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#5: Philip; “All the knowledge in the world, can not
compare to the Truth found in Jesus The Christ” His name means, “lover of horses”, and since
the Greeks first approached him, he may have had good use of the Greek
language (Jn. 1:20-22). Legend seems to relate Philip’s last days were spent
in the region of Phyrgia within Asia Minor, (modern day Turkey where Greek
was the predominant language) and where he was martyred in Hierapolis
(Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3:21). His hometown
(Bethsaida) was the same as Simon & Andrew and he was probably a
fisherman like them. He was obviously educated in the Scriptures, (Jn.
1:45-46). The fact that he knew the Scriptures, is a good introduction for
the theology in the work of the Spirit regarding Philip the apostle and
Philip the evangelist in Acts 8. They are obviously two different people. Philip the apostle is shown to
be… 1. …Practical & Helpful, Jn. 6:7, 12:20-21. Philip did not like making decisions on his
own shoulders. So instead of avoiding and ignoring the problems presented to
him, he immediately went to someone (Andrew) for help. We must remember that if we want to share
our faith efficiently, we must be willing to get support from others. Don’t
be afraid to admit you need support and work together. Everyone should be
able to know what their talents are, as well as their limitations. We should
know what we can and can not do. When we feel we are unqualified, we should
be a “Philip” and get the qualified help we need. This enable you to make
invites for worship and Bible study to anyone of any background, because, it
doesn’t matter what their problems or questions are. Once you’ve found
someone interested, you then can either help them progress or put them in
touch with someone (an “Andrew”) better qualified than you. 2. …Literal and yet confused, John 14:8. It is significant that Philip
“lover of horses” actually grew to be a lover of God, and showed this keen
interest in asking the yearning question, “Show Us The Father”. The reply of
Jesus was perhaps one of the greatest sayings of Jesus ever recorded. “If you
have seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” Philip had an inquiring mind, and
wouldn’t stop questioning the spiritual aspects of the work and identity of
Jesus. In order for us to be evangelistic, we must get our questions,
answered. When Philip got his answer, he accepted the conclusion: Jesus is
God! He did not wrestle with doubt; he wrestled with searching for the truth,
because he was practical and literal in nature. If you are of that
inclination, you need to try what Philip tried, and use prayer in your search
of the Scriptures. This will help your strength and ability to talk about
your faith. But we must not feel like
we cannot evangelise until we have ALL our questions answered. Just get the
essential ones answered. Today we have the New Testament which tell us what
our priorities should be in growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Mark 12:24-33 – Love. Luke 11:1-8 – Prayer. Acts 2:36-39 – Repentance, Baptism & The Promised Holy Spirit. Romans 10:9-13 – Confession, Calling & Salvation. 1st. Corinthians 15:1-6 – Death, Burial & Resurrection of Jesus. Hebrews 6:1-2 – Faith, Miracles & The Judgment. Ephesians 4:4-6 – The Seven-fold Unity of The Spirit. Colossians 1:15-18 – The Unique Identity of Christ and The Church. 3. …Evangelistic in bringing Nathanael, Jn. 1:45-46. We learn an important
fact about evangelism with Philip. When someone expresses doubt, we should
not engage in argument, we should rather, invite them to investigate the
doubts, as Philip says, “Come & See”! This attitude enables any and every
Christian no matter how young or old to take part in evangelism. You needn’t
know all the answers to give an invitation! Philip did not rely on his own
education in the Scriptures to practice evangelism, he relied on God’s
powerful word, and you don’t have to know it ALL in order for Him to work. We need to be a
“Philip” and make sure people get access to seeing and experiencing the Truth
in Jesus Christ. |