Philip as Missionary

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8 NIV).

(Overview and commentary on: Philip as Missionary - Lesson 10)

Karakia Timatanga | Opening Prayer

He hōnore, he korōria ki te atua

All honour and glory to our maker

He maungārongo ki te whenua

Let there be peace and tranquillity on earth

He whakaaro pai ki ngā tangata katoa

Goodwill to mankind

Āmine.                                  

Amen

Saturday | Sabbath | Hātarei

To begin this week I would like to draw your attention to the summary statements on the Great Commission texts of the recently passed away theologian John Stott. There are two sermons available online in transcript and audio. In the first sermon he concludes that:

Christ emphasises four marks of Christian evangelism:

1. an assured personal experience of peace in both mind and conscience.
2. a humble, sacrificial identification with those to whom we are sent.
3. the power of the Holy Spirit in our ministry.
4. an authoritative proclamation of the divine terms of peace.
This was the risen Lord's word to the infant church when it was still in hiding; it may yet bring the church out of hiding today.

In the second sermon he concludes (referring to Mt 28:16-20) that:

Looking back over this best-known version of the Great Commission (its announcement, its command and its promise), we are struck by its comprehensive sweep as indicated by the fourfold repetition of the word "all."

1. Christ claimed to have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

2. Therefore He sends us to make disciples of all the nations.

3. He bids us transmit to these disciples all His teaching. Finally,

4. He promises to be with us all the days, even "to the end of time" (N.E.B.).

Sunday | Rātapu

Philip the Evangelist

In the discussion of Philip the disciple I must necessarily confess that in my commentary of the lesson two weeks ago I made the basic error of attributing aspects of Philip the evangelists work incorrectly. If you as a reader notice such an error of fact please draw it to my attention because as far as possible my intention is to portray issues from the Bible with accuracy. (Thank goodness I didn’t confuse him with Herod the Tetrarch ;-)) Milligan (n.d.) says:

Philip the Evangelist must be carefully distinguished from Philip the Apostle. And though it is little that we are told regarding him in Scripture, that little is very significant. He first comes before us as one of the seven chosen by the early Church at Jerusalem to take charge of the daily ministration of charity to the poor widows (Acts 6:1-5). And when this work is hindered by the outbreak of persecution following on the death of Stephen, we find him at once departing to enter on active missionary work elsewhere (Acts 8:1-5). The fact that he should have selected Samaria as the scene of these new labours, is in itself a proof that he was able to rise above the ordinary Jewish prejudices of his time.

Schantz and Thompson (2015) write that though Philip did a good work most of what he accomplished we know little about. John the apostle says much the same about Jesus Jn 21:25. In the Bible we really only get the essential snippets. For most of us, unless we are people of power or fame our lives too are lived in relative obscurity. However, this obscurity is irrelevant from the Biblical point of view because irrespective of whether we like it or not, Heaven has an ‘Official Information Act’ – Ecc 12:14 and everything finally gets revealed.

Monday | Rāhina

Waiting on Tables (and dealing with divisive issues)

The problem of divisiveness potentially exists within any church. In Acts 2:44-47, Acts 4:34-37 we see a church being led in the unity of God’s Spirit. Even in this environment things can go wrong and this should not surprise us. Things went wrong in Eden too. How the problem works out will depend on any number of factors but an essential ingredient is effective church leadership. In the example given in Acts 6:1-7 we see the church leadership deal with the issue as it arises. They don’t ignore it, instead they use a model of distributed leadership and foster an organisational culture which deals with matters practically. The issues that arose in the book of Acts were handled well. Sometimes our churches don’t handle things so well and this can result in people leaving – which is probably very detrimental for them and also unhealthy for those who stay behind. Sometimes it is in the best interests of everyone that a person or persons leave. Knowing how to handle these more delicate situations requires a lot of wisdom that can only come from God.

Here are some basic steps that could be followed to ensure that things are done properly.

1.  If you are a church leader you ought to ‘fight’ to keep every member. Don’t take the membership for granted. Church membership doesn’t guarantee eternal life but belonging to a church helps people to maintain their faith. (Look after new and established members. Church members attend voluntarily. Some will attend whatever the circumstances and others need more reason to.)

2. Do not assume that you understand what members are thinking. Talk to them and find out what the issues are.

3.  Follow biblical principles in handling conflict.

4.  If you are a leader in the church follow the procedures in the church manual for handling church discipline. If you are a member of a church expect your church to follow proper processes. When you do this it ensures that principles of natural justice are followed and it protects the integrity of the church, the reputation of leaders and the members from injustice. These principles allow an individual to have their side of the story heard. In all fairness and legality a person who has a vested interest or bias in a matter should not be allowed to take part in the decision making process.

5.  If matters cannot be resolved in an appropriate way, move on and serve God somewhere else. Leave with grace and dignity if you can.

6.      Pray for those you disagree with or who have treated you badly.

A chain blog on the issue was started by Alan Knox. Have a read. Not all the links are working but some of the blog articles are insightful.

Tuesday | Rātū

Philip in Samaria (coping with bad things that happen)

Philip along with a great many other Christians potentially lost everything when they fled Jerusalem. The question Schantz and Thompson (2015) ask is very relevant.

What animosities, grudges, and prejudices that have poisoned your soul need to be come things of the past? Isn’t it time to let it all go?

