Top 10 Facts about Philip the Apostle

St. Philip by Giuseppe Mazzuoli. Nave of the Basilica of St. John Lateran (Rome). photo by Jastrow-Wikimedia Commons 

Top 10  Facts about Philip the Apostle

Philip the apostle was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the new testament in the Hebrew bible.

Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia. He was also one of the apostles that gentiles visiting Jerusalem approached to assist them to see Jesus.

He worked in accordance with the command of Jesus to save lives. Philip was among those who surrounded John the Baptist when the latter first pointed out Jesus as the lamb of God.

1. Philip the Apostle was also a Deacon

Philip the Apostle photo by Jojojoe-Wikimedia Commons

The twelve disciples as was seen were all men who had known Jesus during the time of his public ministry and were witnesses to his resurrection and because of these, they had a special place in Jesus’ ministry.

They taught and shared with others the things that Jesus had shared with them and taught them. As the church grew administrative tasks became great such as management of the food and offerings distributed to widows.

The church decided to appoint seven deacons to take over this work so as to enable them to concentrate on the ministry work and Philip was one of those who were appointed.

2. He was Anointed by God

Philip the Apostle photo by Hakjosef-Wikimedia Commons

The fundamental qualification for being a deacon in the early church was that the person should be a man who was full of wisdom and the holy spirit which Philip was found to have.

When Philip visited Samaria and preached the word of God there many people were converted and he healed the woes of the people and his anointed ministry filled the city with overflowing joy.

He was therefore anointed by God to carry out his ministry.

3. He Met a Magician called Simon

Philip the Apostle photo by Danilo de Santos-Wikimedia Commons

In Samaria where Philip was preaching, a magician called Simon built up a great reputation among people through his practice of magical arts.

Philip’s teachings about the supernatural convinced Simon and he was converted. When the apostle’s Peter and John arrived, they placed their hands on the converts to receive the holy spirit.

Surprisingly Simon offered them money to be given the same power but the apostles rebuked him and told him to repent of his wickedness.

4. Philip the Apostle was led by the Holy Spirit

Philip the Apostle photo by Ad Meskens-Wikimedia Commons

As Philip continued with his evangelistic mission in Samaria he was visited by an angel to leave the area and travel south to meet an Ethiopian eunuch.

The eunuch had been to Jerusalem to worship and when he was there he purchased a scroll of the prophecy of Isaiah which he was reading when he was returning home along the road of Gaza in his chariot.

The holy spirit instructed Philip to run to the chariot and ask the man if he understood what he was reading.

Philip using the scriptures he was reading preached the gospel of Jesus to the Ethiopian Eunuch who believed and was baptized by immersion in water. 

The holy spirit took him away from the Eunuch and he could not be seen. He literally vanished in plain sight.

5. He Spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Philip traveled north up the coast of Palestine preaching in every town until he reached Caesarea where he settled.

His preaching was embraced by both Jews and half-Jewish Samaritans. It was a major ordeal since Jews had no dealings with Samaritans during that time.

It marked a turning point because he was carrying Jesus’ command to the disciples to spread the word of God in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth.

This is the command that Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to heaven.

6. He had a Godly Household

Philip had four unmarried daughters who lived with him in his home at Caesarea.

Many years before the outpouring of the holy spirit at Pentecost Prophet Joel had predicted that when the holy spirit came down one of the results would be that Jewish sons and daughters will prophesy.

All four of Philips’s daughters had received the gift of prophecy. Many in the church had cause to thank God for their influence on their home and family of Philip.

7. He was Practical

On the feeding of the five thousand people, Philip was put in charge of the supplies and food.

He was the kind of guy who was practical always thinking about the bottom line.

And on this occasion, Jesus tried to test Philip’s faith when he asked him a question as the crowd gathered “where shall we buy bread that these people may eat?” Philip responded “two hundred denarii worth of bread isn’t enough for them to eat” which was practically impossible mathematically.

8. He was Curious

Philip asked Jesus to reveal God to the apostles which was his curious nature. Jesus responded, “Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me Philip, who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Philip was challenged to evaluate his walk with Jesus and be able to understand that Jesus was actually the father he asked to be shown.

9. His Death

Philip was preaching in the Hierapolis together with another believer called Bartholomew.

Bartholomew prayed and killed a large serpent in the temple that was devoted to serpent worship.

On the other hand, Philip healed so many snake bites which angered the city governor, and the city’s pagan priests had Philip and Bartholomew crucified.

As the two disciples were being crucified an earthquake shook everyone on the ground.

The people were scared and demanded that Philip and Bartholomew be released. However, Bartholomew survived but Philip died.

10. He had a Feel for the Knowledge

Philp spoke to Nathaniel telling him “we have found him, of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets did write” during the early times of Jesus’s ministry.

Philip and Nathanael followed him because they saw that Jesus was the person who was fulfilling what the old testament prophesied.

Thus, he followed Jesus for the knowledge that Jesus.

In conclusion, Philp was a disciple of Jesus who worked in accordance with the command of Jesus to save lives though it’s not yet confirmed how he died either by stoning or crucifixion.

He was a man of faith and conviction.