Philip

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After the stoning of Stephen, there was a great

persecution (per suh KYEW shun) of the Christians
in Jerusalem. Saul went from house to house and
dragged men and women off to prison if they were
followers of Jesus.
The Christians ran away from Jerusalem so they
wouldn't be arrested and killed. For some reason,
the apostles were protected and were able to remain
in Jerusalem without being arrested.
Philip, in our story, was not the apostle Philip, but he
was one of the seven men who had been chosen to
help take care of the widows in Jerusalem. He too,
left Jerusalem and went to the district of Samaria.
One day an angel told Philip to go south on a certain
road that went from Jerusalem to Gaza, which was
near the coast of the Mediterranean (med it ter ANE
ee un) Sea.
As he went, he met a man from the country of Ethiopia
(ee thea OH pea uh). The man was riding in a
chariot. He was an important person in the
government of his country. Candace (can DAY see),
the queen had put him in charge of the country's
treasury; all their gold, silver, and wealth.
He was a believer in God and had been to Jerusalem to
worship. He was probably not a Jew, but a proselyte
(PROS uh lite), a person who had accepted the
Jewish religion by going through certain acts such as
baptism. When a person became a proselyte, he/she
was taught about the Jewish laws and given a Jewish
name.
Philip went near to the chariot. The man was reading
from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
"Do you understand what you're reading?" he asked
the man.
The man said he needed someone to explain it to him,
and he invited Philip to sit in the chariot with him.
Then they continued on the journey.
The scripture he had been reading had been written
more than 500 years before, and was a prophecy in
 the book of Isaiah about a man who was going to be
unfairly tried and judged, but that man wouldn't try
to defend himself.
The Ethiopian asked, "Is the prophet writing about
himself or someone else?"
Philip started at that very scripture and told him the
good news about Jesus; how he had come to earth,
been killed and how that God had raised him from
the dead.
And evidently, he also had talked about baptism because
when they came to a body of water, the Ethiopian
said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be
baptized?" He ordered the chariot driver to stop.
Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you
may."
The man said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God."
Both Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water,
and Philip baptized him.
The word "baptized" here means immersed. It was like
a burial; as if the person has died and then is alive
again, literally a new man. (See Romans 6:3-14 )
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the
Lord suddenly took Philip away. We don't know if
he was suddenly transported to another place, or if
he was just instructed to go to the next place.
Anyway, the Ethiopian never saw him again.
As for the man in the chariot, he was so happy! He went
on his way rejoicing, knowing that now he had this
wonderful relationship with Jesus and God, the
 Father.

What does this story

mean to me?

One lesson we learn from the story of the Ethiopian is to

always look for the truth. He was honestly trying to
find out what God wanted him to do.

God recognized his honest heart and sent someone to

teach him.

If you truly want to do the right thing, God will help

you. You may meet a person who can counsel with
you and guide you, or circumstances may just "work
out" so that you can serve Him obediently.

But the initial choice is yours, and you need to keep

your heart soft and receptive so that God can work
in your life.

Memory Verse

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his

mouth; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and
 as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not
open his mouth.

Isaiah 53:7 (NIV)

REVIEW
(Rest the mouse lightly over the ??? to see the answers in the alternate
tags.)

1. What did the Christians do when Saul began

arresting them?
2. Who did Philip meet on the road to Gaza?

3. What was the man's official title in his country?

4.How do we know that he was a religious person?

5.From which book of prophecy was he reading?

6. What did he ask Philip?

7. What was Philip's message to him?

8. Why did he order the chariot to stop?

9. What did the Ethiopian believe about Jesus?

10. What happened to Philip when they came up out

of the water?

11. What happened to the Ethopian?

You can read about Philip in the Bible in

Acts 8:26-40