The HUMAN of the Bible Reflection for the month of April is Philip - A Disciple of Jesus.

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Philip was from Bethsaida - the same city as Peter and Andrew.  John recorded that Andrew had already met Jesus.  He brought his brother, Simon Peter, to meet Him. The following day Jesus went to Galilee.  There He found Philip.  When He did - Jesus reached out to Philip and said, “Follow Me!”  He did. This is where Philip became a Disciple of Jesus.  

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John 1:43-44 KJV

43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

The next thing Philip did is to go to his friend.  Philip met Jesus, accepted the invitation to follow Him, then wanted to share this with Nathaniel!  What a heart - both for the Message of Jesus and ensuring his friend knew the blessed Truth, as well.  

John 1: 45 KJV

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

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We see that when a great crowd accompanied Jesus and the disciples near the Feast of Passover, Jesus relied on Philip to help Him with what was on hand to be able to get bread for all.  Philip’s response to Jesus was there was insufficient means to feed everyone.  Here, Philip’s character shows that he is sensible and pragmatic. There is not enough to care for all the people. 

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John 6:3-7 KJV

3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

BUT JESUS …

The rest of the story is in John 6:8-14.  The boy with five loaves of bread and two fish in which Jesus performed a miracle multiplying them so much that there were twelve baskets filled.  What a wonderful blessing to see and for Jesus’s disciples to witness.  

Philip said yes to Jesus’s invitation to follow Him.  He had no idea what miracles he would behold. He was unaware of the lives that would be changed.  He did not know what would come of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey when the

8 crowds spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.  (Matthew 21:8-9 KJV - what we know as Palm Sunday.)

He was not prepared to encounter THE CROSS - the death and resurrection of The One he committed to follow, he friended, he fellowship with.  He was not afraid to die for the cause of Christ.  According to my research - church history shows that Philip died as a martyr after being stoned to death.  

There is not a lot more recorded about the disciple, Philip. However, what is documented gives us a rich understanding of his heart and his character.  Isn’t that what we want said about us, friend?  When the generations that follow read or listen about our story - don’t we hope they learn of our character and our heart?

Should you not know Jesus as your Savior and you want to or would like to know more - please see my Invitation and Prayer page. 

Please feel free to reach out to me at tburgin@sbcglobal.net with questions, comments, or even testimonies.  

Can I pray with you?  If so, please complete and submit a Prayer Request form at my Prayer Request page.  I assure you, I will pray with you. 

Philip - A Disciple of Jesus - our HUMAN of the Bible Reflection for April - has so much to offer that we can glean from and apply to our own lives today.  I pray that you find this message valuable, informative, meaningful, and applicable for purpose to your life, friend. 

This month we not only study the disciple, Philip, but we honor and celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ.  I pray you have a wonderful church to attend for this blessed occasion, but if you do not - let me encourage you to gather with those closest to you and honor His sacrifice for our sins together.  I recommend that you and those you gather with read The Word of Jesus’s story leading up to and including His death and resurrection (reference

Matthew 26:36-28:10), and discuss what this means to each of you.  In addition, you can partake in Holy Communion together.  

Holy Communion is using small pieces of bread or crackers for each one of you in representation of His body and a small portion of grape juice for each one of you representing His blood. 

The scripture reference is:

Matthew 26:26-28 KJV

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

This is a very powerful, serious, and precious time honoring the Lord.  It is a time of praise, appreciation, and gratitude for Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross for our sins.  Everyone should take time to have a right heart before the Lord prior to participating in sacred Communion - whether at church or elsewhere.  

I pray you are enriched by this month’s HUMAN of the Bible Reflection - Philip, A Disciple of Jesus.  Additionally, my prayer is for you and yours to have a wonderful Resurrection Day - rejoicing in our Savior, His death and resurrection for our sins, and His love.  

Oh, Jesus loves you so.  

Dear Reader, thank you for stopping by …I’m so glad you did.  You’re welcome to stop anytime. I will meet you here at HUMAN Living Ministry!