Churchwork
03-21-2006, 07:53 AM
Philip (not Philip the Apostle) was one of the seven deacons helpers to distribute food to solve the problem of the issue between the Greeks and the Jews over sharing food. He was the first evangelist to travel outside Jerusalem. When Philip was travelling southward in the desert from Samaria, he ran up along beside the Ethopian man (the treasurer of Ethopia, Eunuch without children) when he overheard the man in his carriage reading Isaiah out loud on the way back to Ethopia. He had travelled to Jerusalem to worship God and was on his way back home. As he read, he not understand the Scriptures whether in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah was speaking about himself or someone else.
"The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth" (Acts 8.32,33).
This was a good opportunity to explain the good news. First Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading (Acts 8.30). Philip followed the Holy Spirit's leading. Then he began the discussion from where the man was (immersed in the prophecies of Isaiah). And finally, he explained how Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecies in Isaiah. When we share the good news we should start from where a person's concerns are. That way we can bear the good news on the person's concerns.
The very act of Philip going out to the gentiles first, motivated the Apostles to move out from Jerusalem to give the gospel, because when they heard that Philip converted many in Samaria, John and Peter had to go see it for themselves to lay hands on them when they received the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8.15-16). How could anyone ever answer "Not sure" or "No" to question 16 in Edit Profile (http://biblocality.com/forums/profile.php?do=editprofile)! After the Eunuch believed in Jesus, he wanted to be baptized by Philip as well. So how could anyone not totally accept question 13? These things spiritually follow in our conscience as we are moved by the Holy Spirit. We just want to do them. The only problem then, who are you going to be baptized by and who will you receive laying on hands with, because remember, there are many tares in the kingdom of heaven who try to look like the wheat.
Independency is the problem! We want to show our identification with Christ as a sign outwardly and with the community of Christians, not just in words, but in actions.
"The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth" (Acts 8.32,33).
This was a good opportunity to explain the good news. First Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading (Acts 8.30). Philip followed the Holy Spirit's leading. Then he began the discussion from where the man was (immersed in the prophecies of Isaiah). And finally, he explained how Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecies in Isaiah. When we share the good news we should start from where a person's concerns are. That way we can bear the good news on the person's concerns.
The very act of Philip going out to the gentiles first, motivated the Apostles to move out from Jerusalem to give the gospel, because when they heard that Philip converted many in Samaria, John and Peter had to go see it for themselves to lay hands on them when they received the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8.15-16). How could anyone ever answer "Not sure" or "No" to question 16 in Edit Profile (http://biblocality.com/forums/profile.php?do=editprofile)! After the Eunuch believed in Jesus, he wanted to be baptized by Philip as well. So how could anyone not totally accept question 13? These things spiritually follow in our conscience as we are moved by the Holy Spirit. We just want to do them. The only problem then, who are you going to be baptized by and who will you receive laying on hands with, because remember, there are many tares in the kingdom of heaven who try to look like the wheat.
Independency is the problem! We want to show our identification with Christ as a sign outwardly and with the community of Christians, not just in words, but in actions.