Level 3
Lesson 20: Philip and the Stranger

Among the followers of Jesus was a man named Philip, who loved his Master very much. Philip wished so much that everyone could know Jesus that he walked from town to town telling people about the Son of God who came to our world.

One day he was in Jerusalem, wondering where he should go next. As he wondered, God spoke to him and told him to go south across the hills towards the town of Gaza, following the road that went down from Jerusalem.

Now it happened that a very great man was traveling home from Jerusalem by the same road that Philip took. He was in the service of the Queen of Ethiopia, and had charge of all her treasure. He had traveled hundreds of miles from his home to go to Jerusalem, for he had wanted to worship God in the great Temple.

As he rode along in his chariot he held a scroll in his hand, and read aloud from it. The scroll book was part of our Old Testament, but he could not understand it very well—he wished he knew someone who could explain it to him.

Suddenly he looked up and was surprised to see a man running towards him. It was Philip! When he reached the chariot Philip said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

“No,” replied the treasurer. “How can I possibly understand it, unless someone explains it to me. If you know what the Book is about I invite you to come into my chariot and tell me.”

So Philip stepped up into the chariot and sat down beside the treasurer. They held the scroll between them, and Philip explained what the treasurer could not understand.

Then Philip began to tell the African treasurer the story of Jesus—how He went about among the people healing the sick, making the blind to see, the deaf to hear and even raising the dead.

He told him how Jesus had died for the sins of every person, but also how He rose from the dead and lives to bring people to God.

“Can’t I be a follower of Jesus?” cried the treasurer. “I would like to be His friend too.”

“If you believe in Him with all your heart, you are His friend,” replied Philip.

The treasurer was so glad that he had met Philip. He went on his way full of joy. What a wonderful story he would have to tell the Queen and her people when he arrived back in his own land!