The main text used will be Acts chapter eight. In this article we will identify Philip, a man of God and Bible character; drawing out of the scriptures who he was and what his ministry was about. Thus practicing what is shown in the scriptures. I am fascinated with the life of Philip because I believe to be called by God to be an evangelist. As we look to Philip we can model an evangelism ministry after his.
In the Bible concerning Philip; there is nothing to indicate that he did anything to train others. He didn’t follow up on converts or do anything else but preach to new people in new areas led by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps once settled in Caesarea he did these other things. At some point he was married and perhaps his wife traveled with him. This is unknown. Philip was submissive to the apostles, but generally worked alone. Philip preached to crowds and witnessed to individuals (one-on-one). Philip displayed sign gifts and baptized those who were converted under his ministry. There’s so much more we can glean from God’s Word concerning this wonderful man of God. Let us begin.
Who is Philip?
First, Philip here is not to be confused with Philip, one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. John 1:43-44 Philip the disciple, who later was named an apostle Matt 10:1-2 Mark 3:18 Luke 6:14 Acts 1:13 who through Church tradition was thought to have preached the Gospel in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia. A tomb believed to be that of St. Philip the Apostle was unearthed recently during excavations in the ancient Turkish city of Hierapolis. [1]
Philip is first introduced in Acts chapter six has one of the seven men the people chose for the purpose of managing the distribution of food to the widows who were in conflict with each other. Although the title deacon is not mentioned here, most today would recognize this to be the first example of deacons in the Church. In Acts eight is where the majority of the story of Philip takes place. Later in Acts we clearly see that Philip, one of the seven, is called an evangelist. Acts 21:8
In Acts twenty one we also see that Philip had four daughters. It doesn’t mention his wife. This is common in the Bible that the women are not focused on as much as the men. It would be safe to assume that Philip was married to produce his offspring, and they were not born out of wedlock. It doesn’t say when, or how long, he was married. If you do the math, scholars have put the timeline between Philip in Samaria (Acts eight) and when Paul and his party stayed at Philip’s house (Acts twenty one) to be about twenty years. Philip could have conceivably been married and had his first daughter when