A Viral Gospel

In St. Luke's, The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 8, we encounter St. Philip the Evangelist spreading the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ in the midst of the murder of his brother-in-Christ, St. Stephen, and of persecution as recorded in the aforementioned chapter.

The chapter begins with the brutal stoning of Stephen and ends with the conversion of Saul. It begins with one of the most severe persecutors the Church ever knew and ends with his transformation into the greatest evangelist the Church has ever known. These are the consequences of a viral Gospel, a message that is contagious and rather than sapping life, health and hope from those contracting it's effects, it regenerates, transforms, heals and is life-giving.

Like a virus, the Church was also forced to spread through the neighboring regions of Jerusalem as a result of persecution. As they were scattered and spread, Christians, "went about preaching the word" (v.4). In the midst of dispersion there was declaration. As they were scattered by force, Christians scattered the seeds of love that propagated into new believers. Instead of destroying the Church, it grew and became - indestructible.

Philip was one of the seven original deacons of the Church. Along with Stephen, Philip was selected because he was a man, "of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3). He was reliable and faithful. He was full of the Holy Spirit, therefore equipped with every good thing necessary for the ministry. And he was wise. His wisdom, to be sure, was not his own. It was from God. Without Him - he could do nothing. In the midst of turmoil, seemingly insurmountable challenges and fear, Philip was a faithful servant of the Lord. He continued to serve despite the manifold reasons available to hide, put the ministry aside or give up all together.

We are called to be a virus. We are called to spread, disperse and scatter across our city, nation and the world over. To spread the Gospel is to spread a life giving condition that will never cause death, only life and in unfathomable abundance. May we also experience in the midst of turmoil, opportunities to spread our praises and proclamations of the goodness of our King of Glory.