Their names are synonymous with Christianity. Ordinary men whom God did extra-ordinary things through. PETER, JAMES, JOHN, ANDREW, PNILIP, BARTHOLEMEW (also known as Nathanael), THOMAS, MATTHEW, JAMES (the Less), JUDE (also known as Thaddaeus), SIMON (the zelote), JUDAS ISCARIOT.
In time, others were added to this number of early disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Men such as MATHIAS, who took the place of Judas Iscariot after he committed suicide for betraying our Lord, and PAUL the great apostle.
For these men, and others like them, loving, serving and following the Lord Jesus Christ was everything! To them Jesus was enough. And God took these men and changed the world! These men did not follow Christ out of blind loyalty. The Lord Jesus told them that following Him came at a price.
Luke 9: 23, “If anyone desires to come after ME, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
The disciples left jobs behind. Peter, Andrew, James and John left fishing businesses, Matthew left the Roman IRS. These men exchanged the plans they had for their lives, for the plans God had for their lives. Some left positions of power, prestige, and the support of family and friends to follow Christ, such as Paul who left the position of a Pharisee to follow Christ. Listen to his words,
Philippians 3: 4-9, “If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own
righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith”
These men were transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit. These men proclaimed the Word of God, planted Churches, shared faith with those who were spiritually lost, and many of them paid the ultimate price of devotion – they gave their lives for Jesus Christ!
For these men, Jesus was Enough! He was Everything!
• James the Elder preached in Jerusalem and was beheaded by Herod in AD 44
• Andrew preached in Asia Minor and Greece and was crucified on an “X” shaped cross
• Philip preached in Phrygia and was executed in Hierapolis
• Bartholomew was a missionary in Armenia and was flayed alive like a fish.
• Thomas preached in India where he was speared to death
• Matthew preached and died for Christ in Ethiopia
• James the Less preached in Palestine and Egypt where he was crucified
• Jude preached in Assyria and Persia where he was executed for Jesus
• Simon the Zealot was crucified
• Tradition says that Matthias preached and was martyred in Ethiopia
• Peter was crucified in Rome on an upside down cross. Tradition says his wife was crucified in front of him. Like many of the others, Peter was given an opportunity to live. All he had to do was deny Christ. But as his wife was going to her death, it is said she turned back to Peter with one final admonition, “Stay true to the faith!”•
In AD 67, a weary Apostle Paul would write, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7).
Of the original disciples of Jesus, only John died a natural death, but even he was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos, a 6 mile wide, 10 mile rock prison in the Mediterranean.
Friends, Jesus was enough for these great saints of the faith. You may say, “Why didn’t God protect these men from death? Wasn’t God able?” Yes! He was and is able, but their deaths have become powerful declarations to the authenticity of death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Many will die for a belief, but no one will die for a lie! If Jesus Christ was not truly the Son of God, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for our sins on the cross and arose from the dead on the third day, these men would not have died. At least one of them would have thrown their hands up and said, “Now, wait a minute, put that sword away, put away those nails, it was fun while it lasted, but it was all a hoax, I quit, I give.” Friends, at least one would have denied the Lord Jesus, but none did, NO, NOT ONE!!!
For these men, JESUS WAS ENOUGH!!!
What about you? Is Jesus enough for you?
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Comfort of our Faith
I have used the words of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 on countless occasions as I have had opportunity to minister to those in distress, or despair. The passage shares with us the promise of Christ coming to receive His followers to be Him in Heaven. Paul, the preacher God used to pen these words, uses very descriptive language that brings forth powerful imagery in our minds. Images of angels blowing trumpets, clouds dividing, lights shining down from the heavens, and Christ Himself standing on a cloud declaring to all the Saints, “Come Up Here!” (ref: Revelation 4:1). Then, Paul gives us the soothing challenge of verse 18, “Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”
I was reminded of the truth of that little verse again this week as I sat at the funeral of lady who had crossed over death’s chilly waters far sooner than her family and friends would have wished. She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, but most importantly, a committed follower of Jesus Christ. Her body had been ravaged with pain and sickness the past few years. Her family has faithfully walked alongside of her, loving her, caring for her, praying for her. And through it all, though she experienced all the emotions that we feel as humans, worry, anger, confusion, joy, and sadness, she remained faithful to God and took comfort in her faith.
I sat and listened as the minister shared from the Bible the life and declaration of a man named Job, a man who was completely dedicated to God. Even when he lost his children, his wealth, and his health, Job had his confidence in God. Job declared, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God…” (Job 19: 25-26, NKJV). What a powerful declaration!