Bad things happen in life – some of them are brought about by our own actions and some are the result of decisions or actions by others which we have no control over. If we lose stuff we need to keep in mind (more easily said than done) what Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6-8. If we have been dealt with badly consider Romans 12:21 and Matthew 5:10-11. It is essential that we let God take over and work in us. Paul says that we are created to do good works (Eph 2:10). Christianity above all other religions should be a religion of hope. Joseph is a good example of not bearing a grudge. After a life of painful experiences when his brothers finally come to him and he has power to harm them his magnanimous response is found in Gen 50:20. Philip seems to have this sort of disposition. He allows God to use him first as a deacon and then when things go bad he then becomes a missionary. 

It’s just as well Jesus doesn't bear grudges.

Wednesday  | Rāapa

With the Ethiopian

Prophecy to Christians is essential. It is central to the understanding of our faith in God and our hope for His future kingdom. Prophecy is also contestable (1 Thess 5:19-22) so we need to understand what it is, what it isn’t and what can be relied on.

It is significant that the Ethiopian becomes a believer based on the prophecies of Isaiah. Jn 13:19 tells us that the primary function of prophecy is to lead us to believe in Jesus. The events or the history foretold should contribute to the development of an evidence informed faith. Jn 20:31 outlines a similar purpose for the written word of God i.e., it is written so that we might believe, resulting in eternal life. Prophecy, often needs explanation and this is what Philip is called by God to do for this individual. In this particular instance the Ethiopian is convinced by what Philip teaches, confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is immediately baptised.

The lesson points out (Schantz and Thompson, 2015) that in Samaria Philip was involved in carrying out miracles Acts 8:6. God in His wisdom must have known this was necessary. In the Pentateuch, which the Samaritans believed in, we find the account of the exodus miracles. Many of the miracles are performed in these books with the comment – “that you may know that I am the Lord.” ( e.g., Ex 6:7). Miracles are also a contestable source of faith. It is hardly surprising that evidence from prophecies or miracles are contestable; they are contestable because they challenge the natural assumption concerning the existence of supernatural power. As Christians we accept that God does intervene in the world but we too must assess the veracity or otherwise of prophecy and miracles.

Thursday | Rāpare

Philip as Evangelist, Father, and Host

Unfortunately, for us and for them, our families get a clearer picture than anyone else of our righteousness or unrighteousness. I think it is fair to say that Philip was a righteous man. If he were not, he would not have been selected as a deacon. From the scripture we know that Philip’s daughters were godly. This is a good thing. 

In the Bible we see that our families can be saved through ‘our righteousness’. I use this term very loosely because we understand quite clearly that no one is righteous (Rom 3:10). In the flood story we see Noah’s family saved on his account Gen 7:1. We see other families saved on account of one righteous family member e.g., Joseph and the jailer at Phillipi. The jailer is interesting because he only just becomes a Christian and he is told that his family will be saved. There are also accounts of righteous people having the most dysfunctional of families e.g., David and the prophet Samuel. Decisions for God are often embedded within the family but we must also remember that God allows choice and that a third of his angelic family left Him. This was not in any way a reflection upon Him. The tussle between good and evil goes on in all our families. We cannot be given over to undue worry about our families. God is fair and He knows each individuals circumstance. He knows our families and His love for them is greater than ours. Our task is to be faithful and prayerful (Rom_12:12) always keeping in mind – not doctrine, but quality of relationship (1 Co 13:13). And where things are not right in our families let us each day look at our own lives to see what we can do that might make that small but saving difference.

(I must qualify my remark about doctrine. You need to know what you believe and why you believe it. It just isn’t the most important thing when your relationship requires loving actions.)

Considerations for practise

1. Reflect on your family. How do your family view your life and faith? Do you need to make some changes? Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).

Closing Prayer - Karakia Whakamutunga

2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Kia tau ki a tātou katoa te atawhai o tō tātou Ariki, a Ihu Karaiti me te aroha o te Atua, me te whiwhingatahitanga ki te wairua tapu, ake, ake, ake, āmine.


See you next week. The following lesson is on the apostle Paul.



References

Knox, A. (2011, June). Chain blog: Dealing with divisive issues introduction. Retrieved from http://www.alanknox.net/2011/06/chain-blog-dealing-with-divisive-issues-introduction/

Hager, N. (2002, March). A researcher’s view of New Zealand’s Official Information Act, International Symposium on Freedom of Information and Privacy. Retrieved from http://www.nickyhager.info/a-researcher%E2%80%99s-view-of-new-zealand%E2%80%99s-official-information-act-international-symposium-on-freedom-of-information-and-privacy/
(This is a perspective on how the OIA is working and it is not that recent. The OIA is a very good concept and quite biblical with regard to transparency.)

Milligan, G. (n.d.). Philip, the evangelist. In Bible Hub. Retrieved from http://biblehub.com/library/milligan/men_of_the_bible_some_lesser-known/philip_the_evangelist.htm

Schantz, B. & Thompson, S. (2015). Biblical Missionaries. Adult Sabbath School Quarterly 3Q. 2015. Silver Spring: MD: Pacific Press.

Stott, J. (1966). The Great Commission: Part 1. In Billy Graham Center Archives. Retrieved from http://www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/docs/Berlin66/stott1.htm

Stott, J. (1966). The Great Commission: Part 2. In Billy Graham Center Archives. Retrieved from http://www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/docs/Berlin66/stott2.htm