Acts 8 focuses on Philip. Philip is the same disciple listed in Acts 6:5. He was one of seven men appointed to be a deacon in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:6). He also had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21:9).
During a time of intense persecution in the church (Acts 8:1-3), God uses Philip to do some amazing things for His glory. He possessed a heart that truly pleased the Lord!
His heart possessed a love for all people.
- Despite of being forced from Jerusalem, the Christians continued evangelism (Acts 8:4). They were scattered but continued to spread the gospel!
- Philip went down from Jerusalem to Samaria. There he proclaimed Christ (Acts 8:5). This was not a popular thing for a Jew to do!
- Since the Samaritans were half Gentile, the full-blooded Jews wanted to avoid them at all cost (John 4:9). Most Jews had a racist attitude towards the Samaritans.
- The charges of racism and prejudice were at the core of the problem with the widows (Acts 6:1).
- Philip took the initiative to preach God’s word to the Samaritans because he knew Christ loved and died for them (1 Timothy 2:6; 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16). Like God, Philip was no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35). He would even share the gospel with a sorcerer and Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:6-12, 26-39).
- Do we feel the same way about all people as Philip did?
His heart drove him to serve in every circumstance.
- Imagine facing the same level of persecution as the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-3). They were being separated from their families and thrown in prison!
- Even though he was forced to flee his home, Philip continued to work for the Lord (Acts 8:5, 26-27, 35, 40; 21:7-9).
- It is easy to put God’s work on the back burner while experiencing trials. Philip teaches us that no matter our difficult circumstances, we need to keep using our spiritual talents to serve King Jesus!
- The Apostle Paul was also determined to continue serving the Lord while experiencing hardships (Philippians 1:12-14).
His heart was void of ego!
- After baptizing many Samaritans, Philip would hand over his work to Peter and John. These two apostles would continue equipping these new Christians for service to God (Acts 8:14-17).
- Philip never displayed any resentment or jealousy towards the apostles. He was content with glorifying God and doing kingdom work.
- There is no room for ego among God’s people. Pride, jealousy, and a spirit of competition can become tools Satan uses to divide and conquer us. Like Philip, we must always focus on pleasing God and glorifying Him with whatever service we render.
Conclusion:
Let us all strive to have a heart like Philip’s!