As the preacher shared how Job knew that even after his “skin” was destroyed, a reference to death, he still knew that he would see God. As he shared and referenced Jobs’ declaration to the uncompromising faith of the young lady whose body now lay at the front of the church, I then was reminded of the power, the comfort that is granted to us through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. As the preacher shared, I turned my eyes to the front pew where the young lady’s parents sat. As the preacher shared how Job, and this young woman, both knew in their heart that they would see God, the mother emphatically nodded her head in agreement! it was a precious sight to behold.
I knew her heart was breaking, but her faith in the promise of eternal life for those who put their trust in Jesus Christ was giving her great comfort. I could not help but simply smile at the comfort that God was giving that precious woman. I am so thankful that God has given us His Word, the Bible. In the pages of the Holy Scriptures, God gives us the words of hope, love, correction, salvation, and eternal life. God gives us words to lead us, warn us, discipline us, and to comfort us.
Praise God for the comfort we have through our faith!
I was reminded of the truth of that little verse again this week as I sat at the funeral of lady who had crossed over death’s chilly waters far sooner than her family and friends would have wished. She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, but most importantly, a committed follower of Jesus Christ. Her body had been ravaged with pain and sickness the past few years. Her family has faithfully walked alongside of her, loving her, caring for her, praying for her. And through it all, though she experienced all the emotions that we feel as humans, worry, anger, confusion, joy, and sadness, she remained faithful to God and took comfort in her faith.
I sat and listened as the minister shared from the Bible the life and declaration of a man named Job, a man who was completely dedicated to God. Even when he lost his children, his wealth, and his health, Job had his confidence in God. Job declared, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God…” (Job 19: 25-26, NKJV). What a powerful declaration!
As the preacher shared how Job knew that even after his “skin” was destroyed, a reference to death, he still knew that he would see God. As he shared and referenced Jobs’ declaration to the uncompromising faith of the young lady whose body now lay at the front of the church, I then was reminded of the power, the comfort that is granted to us through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. As the preacher shared, I turned my eyes to the front pew where the young lady’s parents sat. As the preacher shared how Job, and this young woman, both knew in their heart that they would see God, the mother emphatically nodded her head in agreement! it was a precious sight to behold.
I knew her heart was breaking, but her faith in the promise of eternal life for those who put their trust in Jesus Christ was giving her great comfort. I could not help but simply smile at the comfort that God was giving that precious woman. I am so thankful that God has given us His Word, the Bible. In the pages of the Holy Scriptures, God gives us the words of hope, love, correction, salvation, and eternal life. God gives us words to lead us, warn us, discipline us, and to comfort us.
Praise God for the comfort we have through our faith!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Disciple?
What does it mean to be a “disciple” of Jesus? Maybe it’s because of my upbringing. Maybe it is because of my love for learning. But I have often assumed that to be a good disciple, was to be a good student. I don’t think I’m alone in this. I believe that for many of us we see ourselves as good disciples of Jesus when we read the Bible through in a year, take good notes during the sermon on Sunday, attend our Sunday School class or small group with our Bible in hand, memorize our weekly Scripture verses, and pray before we go to bed.
These are all wonderful things to do, and we should do them. But is that the measure of a disciple? Recently, I did a study on what did it mean for a person in the first century to be a disciple. I found some interesting information. To begin with, a disciple in Hebrew is the word Tal’mid. This word carries much more weight that we commonly ascribe to it.
According to Jewish tradition, here is the process for a young boy to become a Tal’mid of a Rabbi (teacher).
* at age 5 – Read and begin memorizing the Torah = the first 5 books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).
*at age 10 – Begin studying the Mishnah = The Rabbi’s oral interpretations of the Torah. Talk about tough. How would like to be examined on every sermon ever preached?
* at age 13 – Have the Torah memorized and fulfill the Commandments with your lifestyle. For most in the Church, we probably can’t name the books of the Bible in order, lest of all, quote the first five books by memory.
* at age 15 – Ask a Rabbi permission to become his Talmid. Most young men were turned down. To be chosen meant that the Rabbi felt the young man had the intellect, moral, spiritual, and ethical character to become like him.
* age 18 – Take a bride.
* age 20 – Pursue a vocation. To be a Rabbi was a great honor, but it wasn’t going to provide for you and your family. Rabbi’s had to know a vocation.
