See also current and past Comment   

Listening, Learning, Living

The names of Peter and Paul resonate in our hearts when we think about vital leadership in our Scriptures. Remember the following stanza and verse from a well-known spiritual?

If you cannot preach like Peter,
If you cannot pray like Paul
You can tell the love of Jesus
And say “He died for all.”

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin sick soul.
(“There is a Balm in Gilead,” WOV 737)

But there’s another servant of the Word who, while he may not be on the tips of our tongues to the same degree as Peter and Paul are, remains instructive to the church today, especially in terms of the ministry of evangelism. His name is Philip.

As the infant church grew, new kinds of leadership were needed and responsibilities had to be delegated in new ways. One change occurred when leadership chose Philip and six others to “wait on tables” and provide material needs to the community of faith (Acts 6:5). But early on, leadership evidently recognized that Philip had other skills which needed to be exercised: he could effectively share the story of Jesus with those who had never heard of him.

Philip is called an “evangelist” (Greek: euaggelistes), a title the writer Luke uses later on when Paul and his entourage, on their way to Jerusalem, entered Caeserea and stayed at the evangelist’s house (21:8). One commentator points out that this title is not used very often in New Testament literature. Timothy is called to do the work of an euaggelistes (2 Timothy 4:5), while the author of the letter to the Ephesians listed euaggelistes along with several other titles of offices found in the early church (Ephesians 4:11).

It’s a job with a singular concern: to tell the story of Jesus and the good news of the one who died and rose for the salvation of the world. Philip himself circulated throughout different parts of Israel on at least two journeys, even though he must have felt the heat and pressure to cease and desist. Another one of the “Seven,” his colleague Stephen, had just been killed. The early followers of the crucified Messiah were under pressure to run. Persecution was in the air. You can find the story in Acts 8.

Apparently, Philip had a heart for those who didn’t know Christ — and were also a bit outside what's usually expected. He spent time in Samaria, a region whose inhabitants practiced a heterodox version of Judaism (see also Jesus’ interaction with a Samaritan woman, especially John 4:9b). Through Philip’s ministry, many heard, believed, and were healed (Acts 8: 6, 13). A magician, Simon, became entranced with what he thought was Philip’s “magic” and wanted some of this for himself and his economic wellbeing — only to soon find himself in deep conflict with Peter and John (8:9-25).

In the meantime, Philip’s ears, tuned to God’s frequency, found himself with another job to do. “Get up and go to the south,” the Lord said. Philip was led to a desert road which stretched from Jerusalem to Gaza (about 50 miles long). On the way he met a black court official from Ethiopia which in those days corresponded to the land of Nubia. This official held a high-ranking job working for the Queen — a Candace — as the nation’s treasurer. But he was also a eunuch which would place him on the fringes of Israel’s community of faith (see Deuteronomy 23:1, but also Isaiah 56:3).

The treasurer may have been a proselyte to Judaism, but he also may have been what some call a “God-fearer.” He had traveled a long way from home to Jerusalem just to worship God.

Philip found the treasurer traveling toward Gaza, reading out loud. A strange custom to us who generally read silently when by ourselves, reading out loud was apparently not an uncommon way to read literature in those days. (Though today, many of us moderns are strangely speaking out loud while walking down the sidewalks of our towns as we use our cell phones and specially-rigged headphone sets.)

Philip jogged up to the man’s chariot and began a conversation. He first just asked questions. Paraphrased, it may have gone like this:
“What are you reading?”
“Writings from the prophet Isaiah.”
“Do you understand what’s going on?”
“It’s kind of tough. I think I may need some help.”
“If you don’t mind, I may be able to help you. Let me hear that passage again you just read.”

If you and I had been there, we would have known the passage as one of Isaiah’s “servant songs” — the longest in fact. The portion cited in Acts 8:32b-33 comes from Isaiah 53:7b-8a. The passage talks about a servant who is compared to a sheep “led to the slaughter” and one for whom “justice was denied.”

The treasurer had at least one more question:
“Who’s the prophet talking about here? Himself? Someone else? Could you help, sir?”

Philip then started with this Scripture and undoubtedly shared many other Scriptures about the Christ found in other servant songs in Isaiah as well. He spoke about the servant Jesus’ good news. Eventually, he must have asked: "Would you like to be baptized? Would you like to follow the One who died and rose for you?"

When they came to a body of water, the treasurer answered yes to both questions.

“Look, I’m ready. A team of camels couldn’t keep me from the water!”

If you turn to the article by Nathan Frambach, “Evangelical Listening — and Living,” you will find that the author sees evangelism in broad strokes. It certainly does consist of telling stories, both God’s story in Christ and our own personal story of our faith relationship with God in Christ. But evangelism is also much more. It involves what Frambach calls evangelical “listening” and evangelical “living.” Taking time with folks, getting to know them, showing respect, building trust, understanding their faith world, leading them to deeper questions of faith and life, and especially relying on the Spirit of God — these are all potent markers of evangelical living. The author believes a holistic view of evangelism is acutely needed for this generation of seekers, wanderers, and people of other faiths.

It evidently was important to Philip the Evangelist as well. After the baptism of the Ethiopian treasurer, the Evangelist headed toward different cities to continue to preach the good news until he reached Caeserea. There he settled, raised a family (his four daughters all eventually served God as prophets!), and was finally able to show hospitality to the famous Paul — once a persecutor of Philip and other early disciples but now a brother in Christ.

Evangelism leads to the “balm in Gilead. ”Wherever the Word is preached and sacraments distributed, Christ’s life flows in and through us for the healing of the world and for many who still don’t know the good news of Christ.

Furthermore...
This issue also includes an article by Deborah Hanson who writes of some outreach lessons she has learned as a pastor working in small-town and rural America. Author Tom Weitzel encourages us to develop a deeper sense of discernment, relying much on the Book of Acts, as we think about God’s will.

“Facets” writer and educator Melvin Kieschnick writes about the mandate and opportunity inherent in Lutheran school education, and “Handiwork” columnist George Murphy writes about the world’s age. “Some Words About...” columnist Terence Mullins continues his Scripture word study, reviewer Geoff Scott provides an overview of some of the current Narnia video productions, and Lawrence Wohlrabe reviews several books suitable for life and ministry.

And then there are those most important letters. Among the epistles are several which provide suggestions of how congregations can find and mentor good musicians (Finding Musicians).

William A. Decker is editor of Lutheran Partners magazine, Chicago, Illinois.