Philip (aka Philip the evangelist)
1. Like Stephen, he was one of the seven chosen to ‘serve tables’ of the widows (Acts 6:5).
2. In Samaria, Philip ‘preached Christ,’ there was great response and miraculous confirmation of the word. (Acts 8:5-8).
3. Philip’s life and ministry in the miraculous led to Simon the sorcerer’s salvation (Acts 8:9-25).
Holy Spirit-Inspired Spontaneity (Hearing & Responding to God) – Philip’s Availability to God
1. Lesson on hearing and responding to the voice of God, developing a hearing ear and willing heart.
2. Philip: From ‘ministry to the multitudes’ in Samaria, to the desert of Gaza, for ‘ministry to one.’
• Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he arose and went… ~ Acts 8:26-27
o Philip heard the directive from the Lord and simply obeyed, not knowing all the details.
o Abraham is another example of obedience without having all the details: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ~ Hebrews 11:8
3. So he arose and went… and on his way… he met an Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:27)
• Holy Spirit-inspired spontaneity opens possibilities for ‘on the way’ ministry…
o In the ministry of Jesus…as He was on the way to heal a ruler’s daughter who had died, a woman who had been ill for 12 years came and touched the hem of His garment and was instantly healed… ~ Matthew 9:18
o Peter & John ‘on the way’ to church for worship, encountered a lame man, who they prayed for and was healed… (Acts 3:1-8)
4. The Ethiopian eunuch…
• He was ‘an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.’
• He had been to Jerusalem to worship and was headed home… Obviously a man seeking God.
• God was at work in the Ethiopian, he ‘just happened’ to be reading from Isaiah, and having difficulty understanding it when Philip was sent to him.
5. Holy Spirit directives - The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." (v.29)
• Again, Philip heard the voice of the Lord & obeyed… Went, listened and asked – “Do you understand?’
• The Ethiopian had questions about the Isaiah 53 ‘Suffering Servant’ text he was reading, and asked Philip to help him understand…
o Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
6. The Ethiopian responded to the ‘good news about Jesus,’ and wanted to be water baptized…
• As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" ~ Acts 8:36
• Amazing ‘timing’ of God – Water in the desert.
7. Continued availability: Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:39,40).
Personal Applications: Developing a hearing ear and a willing heart…
1. Develop a ‘hearing ear’ - earning to hear the whispers and ‘nudgings’ of the Holy Spirit.
• The reading and knowing the Word of God is vitally important –
o But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. ~ John 14:26
2. Develop a ‘willing heart’ to respond when the Lord speaks to you, in all things.
3. It is the awareness of His presence and the ability to recognize and respond to His unique voice, that is essential to Spirit-inspired spontaneity.
