• Acts 6:5
  • Samaritans: I should love my neighbor
    • Acts 1:8
    • Samaria was both a region and a city.
    • John 4:7-9; 8:48; Luke 9:51-56 – The great divide between Jews and Samaritans.
    • Acts 8:5-13 – Philip went to teach the Samaritans despite the hostility between them and Jews (of which Philip was one).
  • Preaching: the power of the gospel
    • Acts 8:25-40
    • Many today teach that the Holy Spirit must directly act upon you before you can be saved. That is not what happened here!
    • Acts 8:4-5, 35-36 – Philip preaches Jesus and the result is baptism.
  • Longevity: Growing (without growing bitter)
    • Acts 8:40; 21:8
    • Somewhere around 20 years passed between Acts 8 and 21.
    • Mark 4:16
    • Are we planting roots in God’s word so that as time passes, we will be able to stand?
    • Philip had good reason to grow bitter because of the prosecution of Saul. Then Saul (now Paul) comes to stay at his house!
    • Acts 1:10-14
    • Philip grew to be called “the evangelist” – not “the grumpy old man!” He endured lots of unfairness, but he did not let it make him bitter.