Philip #3

I felt well enough to work in the Christmas bodega. Tim says that is my refuge and my place where I find the most peace.

Last year during this very week Marlin and her sister’s grandmother passed away. Today their grandfather passed away.

A local church came and played games with the younger children. Also Billy & Olga bought a small pool so that the younger girls could jump up & down in water.

Dottie took Janet & Tanya to purchase sheets, comforters, curtains, etc for the addition to the dialysis addition while Ron & Bill finished the carpentry work.

After failing the test at the feeding of the 5000 we see Philip again not taking steps of faith as he should. The occasion is at the time of the Passover when a group of Greeks (non-Jews) come to Philip and ask if they can see Jesus. They had heard and were learning and now they wanted to meet Christ personally and get more of His message. Now  Philip is a Greek name so they ask him. But he hesitates again as he had done earlier.

Not wanting to make a decision Philip goes to Andrew and asks what should he tell the Greeks. When seems to be the reason for hesitating was Philip was unsure as to whether Jesus would speak to them. Philip had heard Jesus say that He was “sent to the lost sheep of Israel”. In fact, he had heard Jesus use that expression twice. He still believed as all Old Testament folks did that salvation was only for Israel.

However he also heard John the Baptist say in John 1:29 “The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the WORLD”. And he was there when Jesus was speaking with the Samaritan women when she asked for help and Christ answered with “the bread of God who gives life to the WORLD”. How about the two times Philip heard jesus say that “I am the light of the WORLD”?

Jesus came to save the entire WORLD–not just the chosen nation of Israel. After His death they will learn that they have to take the “good news to the end of the EARTH”(Acts 1:8).

WORLD missions is still the command of our Lord Jesus Christ.