... Philip and the Ethiopian official. Philip was absolutely at God’s disposal. Jesus seemed to test Philip once when there were over five thousand who had sat and listened to Jesus’ teaching when Jesus, “Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:5-6). 26 An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.) The church first began in Jerusalem among the Jews but, following the Stoning of Stephen, a great persecution rose up against the … Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter and special offers. PHILIP fĭl’ ĭp (Φίλιππος, G5805, fond of horses or horse-lover).This proper name occurs thirty-eight times in the NT and denotes four different men. From what we know, Philip, who became the sixth disciple of Jesus and was one of the twelve apostles, went to Carthage, Greece, Phrygia, and Syria where he preached and performed miracles. Acts 8:14-15 Philip was faithful and obedient to the call of the Lord. He was R.F.A. Philip Herod I (), son of Herod the Great and Mariamne (daughter of Simon the High Priest), is distinguished from Philip the Tetrarch—although there is reason to believe his name was not Philip. Philip and the Ethiopian official. He was Copyright © 1998-2020 UB David & I'll B Jonathan, Inc. Philip, the Evangelist. Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. Like the other disciples, Jesus sought out Philip. The name appears in the New Testament belonging to two people who are regarded as saints. Philip, who was also an evangelist, was one of those appointed. Acts 21:8-9. You would most certainly have to be ‘led’ to do that. – Ready for Anything! As the Church grew, however, the administrative tasks became so great—management of the offerings, distribution of food to widows, etc.—that they decided to appoint seven men (deacons) to take over this work and thus enable them to concentrate on the work of ministry. Biblical narrative. The eunuch confesses that he does not truly understand, whereupon Philip, beginning at the very point where he is reading, takes him on a spiritual journey through which he has a personal encounter with Christ. 5. All rights reserved. The Synoptic Gospels list Philip as one of the apostles. Because of this, they had a special place and ministry in the early Church, teaching and sharing with others the things that Jesus had shared with them. But no one can have the honour of an apostle without first demonstrating the spirit of an apostle. He came from Bethsaida. Philip approached the man and began the conversation by asking one question, Undestandest thou what thou readest? The New Testament lists all twelve apostles four times— Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13-16. For God to summon Philip from a thriving ministry in Samaria to the wilderness of the Judean hills is not an irrational move. Philip’s anointed message, together with the supernatural evidence that accompanies it, convinces Simon of the truth of the Gospel, whereupon he professes conversion and is baptised. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20, NIV). Spend a few moments reminding yourself of the circumstances through which you became a Christian—and give thanks! The word "baptized" here means immersed. Some scholars speculate that Philip was first a disciple of John the Baptist because he lived in the region where John preached. That’s the source of all good character. Church historian J.H. He eventually establis… Acts 8:26-27 Philip had hospitality as he hosted Paul and others. org/fathers/0524.htm>. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten” (John 6:11-13). If you find people in the Bible with morally attractive character – it will always be because of their heart and will to love and obey God. Many years prior to the great outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, the prophet Joel had predicted that when the Holy Spirit fell, one of the results would be that “your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Joel 2:28, NIV). Philip the Apostle was one of the original twelve apostles. Philip the Evangelist was told by an angel to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, and there he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer of the Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians (Ancient Greek: Κανδάκη, the "Candace" was the Meroitic language term for "queen" or possibly "royal woman"). It was like a burial; as if the person has died and then is alive again, literally a new man. The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. God's goal is not only "quantity" but also "quality," in the sense of an ethnically diverse body of Christ (Rev 5:9). By the way, Philip’s name is from the Greek “Philippos” meaning “love of horses” but part of the root of the name Philip is “philio” which means “brotherly love.”. When Philip visits Samaria and preaches Christ, many are converted as well as healed—and such is the effect of his anointed ministry that the city is filled with overflowing joy. Today is the day we honor Philip the Deacon. “For my own sake… I do this. Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Much of the information is taken from the classic reference books including Matthew George Easton "Easton's Bible Dictionary" and Ashley S Johnson "Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia". Since he lived at Bethsaida, Philip had for some time known of Jesus, but it had not occurred to him that Jesus was a really great man until that day in the Jordan valley when he said, "Follow me." They need as much grace and wisdom as your minister! First, one of the twelve apostles, and second, an early figure in the Christian church known as Philip the Deacon. Home » Bible Exploration » Characters 4-2. 