Available Like Philip: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities

Have you ever considered that the greatest obstacle in your life might actually be your greatest opportunity?

The story of Philip the deacon in Acts 8 presents a compelling picture of what it means to live with radical availability to God's purposes. His journey from Jerusalem to Samaria, and eventually to a desert road leading to Gaza, offers profound insights for anyone seeking to deepen their faith and expand their impact for Christ.

Philip wasn't a famous apostle. He wasn't one of the original twelve disciples. He was a deacon, someone appointed to care for the practical, physical needs of the early church community. His job description didn't include preaching, performing miracles, or evangelizing entire cities.

Yet when persecution erupted in Jerusalem around 35 AD, led by a zealous persecutor named Saul (who would later become the Apostle Paul), Philip found himself scattered along with many other believers. Imagine being forced to flee your home, leaving behind most of your possessions, and relocating to an unfamiliar city. For Philip, that city was Samaria. It was a place with deep historical and spiritual significance, once the headquarters of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel centuries earlier.

What would you do in such circumstances? The natural human response is to hunker down, protect yourself, and become invisible. Self-preservation kicks in. Yet Philip did the opposite.

Acts 8:4-8 tells us: "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city."

Philip grabbed the opportunity embedded in his obstacle.

There's a transformative prayer that can reshape how we view our circumstances: "God, help me to see what you see."

When injury strikes, when social tension rises, when life throws unexpected challenges our way, this simple prayer shifts our perspective from inward focus to divine purpose. Instead of asking "Why is this happening to me?" we begin asking "What do you have for me in this, Lord?"

Philip's example challenges us to consider our own communities. Perhaps your neighborhood is changing. Maybe diversity is increasing, or new faces are appearing in familiar spaces. The question becomes: Is this an obstacle or an opportunity?

Change can feel threatening. It can make us want to preserve what we have rather than reach for what could be. But living with Philip's mindset means viewing every shift in our environment as a potential doorway for the gospel.

One of the most challenging aspects of Philip's ministry was his encounter with Simon the sorcerer. Here was a man deeply involved in magic and the occult, exactly the kind of person many would write off as unreachable or undesirable.

Yet when Philip preached the gospel, Simon believed and was baptized. He became what we might call an “extra grace required” person—someone who followed Philip everywhere, who still had rough edges, who made mistakes (like trying to buy the power of the Holy Spirit). But Philip didn't abandon him. Neither did Peter or the other apostles who came to Samaria.

This reveals a profound truth: we must treat everyone as a someone who can become a follower of Christ.

What's the obstacle that keeps you from seeing people as Jesus sees them? Is it time? Is it capacity, the feeling that your life is already full with family, friends, and fellow believers? Is it concern about reputation? Maybe you wonder what people will think if they see you spending time with "that person."

The reality is that God doesn't call us to convert people; that's the Holy Spirit's work. But He does call us to be available instruments. And we can only fulfill that role when we're open to seeing people through Jesus' eyes.

Consider the eight homes closest to yours: the three across the street, the two beside you, and the three behind you. Do you know all their names? More importantly, do you know if any of them lack a church home or a relationship with Christ? This simple awareness can transform how we pray and how we engage our immediate community.

Perhaps the most striking part of Philip's story comes in Acts 8:26-40, when an angel instructs him to "go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."

Philip had no idea why. He didn't know what awaited him. He simply went.

On that road, he encountered an Ethiopian eunuch, a high-ranking official, essentially the CFO of Ethiopia's treasury, who served directly under the queen. This man was reading from the prophet Isaiah but couldn't understand what he was reading.

The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

Philip ran up to the chariot and asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?"

"How can I," the man replied, "unless someone explains it to me?"

What followed was a beautiful divine appointment. Philip explained the gospel, starting with the very passage the Ethiopian was reading. By the time they reached water, the man asked to be baptized. Philip baptized him on the spot, and the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing.

Philip started his day with no idea he would lead a foreign dignitary to Christ and baptize him in a desert stream. He was simply available.

Living like Philip means starting each day with a posture of availability. Before your feet hit the floor, before you check your phone, before the demands of the day rush in, there's power in praying: "Spirit, I'm available for what you want to use me for."

This isn't about adding more to an already overwhelming schedule. It's about viewing the schedule you already have through the lens of divine possibility. The grocery store becomes a mission field. The neighborhood becomes a parish. The workplace becomes a harvest field.

God isn't asking you to do everything. He's asking you to do the next thing He shows you.

What if one more person came to know Christ because you were faithful in response to God's faithfulness to you? What if your availability to the Spirit meant that heaven's population increased by one?

That's the legacy of living like Philip, a deacon who became an evangelist, not because of his title, but because of his availability. His story reminds us that God doesn't need our credentials; He needs our willingness.

The obstacles you face today might just be the opportunities God has prepared for you to grab. The annoying person in your path might be the someone Jesus is calling you to reach. And the ordinary day ahead might hold an extraordinary divine appointment if only you're available to see it.

Want to hear more about how Philip’s story inspires us to live with open hands and open hearts? Listen to Pastor Fred’s message, “Our Opportunity,” from Acts 8:4–8, 26–40, and discover how God turns ordinary moments into extraordinary opportunities.