Have you ever taken on a responsibility thinking it was just a one-time obligation and then discovered it opened a door to something much greater? That is just what happened to a man we read about in Acts chapter 6.
Philip was chosen by the multitude of disciples to assist with caring for the Grecian widows. The widows had been neglected, and the apostles needed some men to fix the problem. The church chose seven men, all of whom possessed specific qualifications, which are listed in verse 6.
Among the men chosen were Philip and Stephen. Stephen was later stoned to death for proclaiming the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and accusing the audience of being a part of this terrible event.
Philip, also an evangelist, isn’t mentioned again until after Stephen’s death. We are reacquainted with him in chapter 8, where he preached in Samaria.
While Philip was in Samaria, he received a message from an angel telling him to go south to a road that went toward Gaza from Jerusalem. Without further instructions, without questioning, Philip went.
Along the way, Philip encountered an Ethiopian who was returning from worshiping in Jerusalem. He was riding along in his chariot, passing the time on this long journey by reading the scripture.
A voice spoke to Philip and told him to go meet this man, and Philip ran to the chariot. When he was close enough to hear this Eunuch, he heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip simply asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Verse 30). The Eunuch’s reply was that he needed help understanding the passage.
The Eunuch invited him into the chariot, and there Philip explained to him the meaning of the passage from Isaiah 53:7-8. Philip then taught this Ethiopian about Jesus.
The result of Philip’s teaching was that this man expressed his belief in Jesus as the Son of God, asked to be baptized, and Philip baptized him. Philip then left him, and the Eunuch went on his way rejoicing over his newfound knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Philip was originally chosen to help in the distribution of funds to a group of widows. He was chosen because he was had a good reputation, was full of the Spirit, and was wise. He could be trusted to do the job given him.
He did what he was asked to do, and then he and others were scattered because of the ravaging of the church by a man named Saul. We next find him preaching in Samaria, and from there God sent him on this special mission—to teach a lost soul.
How many times have we taken on a “project”, been asked to serve in some way, or just helped someone in need and find ourselves traveling on a new path of service to God? What starts out as a one-time request for service can turn into a lifetime of serving God.
There is, of course, another side to this. What about the person that is asked to serve and refuses? What do they miss? What they miss is the opportunity to be a servant of the Almighty God. Ultimately, what they miss is heaven.
Sandra Oliver