Christianity is more than just understanding the Bible and reveling in the joy found in the Word. It is only when a believer opens himself up and is able to share his knowledge and bring others to Christ that his true purpose in life can be revealed.
This is the lesson that the Apostle Philip shares with the world through his life and actions. As one of the 12 disciples of Jesus which also included Peter, Matthew, Andrew, James the Greater, James the Lesser, John, Bartholomew, Thomas, Jude (Thaddeus), Simon and Judas Iscariot (replaced by Matthias), Philip is considered a man close to the heart of Christianity. Even so, unlike many of his peers he was not showy or well known. Little is heard of him in the Bible but ministers of the word said what is known exhibits an essential aspect of what it means to be a Christian.
Pastor Henry Higgins of Creative Christian Arts Ministries International said Philip is a disciple Christians can learn loyalty and faithfulness from. He said he was one who was always eager to learn more and expand his knowledge of Jesus' teachings. Pastor Higgins said at times, Philips' curiosity may have been misguided but his devotion to his beliefs and sharing the good news was remarkable.
"Philip is said to be from Bethseda in Galilee along with his brother Nathaniel. He is noted mostly for bringing his brother with him to be a disciple and follow Christ when he was called by Jesus," said the minister. "He was so enamored with the Word and finding true salvation that when his brother asked if anything can truly come from Galilee, he told him immediately to come and see for himself. This speaks volumes, for Philip was a new apostle and knew little of Jesus, but his faith was so strong so early that he was willing to be out recruiting others to follow his savior in a flash."
Philip was the kind of disciple who was so thirsty for the Word that he always studied it and listened to Jesus. At times his understanding of what was being taught was flawed but he was never deterred -- even when Jesus reprimanded him. He wanted to win people to Christ and he started from his own family and friends to do so. This is also a lesson the Christian can learn from Philip -- bring loved ones to Christ so they too can experience the joys that only God can bring. Philip teaches the believer to not only be concerned about his own well-being and spirituality, but to care for their family and friends as well.
No matter how close one is to Christ, it is okay to be in doubt and to have questions, and this is the lesson Father Hugh Bartlett, priest at St. Anne's Anglican Church said the modern Christian can learn from the Apostle Philip. Much like Thomas questioned Jesus' resurrection, he said Philip had his moment of doubt and confusion.
"Philip, although a great apostle who was famous for bringing people to Jesus, at times displayed that same spirit of doubt that Thomas had. When Jesus spoke about seeing the Father only through Him, Philip implored Christ to show him the Father so he may be satisfied. This was shocking to Jesus who felt that he had been showing Philip and the other apostles God through His examples. To him it proved Philip did not understand what he had been taught so far and therefore needed further explanation."
While this may have been embarrassing for Philip, Fr. Bartlett said it showed that even though he was close to Christ he did not always fully understand, therefore he said today's Christian today should not fear asking questions and not understanding the word. The important thing he said is to find council like Philip did and clarify misunderstandings.
"People can also learn to have a thirst for a deeper relationship with God. It can be said that it was not doubting that Philip suffered from," said Fr. Bartlett. "It could just as likely be that he was so engulfed in knowing God that he wanted to have an even deeper revelation in his faith. He wanted a more concrete and substantial way to base his faith. And Christians can learn to be like this. Always thirst for more and look forward to learning something new."
Pastor Leonard Johnson, head of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands said a spirit of sincerity and trust is what Christians should be able to see when they study the Apostle Philip. Pastor Johnson said Philip was sincere and humble in his devotion to Christ and learning more about God and was always willing to do more and see more when it came to his faith.
"What I like about Philip is that he is the kind of man who when he finds something good he cannot keep it to himself," said the pastor. "When he found Christ he brought his brother Nathaniel along with him to meet the savior. There is also another incident when a group of Greeks came to see Jesus and they confronted Philip who then went to Peter and Andrew in order to gain access for them. To me this says that Philip was important to many people becoming followers of Christ."
Pastor Johnson said Philip also completely trusted Christ and never questioned his reasoning of things. And that this is shown most when Jesus was confronted by the 5,000 people who came to hear Him speak. He asked Philip how were they to feed the crowd and while Philip tried to figure it out, Jesus showed him that nothing is impossible even when it doesn't make sense or things look dark and dreary.
"Christians have an abundance of lessons to learn from Philip if they study him well. They can learn that we too need to be introducing people to Jesus as Philip always did in his time. Secondly whenever you have something wonderful, do not keep it to yourself. Philip never did. We can also learn to have a sense of sincerity," said Pastor Johnson. "Even in moments of doubt go to Jesus. God wants us to understand and come to Him just as we are even with our doubts. Also when we sense the call of Christ we should just follow and not think about what we will lose or miss. For when Jesus called Philip, he came and did not think about what he would lose. Today's Christians should also follow the voice and will of Christ and Philip is a good example on how to do this."
o Over the next eight weeks, The Nassau Guardian will engage a number of ministers of religion on the topic of the 12 disciples. They will examine each one and talk about who these men were and what the twenty-first century Christian can learn from their lives and legacy.

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