St Philip, Deacon and Evangelist

St. Philip, Deacon and Evangelist

Isaiah 53:7-11

Psalm 6

Matthew 28:18-20

Did you know that Steve Jobs used to speak of his sales associates as evangelists? I know when I have taken my MacBook in for service, or purchased a new iPod, I have encountered people with great enthusiasm and passion. I, too, am quite clear about the ways that my quality of life, and the life span of my electronics, has improved since I switched to Apple. 

Why is it so easy to talk to my friends and people in the check out line about Apple Computers but so hard to talk about Jesus and the church?  For me, it has to do with things unseen. While it is perfectly acceptable to talk about productivity with anyone in this culture, Jesus generally makes me less commercially viable. Because the fruits of the Spirit, which have a lot to do with being present to the here and now, stand in opposition to doing more, being more, making more, selling more. So, while there is certainly going to be enthusiasm and passion for the Gospel, what it means to evangelize the Good News is going to happen in a different way.  

Philip, named as a deacon and evangelist, is perhaps best known for being the evangelist to the Ethiopian eunuch. Holy Women, Holy Men says that on the way to Gaza, “he encountered an Ethiopian eunuch, a servant of the Ethiopian queen, reading the Isaiah text on the Suffering Servant. They traveled together, and in the course of their journey the Ethiopian was converted and baptized by Philip.”

The first thing I notice is that the Ethiopian was already struggling with the scriptures. From this, I take evangelism to be something that the Spirit is already doing in the lives of people. It’s less about us selling the Gospel, and more about noticing where it is already working. The second thing I notice is that they traveled together, which takes time. Having someone who will walk with you as you struggle, that is good news. That is the Good News. Matthew 28:20 says to “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” That’s hard to promise in a check out line. 

What ways and in what places are you walking with someone who is struggling? How do you notice God in those places? What fruits of the Spirit seem to accompany you?