27 So he got up and went. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon. Compare Acts 8, verses 26 and 29 –- “The angel said ……” “The Spirit told... 2. The church at Philippi was the first Christian church in Europe, planted by the apostle Paul on his second missionary journey around AD 50 or 51. BY REV. When Jesus calls Philip, he tells his friend Nathaniel that he has found “Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote” (Jn 1:38–41). It was Philip who first introduced Nathanael (sometimes identified with Bartholomew) to Jesus. MacMahon. All four of Philip’s daughters had received this supernatural ability, and doubtless there were many in the early Church who had cause to thank God for the influence of the home and family of Philip. We have selected Philip as one of the most important people and character from the Bible and provided a biography and character outline of this famous person. Mailbox Club lessons © The Mailbox Club International; used by permission with adaptation for the Internet. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten, Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics. Imagine being taken away from a great crusade, where hundreds are being converted, to witness to one man! We do know that Philip was one of the original seven deacons selected to serve in the Jerusalem church ( Acts 6:5 ). Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners, Who Was Anna In The Bible? PHILIP WAS A MAN WHO KNEW HOW TO BEGIN A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE GOSPEL (Acts 8:26-39) Every effective evangelist will know how to begin a conversation with those with whom he intends to study the gospel. Who was Philip in the New Testament? Philip was from Bethsaida, but we do not have much information about his family or occupation. “The nearest thing to heaven”, said Martin Luther, “is a good and godly home.” The converse is also true: the nearest thing to hell is an evil and godless home. Philip the Evangelist must be carefully distinguished from Philip the Apostle. They knew very little back ...", "forgot to address your question, "How do you people dress and feed yourselves?" A Character Study. He also was instrumental in establishing the church in Samaria (Acts 8) and bringing the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11). “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain.” (Psalm 127:1, NIV), Home | Youth World | Kids World | Advanced | Bible Exploration | Français | Español | About Us | Contact Us. In the 94th episode of the podcast, I outline the 7 distinct... Vocation and America's Unwritten Constitution. It marked a turning-point in carrying out Jesus’ command to the disciples to witness “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV). [1]  Precious little else is known about the process of how he was martyred but it is enough to know how he died for his faith in Christ and today is present with the Lord and was granted eternal life. Facts about the Apostle Philip. Character Study: Philip The Testing of Faith Various Bible Passages What’s happening? The interesting thing about Philip, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, is that he was personally reached by Jesus himself. Copyright © CWR (www.cwr.org.uk). Of course, most of us know what happened. Philip was the fifth apostle to be chosen, being called when Jesus and his first four apostles were on their way from John's rendezvous on the Jordan to Cana of Galilee. We know this because when the Hellenists widows were not being taken care of the “the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” (Acts 6:2) saying “we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4) so they chose Philip as one of the deacons (Acts 6:5). He came from Bethsaida in Galilee. Both Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. Magicians have existed for centuries. His wife is not mentioned in Luke’s account and may have been dead by the time Paul and his party – which included Luke – stayed in their godly and hospitable household. He may have been a missionary. THEY WERE A GROUNDED CHURCH (READ CH.1:27-30; IICOR.8:1-2) The Philippian Church could be … And though it is little that we are told regarding him in Scripture, that little is very significant. In 356 BCE, however, Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, took over the city and named it after himself. Jesus invited Philip to become His disciple (John 1:43). MacMahon recorded that Philip was impaled by iron hooks in his ankles and hung upside down to die. There is a quitea bit of information available about John. Was it really written by Philip? Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." Follow @BibleSupport. Spend a few minutes now praying for those who do the administrative work in your church. Facts about Philip the Apostle. Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see, How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you, It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables, we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word, Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do, Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little, There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many, took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. 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