“So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35 NLT)

 

The New Testament mentions two followers of Jesus named Philip. The first was one of the twelve disciples, the men Jesus handpicked to follow Him. The second was known as Philip the Evangelist. Many Bible scholars believe that Philip the Evangelist was one of the seventy-two men Jesus sent out in Luke 10:1.

According to Acts 6:5, Philip the evangelist was one of the original seven deacons in the church at Jerusalem. According to Acts 21:8–9, Paul and Luke stayed at his house for several days when they visited Jerusalem.

But the story for which Philip is best known is found in Acts 8. Philip had left Jerusalem to become an evangelist in the city of Samaria, which was located about thirty miles north of Jerusalem.

“Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city” (verses 6–8 NLT).

Energized and emboldened by Jesus’ resurrection, Philip fearlessly spread the gospel to people who were hungry for the Good News.

One day he received very specific instructions from an angel of the Lord. It seems that an important government official from Ethiopia had traveled to Jerusalem to worship. The official was reading aloud from the book of Isaiah in his carriage on his journey back to Ethiopia but was having difficulty making sense of the text. The angel instructed Philip, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza” (verse 26 NLT)—the road the Ethiopian official was traveling.

Philip didn’t question why he was being sent to the middle of nowhere. Incredible things had been happening since Jesus’ resurrection, and he probably saw the assignment as an opportunity to be part of yet another one.

He was right.

“Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’

“The man replied, ‘How can I, unless someone instructs me?’ And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him” (verses 30–31 NLT).

The passage he was reading was Isaiah’s prophecy of Jesus being led like a sheep to the slaughter. The official wanted to know who the passage was talking about. He practically invited Philip to share the Good News with him. Philip didn’t need to be told twice.

The Ethiopian official was so moved by the gospel message that he asked Philip to baptize him. And then, according to church tradition, he carried the Good News of Christ back to his homeland and started a church there so that countless other lives would be transformed. The Christian faith gained an important foothold in its global spread. All because one man was bold enough to respond to God’s call.

If you find yourself in the right place at the right time to share your faith or answer someone’s questions about the Bible, it’s because God put you there, just as He did with Philip. Seize the moment. Be bold. Even a single encounter can change a life—and more.

 

Reflection question: Who might be waiting for you to help them understand the message of the Bible?

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