PHILIP’S MESSAGE

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35 NKJV).

Our verse tells of an incident which took place between Jerusalem and Gaza. Gaza is near the Mediterranean Sea and is often in the news today. However, none of today’s events compare to the event that is recorded in our verse. This event involved the conversion of a high government official from Ethiopia. Philip, the evangelist, had been ordered by God to go to this area. When he arrived, he went to the government official, told him about the Lord Jesus and he was won to the Lord. Thus, we want to note four things about Philip’s message to the Ethiopian official.

The fearlessness in the message - “Philip opened his mouth.” Philip was not afraid to speak out for the Lord Jesus. Although persecution of Christians was rampant during this time, it did not stop Philip from speaking up for the Lord.

The foundation of the message – “Beginning at this Scripture.” Philip’s message was grounded in Scripture. If our message is not founded on the Word of God, we have the wrong message. Preachers today need to be more earnest in their study of the Scriptures so that their messages are based more on the Scriptures. Too many messages are nothing but story telling or pop psychology. If our message is not based on the Scriptures, it is not trustworthy.

The focus of the message - “Preached Jesus to him.” Although speaking to a government official, Philip did not talk politics or tried to be political correct. Rather, he “preached Jesus.” This must be our focus since the world need Christ preached to it. A lot of things are preached to us which does us very little good. The Lord Jesus will do far more good for the world than anything else. So let’s preach Him!

The faithfulness of the message - Philip had been preaching the Lord Jesus to the common people in Samaria. When he came to this government official, he did not change his message. So many preachers change their message when they get around people of influence and affluence. Let’s be faithful and consistent in our message.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“When we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer, or stutter, or hesitate, or apologize; there is nothing in the gospel of which we have any cause to be ashamed!”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 - 1892)

English Particular Baptist Preacher

Word Study

Feeble

In Heb. 12:12 we read, “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” (NKJV).

“Feeble” is the Greek word paraluō (παραλύω = par-al-oo'-o). It is made up of two words: “pará” which means from, beside, and “lúo” which means to loose. Thus, the word means to loosen beside, to relax, to weaken, to disable, to cause to be feeble, to be paralyzed. In classical Greek, paraluō carried the idea to take off or detach, to part from or set free; or to disable, weaken, or paralyze. In the Septuagint paraluō meant to weaken, enfeeble, or disable, often in the context of people being rendered helpless from fear of an enemy or from divine providence. In the New Testament paraluō was only used to describe those who were paralyzed, enfeebled or taken with palsy. Here the author of Hebrews is speaking those believers who were spiritually weak and who need to strengthen themselves – His command was lift up your hands! Strengthen those knees!

Did You Know…

Deut. 17:18 says that the king should have his own copy of the Scriptures. This is the basis for the British custom of presenting the monarch with a copy of the Bible during the coronation service.

Bible Quiz

To what question did the Lord Jesus respond by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

Which evil mother taught her daughter to dance seductively and ask for the head of John Baptist head in return? Herodias (Matt. 14:6).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

His Character is Holiness (Ex. 15:11; Luke 1:35; Acts 4:27)

"Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders” (Ex. 15:11NJKV).

The recognition of God’s mighty works led Moses to extol the Lord’s “holiness.” “Holiness” is that fundamental attribute of God that makes Him without peer. He is incomparable and utterly unique. This song by Moses honors the “holiness” of God in His judgment of upon evil. “Holiness” is also a fundamental characteristic of the Lord Jesus. Mary was told, “That Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). And the apostle Peter called Him, “Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:27). The character of Lord Jesus had to one of “holiness” in order to accomplish the awesome work of salvation on our behalf. The author of Hebrews reminds us in 7:26 of this when he penned the words, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.”

Did You Know – Christian History

Timothy Dwight was born May 14, 1752, in Northampton, Massachusetts. He was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author.

Dwight was educated by his mother, a daughter of the preacher Jonathan Edwards. It was said that he learned the alphabet in a single lesson and was able to read the Bible before he was four years old. Dwight entered Yale at age 13 and graduated in 1769. He then pursued a variety of occupations, including that of a tutor at Yale, a school principal, a Massachusetts legislator, and a chaplain with the Continental Army. In 1783 he began a successful school in Greenfield Hill, Connecticut. There he became pastor of the Congregational Church.

In Connecticut, Dwight began to write poetry. The poems were impressive as well as morally inspiring. His political sarcasms marks him as one of the ‘Hartford wits.’ Dwight served as president of Yale from 1795 to 1817; his administration had widespread effects on the school, including the modernization of the curriculum. He fought religious apathy and fired all of the faculty members who favored the anti-Christian ideas of French rationalism. Subsequently, about one third of the student body were converted to Christianity. As an eloquent professor of theology; his sermons appear in Theology; Explained and Defended, 5 vol. (1818–19).

Dwight also taught apologetics, ethics, literature, logic, metaphysics, and oratory. He did all this despite ill health and crippling migraine headaches. As if that were not enough work for a sick man, he wrote articles and hymns, including “I Love Thy Kingdom Lord.” Under Dwight, Yale caught the spirit of the Second Great Awakening. His ability as a teacher and his talents as a religious and political leader soon made the college the largest institution of higher education in North America. Today we see skepticism and moral error taught in our colleges. If Yale President Timothy Dwight were living, he would likely insist that faculty members, administrators, and students must make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and His commandments. Then higher education would again mold honesty and character in the students who are tomorrow’s business and government leaders; and once again there might be a Great Awakening in America. Dwight died on January 11, 1817, in New Haven, Connecticut.

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A Little Humor

A bus driver brought a large group of people to church. The pastor said, “Welcome!” The driver whispered, “They came for the potluck, not the sermon.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Jesus Christ – the map to heaven’s treasure!”