Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Commentary for the week of May 31, 2009

Phillip: The Man Who Loved to Tell Others About Jesus

Acts 6,8,21

People are lost. They need to hear about Jesus. Yet, many believers do not share the good news as Jesus commanded. Why?

Many feel unqualified, unworthy, or afraid of the reactions their witness may generate. Others, sadly, do not see sharing the good news of Jesus as a priority. It is just not important to them. and still others just never think about it. Their thinking is shaped by other priorities, their day is consumed by another focus, and sharing Christ with the lost never comes to mind.

Whatever the reasoning behind a lack of bearing witness, it is still disobedience. We are commanded to share the gospel with everyone, to share it as we go through our daily lives, to seek to create opportunities to share. Phillip is a good example for us to follow.

We see first in our scripture passage for this week that Phillip stood out among the early church. When the church was directed by the apostles to select 7 men to handle a dispute, men who were wise and filled with God's Spirit, Phillip was chosen. To be led and made wise by God's Spirit is a necessary prerequisite to being an effective witness. Our words and efforts are nothing apart from the Spirit's convicting and regenerating work. If you are seriously considering becoming more proactive when it comes to sharing your faith in Christ, study and seek God's fullness daily.

Phillip was also willing to serve. Serving tables was perhaps an ignominious duty, but Phillip served without complaint. When our acts of service are done out of a desire to honor and serve God, much can be accomplished. Meeting needs will open many doors of opportunity to share Christ and His love and forgiveness.

Recently our church packed gift bags, passed them out, and helped serve meals and give away door prizes at a local truck stop where we maintain a strategic ministry. It was the truck stop's 40th anniversary, and many drivers came through that day. Because of our willingness to serve we had many chances to share Christ with truck drivers who criss-cross the nation. Serving and sharing go together!

Phillip is a great example of crossing barriers to share Christ. When persecution scattered the church at Jerusalem Phillip chose to go to a city in Samaria. Ordinarily Jews and Samaritans held one another in great scorn and derision. They would have no dealings with each other, even traveling out of their way to go around one another's territories and not through. However, Phillip preached the gospel of Jesus to these Samaritans! He did notlet old, handed-down prejudices keep him from preaching about Jesus. They paid heed to his message and believed, exhibiting great joy.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a cross-cultural message of hope. There is no culture where the gospel is not relevant or needed. It knows no barriers. We erect barriers to the gospel when we shun people of other colors, ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic status, or other man-made distinctions. We see this example again as Phillip speaks to a Gentile, the Ethiopian eunuch.

Phillip follows God's instructions to venture away from a great revival in Samaria and go into the desert. There he follows the Spirit's leadership and catches up with a chariot, only to hear the man riding in it reading the Hebrew bible! What a divine appointment! Phillip quickly engages the man in conversation regarding what he was reading and has a chance to share Jesus with him. We should always be ready to engage others in a dialogue regarding the scriptures. We cannot take advantage of these 'divine appointments' unless we have prepared ourselves with a working knowledge of the scriptures. Witnessing entails work and preparation. It is work!

Perhaps the greatest aspect of Phillip's life for parents is that it was evident he shared Christ with his family. In Acts 21 we find Phillip again and are introduced to his 4 virgin daughters, who are said to prophesy. This means they were unmarried and they knew and taught God's Word. they had followed their father's example and caught the witnessing bug! What greater example could we set for our children than being a verbal witness for Christ?

What is holding you back from sharing your faith? Perhaps you have determined to be a ready witness in the future. Prepare yourself by daily spending time in the scriptures and prayer. Ask God for the fullness of His Spirit. Practice sharing your personal testimony and seek to tell it to others. Ask God for divine appointments and trust Him to provide faith to accept them and the words to share. Your world needs to hear the life-changing message of Christ. From you!

Later Addition: a link to the following video was sent to me from a good friend. It is a fantastic testimony from an atheist about the experience of a Christian giving him a bible. May we all be like this!!