* age 30 – Become an official Rabbi.
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty hefty system of requirements. The difference between how the first century Jew viewed discipleship and the way many of us view it is that a student simply wants to know what the teacher knows, but a first century Tal’mid wanted to be like the teacher, to become what he is.
This was how Jesus viewed being a disciple. This was how Peter, James, John, and the rest of those early followers of Jesus viewed being His disciple. Their desire was not simply to know what Jesus knew, but to become like Him. To lose their own identity and take on the identity of their Messiah, their Rabbi, Jesus.
In Luke 9: 23, Jesus said, “…If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Believe me, I am thankful that Jesus said, “If anyone…” That gives me hope. That gives you hope of being His disciple. With this one statement, Jesus tore down all those traditional requirements to become a Tal’mid (disciple). Jesus said, “anyone.” You who can’t remember your own phone number, lest alone, the first five books of the Bible. You who have the embarrassing past you don’t want anyone else to know about. You who have been less than faithful to God. You who think you are too old, too young, too ______ (you fill in the blank). When Jesus says “anyone,” He means ANYONE can become His disciple.
I’m glad He took away the requirements, but I don’t think He did away with the expectations. The goal for being His disciple is still the same as it was when He called His first followers. Jesus wants us to become like Him. To lose our life in Him is the only way we will truly find our life. We are meant for so much more than getting an education, building a successful career, making, saving, and spending money. We were made to be like Jesus. Our hearts yearn to be like Him. The world desperately needs us to be like Him.
God said that this is His predetermined plan for all us who come to follow Jesus. God wants us to be like Jesus.
Romans 8: 29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,”
These are all wonderful things to do, and we should do them. But is that the measure of a disciple? Recently, I did a study on what did it mean for a person in the first century to be a disciple. I found some interesting information. To begin with, a disciple in Hebrew is the word Tal’mid. This word carries much more weight that we commonly ascribe to it.
According to Jewish tradition, here is the process for a young boy to become a Tal’mid of a Rabbi (teacher).
* at age 5 – Read and begin memorizing the Torah = the first 5 books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).
*at age 10 – Begin studying the Mishnah = The Rabbi’s oral interpretations of the Torah. Talk about tough. How would like to be examined on every sermon ever preached?
* at age 13 – Have the Torah memorized and fulfill the Commandments with your lifestyle. For most in the Church, we probably can’t name the books of the Bible in order, lest of all, quote the first five books by memory.
* at age 15 – Ask a Rabbi permission to become his Talmid. Most young men were turned down. To be chosen meant that the Rabbi felt the young man had the intellect, moral, spiritual, and ethical character to become like him.
* age 18 – Take a bride.
* age 20 – Pursue a vocation. To be a Rabbi was a great honor, but it wasn’t going to provide for you and your family. Rabbi’s had to know a vocation.
* age 30 – Become an official Rabbi.
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty hefty system of requirements. The difference between how the first century Jew viewed discipleship and the way many of us view it is that a student simply wants to know what the teacher knows, but a first century Tal’mid wanted to be like the teacher, to become what he is.
This was how Jesus viewed being a disciple. This was how Peter, James, John, and the rest of those early followers of Jesus viewed being His disciple. Their desire was not simply to know what Jesus knew, but to become like Him. To lose their own identity and take on the identity of their Messiah, their Rabbi, Jesus.
In Luke 9: 23, Jesus said, “…If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Believe me, I am thankful that Jesus said, “If anyone…” That gives me hope. That gives you hope of being His disciple. With this one statement, Jesus tore down all those traditional requirements to become a Tal’mid (disciple). Jesus said, “anyone.” You who can’t remember your own phone number, lest alone, the first five books of the Bible. You who have the embarrassing past you don’t want anyone else to know about. You who have been less than faithful to God. You who think you are too old, too young, too ______ (you fill in the blank). When Jesus says “anyone,” He means ANYONE can become His disciple.
I’m glad He took away the requirements, but I don’t think He did away with the expectations. The goal for being His disciple is still the same as it was when He called His first followers. Jesus wants us to become like Him. To lose our life in Him is the only way we will truly find our life. We are meant for so much more than getting an education, building a successful career, making, saving, and spending money. We were made to be like Jesus. Our hearts yearn to be like Him. The world desperately needs us to be like Him.
God said that this is His predetermined plan for all us who come to follow Jesus. God wants us to be like Jesus.
Romans 8: 29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,”
Friday, January 6, 2012
Fan or Follower?
