Read Dr. David Jeremiah Daily Devotional for today July 15 2023:New Testament Missionaries: Phillip”
SCRIPTURE: Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them…. And there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:5, 8.
In the middle of the land of ancient Israel was a group of people known as Samaritans. Some of their descendants are still there today. In New Testament times these people were viewed by the Israelites as odd, heretical, unclean, and to be avoided. Jesus, however, championed the evangelism of the Samaritans, and in His Great Commission in Acts 1:8, He included Samaria as a crucial area for the Gospel.
Philip the Evangelist went to Samaria with willingness and excitement, and “multitudes with one accord” (Acts 8:6) listened to him and came to saving faith in Christ. Peter and John traveled into the area and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, which they did (Acts 8:14-25).
Think of your town, city, or nation. Are there groups that to you seem odd, heretical, unclean, perhaps to be avoided? How can you be a Philip for them? Perhaps it begins with prayer. When you see a marginalized person or group, pray for them. They’re just the ones the Lord wants to reach!
[Scripture] never presents any human condition or dilemma as outside the scope of the gospel. Redemption is nothing less than the rescue of helpless people.
Paul David Tripp