And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
Paul and his travel companions arrived in Caesarea, a major Roman port city on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Israel. They stayed with Philip, called 'the evangelist' — a title indicating he was well known for sharing the good news about Jesus. Philip was also one of 'the Seven,' a group chosen in the early church (Acts 6) to make sure food was distributed fairly to widows in the community. He had also famously shared the gospel with an Ethiopian official he met on a desert road. This brief verse captures the early church's remarkable network of relationship and hospitality that carried the gospel from city to city.
Lord, thank you for the people who have opened their homes and hearts to make room for me. Make me that kind of person for someone else. Help me see hospitality not as an inconvenience but as the very fabric of how your kingdom moves through the world. Amen.
There's something quietly remarkable about how the early Christians traveled — they didn't check into inns like strangers; they showed up at each other's doors. Paul arrives in Caesarea and goes straight to Philip's house. Philip, who had once served tables for widows, who had baptized a stranger on a desert road, who had planted his whole life in this port city — he opens his home without question. We rarely think of hospitality as spiritual infrastructure, but the early church ran on it. The gospel moved through dinner tables and spare rooms and people willing to say 'stay as long as you need.' Who in your life has been that kind of Philip — someone whose open door made your faith possible? And more pointedly: whose Philip could you be right now?
Why do you think Luke specifically notes that Philip was 'the evangelist' and 'one of the Seven' — what might those details tell us about who Philip was and why this stop on Paul's journey mattered?
Think of a time someone opened their home or life to you in a way that carried you through something hard or supported your faith. What did that cost them, and what did it mean to you?
Philip began his recorded story serving food to widows and ended up being called an evangelist. What does that arc suggest about how God develops people and prepares them for things they never planned?
How does the practice of genuine hospitality — really opening your home and schedule to others — change the depth and honesty of relationships within a faith community?
Is there someone in your life right now who needs a place to land — physically, emotionally, or spiritually? What would it look like to open your door to them this week?
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
2 Timothy 4:5
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
Acts 10:1
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
Acts 8:26
And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Acts 16:13
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
Acts 16:16
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Ephesians 4:11
On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven [deacons], and stayed with him.
AMP
On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
ESV
On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him.
NASB
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.
NIV
On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
NKJV
The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food.
NLT
In the morning we went on to Caesarea and stayed with Philip the Evangelist, one of "the Seven."
MSG