When I was in seminary, I worked for a Christian video production company. While working there, I became acquainted with a man who serviced the air conditioning and heating systems. Jack impressed me one day by sharing Christ with me. Even though I was an employee of a Christian company, he did not assume I knew the Lord. He shared Christ with me in the natural flow of a conversation as we met for the first time.
Is sharing Christ with someone that easy? It has been reported that many Christians claim they do not know how to tell someone else about their Savior. As we examine the life of Philip, the evangelist, we will be given an example of how to share our faith. Philip loved to tell others about Jesus.
Be willing to serve (Acts 6:1-3, 5)
What role of service do you hold in your local church? Do you arrive early to make the coffee on Sunday morning or walk through the sanctuary to straighten the hymnals in the pew racks? Do you sweep the entrance sidewalk before people arrive for Bible study and worship?
Philip was a member of the Jerusalem church whose membership exploded after the day of Pentecost. With growth comes an increase of people in need.
A problem occurred concerning how to provide and take care of the widows.
“The Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” (v. 1). The apostles suggested seven men, who were wise, of good reputation and full of the Holy Spirit be chosen by the congregation to meet this need (v. 3).
Philip was one of the seven chosen by the early church that met the qualifications the apostles had established. He was willing to serve. A desire to serve is the beginning motivation to share Christ with someone. By serving others, the Holy Spirit opens the door of opportunity to walk through and share the saving news about Jesus.
Focus on the Messiah (Acts 8:4-8)
As the gospel spread through Jerusalem, it brought persecution. Stephen, who was one of the seven as well, was martyred. The persecution of believers scattered them into nearby areas. The possibility of death for sharing Christ did not stop the believers from telling others about the Messiah. “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there” (v. 4).
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Philip, the evangelist, was one of the first to preach the gospel outside Jerusalem. He was a Greek-speaking Jew who fled to a “city in Samaria.”
The move to a different city had to be nervewracking. Discomfort often is the very thing God uses to achieve his purpose.
Philip’s background was needed in order for him to share about Christ across cultural and ethnic barriers. The Jews saw Samarians as a low class people group not worthy of hearing the good news. The Bible tells us the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone.
Philip had great success in preaching, “So there was great joy in that city” (v. 8), because he stayed true to the message of Christ. We must be like Philip, willing to share the truth about Christ with anyone. Our past experiences, and our trials, could be the start of a relationship with an unbeliever that opens the door of opportunity to share Christ.
Explain the Scriptures (Acts 8:26-31, 34-35)
Philip depended on the Holy Spirit and was instructed to go south on the road toward Gaza. As he was traveling, he came upon an Ethiopian eunuch traveling by chariot to Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit instructed Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it” (Acts 8:29).
Philip heard the man reading from Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading” (v. 30)? The eunuch replied “no” and Philip was able to explain “that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (v. 35).
One excuse believers often use for not sharing their faith is, “I am afraid I will mess up when it comes time to explain what the Scriptures mean.”
My encouragement to overcome this falsehood comes from a message I heard preached by one of my former pastors, Charles Clary. He said, “If you have grown up in the church, you know the Scriptures, and you know how to share Christ with others. Depend on the Holy Spirit to give you the recall and its meaning.”
The next time an opportunity opens to share Christ, I encourage you to listen and obey the Holy Spirit. Remember, an obedient believer cannot mess up a divine appointment.
Share your faith with your children (Acts 21:8-9)
As Paul was traveling back to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, he stopped in the port city of Caesarea. “We reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied” (Acts 21:8-9).
Sometimes people who are intense in serving in Christian ministry forget or neglect their own families. Philip did not forget about telling his own family about Jesus. His four daughters must have been versed and grounded in the Scriptures in order to be teachers of the word.
The evidence shows Philip raised his children in knowledge of the Lord. His influence played a big part in their personal decisions to serve the Lord in their own lives.
This past Mother’s Day, I heard several adults say in church that their own mothers shared Christ with them. What a joy for a parent to be the influence that leads their children to make a personal decision to believe in Christ for the forgiveness of sin, eternal life and heaven.
We never know for sure who is watching us and whom we are influencing by our actions. They will know we are Christians by our love.
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