Articles
Learn from Philip
When Jesus started His ministry, the Lord began calling men to follow after Him. One such person that Jesus summoned was Philip (Jn. 1:43). Upon making the decision to follow Jesus, we are told that Philip went to Nathanael and said, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (v. 45). When Nathanael heard this, he said to Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Then Philip said, “Come and see.” (v. 46). Let’s learn some great lessons from Philip.
To be a follower, first be convinced
We are not told how Philip was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. However, it is clear that he was familiar with the law of Moses and the prophets. He knew they contained teachings about the coming Christ. It was during this encounter with the Lord that Philip knew exactly who He was. Having total assurance of who Jesus is will help one be a faithful follower.
Paul, in writing to Timothy, stated, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (II Tim. 1:12). This commitment comes from knowing.
Having a desire to tell others
One can’t help but admire Philip’s desire to go and tell Nathanael that he found the Lord. In the text, it stated that Philip “found” Nathanael. This means that he went and sought him out. This is what the Lord wants us to do. We are told to “go” into all the world (Mk. 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20). What is also worth noting is that Philip went with what he knew. In other words, you can’t tell someone something you don’t know.
To state that “we have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote”, reveals he is just speaking the word of God. Not only that, but he was reminding Nathanael about what Moses and the prophets foretold. It’s one thing to go; it’s another matter to go with the facts.
He didn’t give up quickly
As soon as Nathanael uttered, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” there was obviously some skepticism. But it was Philips’s response that was great. He stated, “Come and see.” (v. 46). In other words, he was encouraging Nathanael to do some investigating. This is exactly what we need to be doing today. When someone says, “Oh, all churches are the same.” Just say, “Come and see.” This passage reveals something about Philip that we need to remember. He didn’t know how Nathanael would first respond. Yet that didn’t stop him from trying. Too often, children of God create fears, assuming what people will say before they even asked. Even if you are correct in your assumption that someone is not eager right away, learn from Philip and encourage investigation. After all, the only thing that suffers from investigation is error. Truth is not fearful of being checked out.
He didn’t act as if he was the special one
When Philip first went to this man, he told him, “We have found Him…” (v.45). Others had found the Lord so Nathanael could too. Those who seek will find (Matt. 7:7). Finding the Lord isn’t left to the elite few, but to the few willing to “come and see.” Are you the same kind of follower as Philip? Are there individuals that you can find and encourage to seek the Lord? Let’s learn from this follower of the Lord to help us be the kind of follower we need to be.
