Philip

Philip

Almost 2000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth began a three year venture of building a Kingdom here on earth that would alter the course of human history and would stand forever. He began by searching for a team, an inner circle of High level leaders who would take on the leadership of his Kingdom after he completed His mission here on earth.

There is a principle called synergism. By definition, the simultaneous action of separate agents working together has a greater total effect than the sum of their individual efforts. An ex. Of this is 2 horses if One horse pulled 9,000 pounds, another 8,000. Together you would expect them to pull 18,000 pounds ,Not so! When teamed together, they pull 30,000 pounds. More can be done in a team effort than can be accomplished alone . In order for the principle of synergism to work like it should, there has to be teamwork.

When Jesus assembled His team these 12 apostles had synergism, they accomplished more, through God’s power, than an army of millions.

This morning we want to look at another of the people Jesus chose to be His disciple- Philip.

The name ‘Philip’ is a Greek name which literally means ‘horse lover’. Some of the disciples had both Hebrew and Greek names. But there is no reference to a Hebrew name for Philip. He appears to have always gone by this Greek name.

Like Andrew, Philip was not one of the most renowned of the disciples. If you saw a Philip around town today he would be the man who always has his feet firmly planted on the ground with a clear sense of what he wants to be doing. He would have his Palm Pilot in his hand, with his schedule and his lists… He knows what he needs to accomplish this year, this month, this week and this day. When he drives around town he always knows the shortest route. He seems to have studied all of the streets, intersections and traffic flows. He never wastes time. Ask him about religion? He’ll tell you that he was taken to church as a child. He believes that religion has some practical value. That children ought to go to church to teach them morals and keep them out of trouble. Does he believe in God? Sure. There couldn’t be a world or universe without a creator. He is not opposed to religion but he has a very practical approach to it… Faith must be rooted in truth and proven in action. He won’t follow something just because everyone else is, he needs to test it, try it, see it, feel it, believe it, for himself. He has a very practical, common sense approach…but when he finds God, finds faith, you can be sure he will be a devoted follower. You can count on him.

What type of guy is Philip? He is practical

The first thing we learn from the Bibles account of Phillip is to

1. Let God satisfy your practical concerns John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth ! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

Philip was from the same town as Andrew and Peter. Bethsaida a little town along the Sea of Galilee. Note that Jesus finds Philip. Last week we saw that Andrew sought out Jesus. Not Philip. Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist before He became a follower of Jesus. Not Philip. He was too practical. Think about it. John the Baptist was a religious leader who wore clothes made of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey and spoke out against the religious leaders of the day…

Philip was not the kind of guy to follow after religious zealots or be swept away by the next preacher or teacher that came along. What He saw in Jesus satisfied his practical concerns. And you can see how thorough his search was in what he does next.

We saw last week that after Andrew encountered Jesus he went to get Peter. And his words were few. “We have found the Messiah”. Look by contrast at Philips words. He has encountered Jesus and now he goes to Nathanael. V 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”Look at how thoughtful & articulate Philip becomes : he’s Historical, meticulous, an almost scientific statement. It is clear that Philip was educated in the Old Testament.When Nathanael objects : 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.