1. Adult Bible Study Guide Jul Aug Sep 2015 Adult Bible Study Guide Jul Aug Sep 2015 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com

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4. Biblical Missionaries Our Goal We will look at mission first and foremost as God’s means for commu- nicating the gospel. Mission is a core part of God’s sovereign activity in the process of redeeming humanity. We will study how God’s eternal purpose has been accomplished in the lives of individuals in the Bible whom He has used to be missionaries to the lost.

5. Biblical Missionaries Contents 1 The Missionary Nature of God 2 Abraham: The First Missionary 3 The Unlikely Missionary 4 The Jonah Saga 5 Exiles as Missionaries 6 Esther and Mordecai 7 Jesus: The Master of Missions 8 Cross-Cultural Missions 9 Peter and the Gentiles 10 Philip as Missionary 11 Paul: Background and Call 12 Paul: Mission and Message 13 Must the Whole World Hear?

6. Biblical Missionaries Lesson 10, September 5 Biblical Missionaries Lesson 10, September 5 Phillip as Missionary

7. Philip as Missionary Key Text Acts 1:8 NIV “ ‘ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’ ”

8. Philip as Missionary Quick Look 1. From Deacon to Evangelist (Acts 6:3-5; 21:8) 2. From Samaritans to Ethiopian (Acts 8:5, 12; 35, 36) 3. From Evangelist to Host (Acts 21:8-10)

9. Philip as Missionary Initial Words According to Acts 8, Philip’s work extended outward from Jerusalem in expanding circles. That is, it kept spreading farther and farther as time progressed. Who was this Philip the evangelist? What lessons can we take away for ourselves from the inspired record of this early missionary?

10. Philip as Missionary 1. From Deacon to Evangelist Acts 6:3-5; 21:8 NKJV “Seek out from among you seven men...whom we may appoint over this business.... And they choose...Philip.... We who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist....”

11. 1. From Deacon to Evangelist Waiting on Tables Philip was designated “the evangelist” in Acts 21:8, to distinguish him from Philip the disciple. He first appeared in the Jerusalem church as a “table waiter” (Acts 6:2– 5) who turned evangelist and missionary (Acts 8:12). His missionary service extended over twenty years.

12. 1. From Deacon to Evangelist Waiting on Tables Unfair distribution of food to Greek- speaking widows emerged. To resolve this serious issue, the apostles proposed the appointment of seven men, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, who would literally “deaconize [Greek for “serve”] tables” so the Twelve could “deaconize the Word” (see Acts 6:3, 4).

13. “It was the violent persecution of Saul the Pharisee that had scattered the church at Jerusalem and destroyed the effectiveness of the organization of the seven deacons. The flight from Jerusalem had led Philip to change his manner of labor, and resulted in his pursuing the same calling to which Paul gave his life.” —Sketches From the Life of Paul 204. 1. From Deacon to Evangelist The Evangelist

14. Philip as Missionary 2. From Samaritans to Ethiopian Acts 8:5, 12, 35, 36 NKJV “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.... But when they believed Philip...both men and women were baptized.... Then Philip...beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.... And the eunuch said, ‘...What hinders me from being baptized?’ ”

15. 2. From Samaritans to Ethiopian As Missionary S AMARIA was the first stop on the geographical spread of Christianity. Samaritans considered themselves descendants of Israelites left behind when Assyria exiled most of the Israelites in 722 B. C. The Jews, how- ever, considered Samaritans to be descendants of foreigners that the Assyrians forcibly settled in Israel.

16. 2. From Samaritans to Ethiopian As Missionary Philip’s call to wait on tables now became that of a missionary evangelist to the Samaritans. As a refugee fleeing religious persecution in Jerusalem, he did not waste his time. He proclaimed that the Messiah, awaited by both Jews and Samaritans, had come (Acts 8:5, 12).

17. 2. From Samaritans to Ethiopian As Missionary Philip’s next contact was with the Ethiopian treasury administrator, bringing mission another step toward “ ‘the end of the earth’ ” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). Philip was the link between Samaria and the Gaza mission. From Samaria, north of Jerusalem, Philip was called to Gaza, which is south of the city.

18. 2. From Samaritans to Ethiopian As Missionary His work in the north focused on a group; here it focused on a single person. In Samaria, Philip could proclaim Christ only from the five books of Moses, for this was all the Samaritans accepted; here he could also use the book of Isaiah, probably in Greek translation.

19. Philip as Missionary 3. From Evangelist to Host Acts 21:8-10 NKJV “On the next day we...entered the hose of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. And...we stayed many days....”

20. 3. From Evangelist to Host A Family Man Philip was a family man with four unmarried daughters. Philip’s call out of the deaconate into evangelism involved him in extensive travel. From Jerusalem to Samaria, then on to Gaza, followed by “all the towns” on the 80-kilometer coastline between Azotus and Caesarea. There were probably unrecorded journeys.

21. 3. From Evangelist to Host A Family Man Still, he managed his family to the extent that four daughters were deemed by the Holy Spirit suitable to receive the gift of prophecy. This testifies to good parenting and true godliness in this pioneering Christian missionary family.

22. 3. From Evangelist to Host A Family Man The apostle Paul stayed with Philip “a number of days” (vs. 10, NIV). Twenty-five years earlier, Paul, then named Saul, had been an aggressive and fierce persecutor of the Christians (Acts 9:1, 2). Now, years later, persecutor and persecuted meet in the home of Philip, who hosts Paul’s visit.

23. Philip as Missionary Final Words “When they were scattered by persecution they went forth filled with missionary zeal. They realized the responsibility of their mission. They knew that they held in their hands the bread of life for a famishing world; and they were constrained by the love of Christ to break this bread to all who were in need.” —The Acts of the Apostles 106.