There is another path to ministry that is less used but very effective. It comes when a person begins to serve with the gifts God has given and the results get the attention of others and are blessed.

The Levites were self-ordained. Moses did not ordain them; he just recognized God’s hand on their ministry and then blessed them. They took leadership initiative in a crisis, stood up for the Lord, and were given a life call to full time ministry as a result.

Philip the evangelist was self-ordained. He was only given a license to drive for the Meals on Wheels program at Jerusalem First Church. But after a national revival in Samaria, leading a Prime Minister to the Lord and starting fires up the seacoast, God at last gave him a settled place in the megapolis that was Caesarea.

Caesarea was a world-class city, on the scale of New York, Hong Kong or Singapore. King Herod had built the largest artificial port with underwater concrete and had made Caesarea the hub of East and West. Philip earned the right to minister in that world-touching city because of his initiative all along his winding path from Jerusalem, to Samaria, to Azotus and beyond.

Application
I wonder at times if God is bored with our life path because we want permission and invitation to serve him. Could it be that there are times that God simply wants us to act? Certainly we need to pray, test and be led by the Holy Spirit. But great movements of God do not start in committees, but with courageous people who take action. The Levites “earned a blessing” because they took initiative when something needed to be done. There is a professional pathway to ministry, but the lives of Philip and the Levites are there to remind us that it is not the only way that God uses. God loves risk and blesses those who take that path.

Prayer
Father, Philip is my life mentor. The way he took I find very uncomfortable. There were rules and regulations even in his time. James and the brothers had to be consulted first. But he took a risk and was blessed for it. Help me to walk confidently when there are unworn paths you lead me on. Help me to make the most of every opportunity and in it extend your kingdom and bless me for it. Amen.