Philip's Profile
Jesus= last words to his followers
were a command to take the gospel everywhere, but they seemed reluctant to leave
Jerusalem. It took intense persecution to scatter the believers from Jerusalem
and into Judea and Samaria, where Jesus had instructed them to go. Philip, one
of the deacons in charge of food distribution, left Jerusalem and, like most
Jewish Christians, spread the gospel wherever he went; but unlike most of them,
he did not limit his audience to other Jews. He went directly to Samaria, the
last place many Jews would go, due to age-old prejudice.
The Samaritans responded in large numbers. When word got back to Jerusalem,
Peter and John were sent to evaluate Philip's ministry. They quickly became involved themselves, seeing firsthand God's acceptance of those who previously were considered unacceptable.
In the middle of all this success and excitement, God directed Philip out to
the desert for an appointment with an Ethiopian eunuch, another foreigner, who
had been in Jerusalem. Philip went immediately. His effectiveness in sharing the
gospel with this man placed a Christian in a significant position in a distant
country, and may well have had an effect on an entire nation.
Philip ended up in Caesarea, where events allowed him to be Paul's host many years later. Paul, who as the leading persecutor of the Christians
had been instrumental in pushing Philip and others out of Jerusalem, had himself
become an effective believer. The conversion of the Gentiles begun by Philip was
continued across the entire Roman empire by Paul.
Whether or not you are a follower of Christ, Philip's life presents a challenge. To those still outside the gospel, he is a reminder
that the gospel is for you also. To those who have accepted Christ, he is a
reminder that we are not free to disqualify anyone from hearing about Jesus. How
much like Philip would your neighbors say you are?
Philip's Strengths and
Accomplishments
1. One of the seven organizers of food distribution in the early church
2. Became an evangelist, one of the first traveling missionaries
3. One of the first to obey Jesus=
command to take the gospel to all people
4. A careful student of the Bible who could explain its meaning clearly
Lessons from Philip's Life
1. God finds great and various uses for those willing to obey wholeheartedly
2. The gospel is universal Good News
3. The whole Bible, not just the New Testament, helps us understand more
about Jesus
4. Both mass response (the Samaritans) and individual response (the man from
Ethiopia) to the gospel are valuable
Philip's Vital Statistics
1. Occupation: Deacon, evangelist
2. Relatives: Four daughters
3. Contemporaries: Paul, Stephen, the apostles
Key Verse
"Then Philip began with that very
passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus@
(Acts 8:35).
Philip's story is told in Acts
6:1-7; Acts 8:5-40; Acts 21:8-10.