⁶Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again. ⁷When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day. ⁸On 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. ⁹Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.

Continuing on their way to Jerusalem, Paul and company found themselves at the residence of Philip, the “evangelist.” This is the same Philip that our story left in Caesarea in Acts 8:40 after he led the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ and baptized him. He was “one of the seven” prototype deacons appointed to oversee the feeding of the widows in Acts 6. As one of those select men, he was an individual of high character and devotion to Christ. His ministry had eventually come to focus on the coastal region in and around Caesarea. Clearly one of his commitments was to hospitality.

Luke’s reference to Philip being “one of the seven” indicates that those prototype deacons of Acts 6 gained fame, not only for their faithful service in looking after the benevolence for the widows, but also for their spiritual character proven through their subsequent ministries. Philip went on to be an evangelist, and a noted one at that, as indicated by the word “the” prefixed to his description “evangelist.” He was not just “an” evangelist, one among many. He was “the” evangelist, meaning he was well known for his ministry. It had become like a title for him. The designation of the group of men as “the seven” reminds us of David’s mighty men who were numbered at different times (e.g. 2 Sam. 23:8–9). Besides the apostles, the seven were hugely influential in the early church; they were mighty in the Lord.

We now come to our third mention of women prophesying in the NT, all of which occur in Luke’s writings. In Luke 2:36, Anna, the prophetess, proclaimed all around about the Christ-child. In Acts 2:17, in his sermon at Pentecost, Peter quoted the prophet Joel about the time when “your sons and daughters will prophesy.” Regardless of current debates over the gender roles in the church, the fact is that female prophets existed in NT times. Of course, there would be some limitations on their ministry, as Paul elucidates elsewhere (e.g., 1 Tim 2:11–14, 1 Cor. 11:3–16, 14:34–35), but these limitations do not negate the prophetic ministry of women in the church. Luke does not describe the ministry of Philip’s daughters in detail, but God obviously had a role for them to prophesy God’s Word, such that they would be referred to as prophetesses. The godliness of Philip was passed down to his daughters. What a legacy!

Lord, may my life create a godly legacy that those who follow would emulate.