***click on the title and watch this week's video blog***
You should have seen the look on their faces when I took that shirt out of my shopping bag. I really caught my family off-guard. You see, in Kentucky, we have a saying that goes like this, “I bleed blue!” Of course, that is referring to being a University of Kentucky Wildcat fan. And I admit that I am a “fan.” But that is during basketball season. Now that I am living and pastoring in Missouri, well, let's just say that a few months ago during college football season, I came home with a Missouri Tigers shirt. You should have seen the look in my families eyes when they saw that shirt! It was hilarious. A few weeks later when my oldest daughter was visiting from KY, she gave me a silent stare and then finally asked what I was doing. She couldn’t understand her daddy!
I have learned that I am a pretty-good fan, but I’m not a very good follower of sports teams. I have my favorites, but I also catch myself turning the channel when the score isn’t what I want it to be, or the coach is running some plays that I disagree with, or if the players aren't performing up to my “expert” opinion.
There is a big difference between being a fan and being a follower. That’s true in our relationship with Christ too. Kyle Idleman has a great book out entitled, "Not a Fan." I was recommend it. It poses a great question for us to ask ourselves. Are we "fans" of Jesus, or "followers?" Being a "fan" sounds good on the surface, but when you really look at the differences between being a fan or a follower, the differences are many.
Fans love to go to the arena and soak in the excitment. Fans know how to talk the lingo and brag on their favorites, but fans also can be tempermental. Fans cheer as long as everything is going their way, but when they aren't, fans usually stay away.
We can easily become spiritual fans of Jesus too. We love to go to Church, enjoy of the music and preaching, get involved, talk the lingo and even brag on Jesus, but what about when God doesn't do things the way you want? When God doesn't make sense? What about when the Church doesn't do things just the way "you" think they should? What about when people laugh and mock Christians? Or when being a Christian isn't the popular position to take? It's at those moments we find the seperation from "fans" and "followers of Jesus.
Kyle Idleman makes the statement, "Jesus doesn't want fans." How true. Jesus wants followers.
As we enter into 2012, let's each take a good look in our spiritual mirror and make sure that we are following Jesus out of love and devotion, committment and trust. Let's follow Him not for what He can give us, or do for us, but simply because of who He is, He is God!
You should have seen the look on their faces when I took that shirt out of my shopping bag. I really caught my family off-guard. You see, in Kentucky, we have a saying that goes like this, “I bleed blue!” Of course, that is referring to being a University of Kentucky Wildcat fan. And I admit that I am a “fan.” But that is during basketball season. Now that I am living and pastoring in Missouri, well, let's just say that a few months ago during college football season, I came home with a Missouri Tigers shirt. You should have seen the look in my families eyes when they saw that shirt! It was hilarious. A few weeks later when my oldest daughter was visiting from KY, she gave me a silent stare and then finally asked what I was doing. She couldn’t understand her daddy!
I have learned that I am a pretty-good fan, but I’m not a very good follower of sports teams. I have my favorites, but I also catch myself turning the channel when the score isn’t what I want it to be, or the coach is running some plays that I disagree with, or if the players aren't performing up to my “expert” opinion.
There is a big difference between being a fan and being a follower. That’s true in our relationship with Christ too. Kyle Idleman has a great book out entitled, "Not a Fan." I was recommend it. It poses a great question for us to ask ourselves. Are we "fans" of Jesus, or "followers?" Being a "fan" sounds good on the surface, but when you really look at the differences between being a fan or a follower, the differences are many.
Fans love to go to the arena and soak in the excitment. Fans know how to talk the lingo and brag on their favorites, but fans also can be tempermental. Fans cheer as long as everything is going their way, but when they aren't, fans usually stay away.
We can easily become spiritual fans of Jesus too. We love to go to Church, enjoy of the music and preaching, get involved, talk the lingo and even brag on Jesus, but what about when God doesn't do things the way you want? When God doesn't make sense? What about when the Church doesn't do things just the way "you" think they should? What about when people laugh and mock Christians? Or when being a Christian isn't the popular position to take? It's at those moments we find the seperation from "fans" and "followers of Jesus.
Kyle Idleman makes the statement, "Jesus doesn't want fans." How true. Jesus wants followers.
As we enter into 2012, let's each take a good look in our spiritual mirror and make sure that we are following Jesus out of love and devotion, committment and trust. Let's follow Him not for what He can give us, or do for us, but simply because of who He is, He is God!
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