No Philips Today

How many churches today baptize as an integral part of their evangelization? Very few. Even among the few that include it in their strategy for evangelism, they’ll repeatedly refer to baptism as a “symbol” or as a “profession of faith”—shying away from the Biblical terminology like the washing away of sins, the forgiveness of sins, or being buried with Christ.

Do you know of any modern-day evangelist who uses Philip the evangelist’s method for reaching the lost? If so, please name them. I have been tracking evangelism in the World since 1993 and I know of no evangelist anywhere who baptizes people in order that they might be saved. There must be some, of course.

Certainly there are some, but wherever these evangelists are, they’re not famous. Their ministries are not on people's radar. Maybe they are on the backroads of India or in the mountains of Peru, but you won't find them on television or on the Internet.

Of course, that’s okay. None of the Twelve Apostles were ever on television either. And how many Christians today could name Philip when asked to identify an evangelist from the Bible? Very few. Most Christians have never even heard that the deacon Philip was an evangelist.

Even less people know that Philip is the only person in the Scriptures to be called an evangelist, but it’s true. Did you know that not even Paul or any of the Twelve Apostles are called evangelists in the Bible? Nobody will deny that they qualify as evangelists, because Jesus certainly sent the Apostles and Paul for the work of evangelism. And they completed their assignments--so they were evangelists.

Nonetheless, Philip the Deacon is the only person who gets the title evangelist in the text of the Bible—and that’s significant. If it means anything, it at least means his technique for evangelism is fully approved by God. His method gets Gods approval, and his method was: 1. preach, 2. baptize, and 3. lay on hands.

Great Names

Some of the greatest names today of people considered to be evangelists are: John Hagee, Pat Robertson, Luis Palau, Franklin Graham, Rick Warren, and Ray Comfort. Others who have fulfilled an so-called "evangelistic" mission in history, but who are now deceased include: George Whitefield, Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, Bob Jones, and Oral Roberts.

Here's what a Billy Graham campaign looked like in England in the 1950s:

Now, reflect upon the ministries of these men, if you know anything about them. Which of these men made baptism an essential element of their evangelism? The answer: None! Not one of them used baptism to complete the task of evangelism.

Which of these men would say that their work as "evangelists" was incomplete without baptism? None of them. They all evangelized without demanding baptism.

So here's the problem--let's bring it home to you and me. If this is true, that these men did not use baptism in evangelism, then why do we call any of them evangelist? The title doesn't correspond to the role model. And who is that role model? We already mentioned his name--it's none other than Philip. Don't forget Philip--the only man who God in the Holy Bible calls an evangelist.

You Decide

Now, let's get more direct. Let's get more specific. Do the following words sound like the words of an evangelist?

If baptism were a requirement for salvation, we would certainly say that. But you couldn’t support that…

No, they don’t sound like anything a Biblical evangelist would say. A Biblical evangelist would support the role of baptism and would preach baptism without any reservations. A Biblical evangelist would preach baptism openly.

There is abundant Biblical proof that baptism is a requirement for salvation. We've already examined many of the passages. But let's focus on what we can learn from the evangelist Philip. He's God's evangelist.

Philip clearly taught that baptism was required for salvation. We know that because the Ethiopian eunuch asked to be baptized after hearing the Gospel from Philip. That means that Philip concluded his Gospel preaching with an invitation to be baptized.

Sound extreme? Sound anti-Evangelical? Well, it's not something Jesus shied away from. Didn't Jesus himself say that baptism is a requirement for salvation? Yes, he did. Our Lord said this:

He who believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:15).

By the way, it was Billy Graham who denied that "baptism is a requirement for salvation." (A link to his quote is here). So, the statement we just read which denies that baptism is necessary for salvation, was made by the man who most consider to be the most famous evangelist of all time.

Think about the repercussions. Think deeply about this: If Billy Graham spoke this way, and said things of this nature, words that contradict the essence of Biblical evangelism, then was Billy Graham truly an evangelist after all?

What we know is that Mr. Graham contradicted Paul and Jesus--but now let's look at where Mr. Graham stands with Peter. Let's compare Mr. Graham's words to a saying from the Apostle Peter. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:21 that '…baptism now saves you.'

What should we do with that? Shall we make Peter say something contrary? Shall we make him say "baptism does not save you"? Well, that's what 90% of Evangelical pastors say today. But pastors today are not authorized to change what Peter said 2000 years ago. They're not authorized to alter the Bible.

One man says one thing. Another man says another. It's Billy Graham versus Peter. It's Billy Graham versus Jesus and Paul. And Billy Graham is against Philip too! You remember Philip's method of evangelism, and how it included baptism, right? Again, Philip is the one man the Holy Spirit calls an evangelist, and the Spirit inspired Luke to write about Philip in Acts, where Luke wrote:

... when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized (Acts 8:12)

Who's side are you on? You decide who is right. Decide between today's popular evangelism [leading people to "receive Jesus in their heart"] and the definition Jesus, Philip, Peter, and the other apostles present to us in the Bible. Decide with whom you will stand.

The Apostles used this method:

• preaching Christ

• baptizing in water

• laying hands on converts

You decide whether you think Philip deserves to be called an evangelist or not. God seems to think so, but if you have a better model for an evangelist, then present him to the Church. If Billy Graham is your hero, then offer your reasons for why he is an exemplary evangelist.

But if you do, if you present someone like Billy Graham, please make sure your reasons for saying he's an exemplary evangelist come from the Bible. Don't just refer to trends. Don't just back him up with what is popular in Evangelical churches or talk about numbers. Don't just say: "Mr. Graham traveled around the World," or "He had altar calls and thousands of people prayed the prayer of faith."

Meanwhile, at SevenRealities.com, we'll stick with Philip the Evangelist. He's our model evangelist. We believe that God presents him as a model in the Bible. And we're delighted to follow his approach to evangelism.