Seminaries are packed with people who would gladly do the work of the ministry — someday, long after they get their credentials. This guy was not waiting around for any diploma to start building God’s kingdom. He technically wasn’t even a preacher.
His job was to make sure that grouchy widows weren’t at each other’s throats over who got what food. Philip was brought on as a deacon. Our fancy-pants term ‘deacon’ comes from the greek word diakanos. Which means — you guessed it — servant or waiter.
These ‘waiters’ were not your ordinary church committee folk. They were chosen because they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with power. We already met Stephen. He was the first martyr. Now we’re meeting Philip. The very first person to bring the gospel to Ethiopia did so because of wild story we see him in the thick of today.
And just to drop an exclamation point to the fact that he was no one-hit-wonder, it gives us a quick look at his own personal role in putting ‘Paid’ to the promsies Christ made about the Church exploding outward to ‘Judea, Samaria, and the Uttermost Parts Of The World’.
Imagine what might happen if we truly turned our prayers to awakening this sort of passion for God’s Kingdom in today’s church, instead of lamenting how we assume the Church’s best days are somehow ‘behind us’?
What might it look like if God’s church stepped up and reached every one of the people groups that flooded into the West during the last decade’s immigration waves? We’d suddenly have sending churches of native-speakers for pretty nearly every people group on the planet!
If we read examples of people with vision like Philip’s — and take them seriously — we might finally start to cry out to God, not about the little trivialities of our own petty fiefdoms, but that our hearts be enlarged for a passion of the building of the kingdom of God.
But enough preamble from me. Let’s get to Doug’s message!
This book recommendation seems on-point…
John The Baptist: A Rude Awakening Precedes A Great Awakening.
This timely little tome chronicles the politically incorrect ministry of one of God’s most effective wildmen, John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Christ’s ministry.
The abrasive message of repentance John preached 2000 years ago is still confrontational and offensive today — but it is also life-changing.
In our putrid, worldly culture that has turned away from God, this book is a must-read for every Christian.
Available in paperback for those of you who like the feel of the pages in your hot, little hands, on Kindle to keep it right at your fingertips, and as an epic Audiobook.
