Twelve Disciples - James, John’s Brother (Part One)

by Jilene Scherenske

There are two disciples named James.  This lesson will be about the one who was John’s brother.  Together they were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17)!  James was the older brother, thus his name usually appears before John’s name.  When we think of these two, do we not always say “James and John” and not “John and James”?  Even though he was the elder, he usually seems to be in the shadow of his brother, John.  As we study the life of James we will discover that, in the beginning, he was a hot head, prone to explosive temper outbursts (thus the name “Sons of Thunder”), full of zeal that very much needed to be directed into right channels, passionate, intense, fervent, but with selfish ambitions, even bloodthirsty!  Surprisingly, he was one of the three who were part of Jesus’ inner circle.  Regarding the inner circle: as I am studying these twelve men, it occurs to me that these three men, Peter, James and John, were perhaps the men with the strongest personalities of all the disciples.  James and John were the sons of thunder and they, along with Peter were probably the most strong-willed.  I wonder, were they in Jesus’ inner circle because they needed more teaching than the rest?  More proof?  More guidance?  When a parent has a strong-willed child, does not that child require extra attentiveness?  Extra training?  Just a thought!

His name appears at least 18 times in scripture, but, except for one time, his name always appears with John’s name.  They must have been very close-knit brothers, these sons of thunder!  He was the son of Zebedee and Salome.  From scripture we know that this family was well-to-do.  In Mark 1:19-20 we read that Zebedee owned several boats and employed workers.  Mr 1:19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.  20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.  Some think that the family had business connections in Jerusalem which would explain why John knew officials in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ arrest (John 18:15).  Plus, at least six times scripture refers to James and John simply as the sons of Zebedee, indicating that Zebedee was a known man of prominence.  There is also some evidence from church records that Zebedee may have been a Levite and closely related to the high priest’s family.  That would also account for the family’s ties with the high priest’s household in Jerusalem. (John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men (Thomas Nelson, 2002) 

Build That Wall – (a devotional book focusing on depression)

by Gail Gritts

I remember one day I said something that I felt was off handed or unkind to one of the mothers in our neighbourhood. I was still very depressed at this time and just starting to come to the light, but I believed my words could have been hurtful, and I felt the Lord wanted me to apologize. I really didn’t know her well, but I knew where she lived. 

So, with a huge spiritual battle going on in my head and heart, I marched myself down there and asked her to forgive me for my words. She looked at me like I had lost my mind (I think I was near that point). But she assured me of her forgiveness and asked me in.

I don’t remember anything that was said that day, but I do remember walking home knowing I had just turned a corner. No longer could my thoughts accuse and control me. I had obeyed by faith and God had met me there. Because of me? No, because I put her feelings above mine, swallowed my pride, and obeyed God.

Maybe you need to make some things right with people who have been hurt by your words or actions. Are you going to continue thinking how bad you have it, or reach out and think of the feelings of others? It’s hard stuff, but it was definitely a turning point for me.

“I will” verses are the ones that help us deliberately calculate our actions and choices. I will sing. I will pray. I will praise. I will not fear—beautiful verses that give hope for the future and an attitude that will take you there.

They are matched with the “I wills” of God – I will redeem you; I will hear when you cry, I will give you peace, I will answer, I will be your strength. You’ll find many more of these in Psalms as well. You can build your future and your walls on these promises!

It’s rare to find jewels just lying on the ground waiting to be picked up. The most valuable ones must be mined. The same is true for the promises of God. Sometimes, one will fall from the pulpit or pop up while you are reading scripture, but the ones of most value are revealed by agony of heart and a deeper understanding of the word. 

When we take on the promises of God, we take up with Him. But the promise isn’t something we have created, they are His promises, and we use them. 

The turrets on my castle remind me that Jesus was here! They mark where the enemy was defeated, and victory was mine. Wounds can be beautiful – they show that we lived. There is no shame in them, but they cannot be our focus. They are to be used to point others to Christ – to give God glory.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KBV5CKF

Contentment and Captives – (a devotional book focusing on fear)

by Gail Gritts

Be the saint you are. Face this imperfect old world for what it is, it too is groaning and waiting to be delivered from brokenness – it is temporary. Keep your eyes on the eternal prize, and let the Lord sustain you.

The Golden Rule is something our children should have planted in their hearts. It will help them with behaviour throughout their lives and give them an excellent gauge by which to judge their own actions. 

Several years ago, my husband and I were traveling in America, somewhere in Texas, I think. Anyway, we were in between meetings waiting in the hotel room for the next appointment time, watching TV and reading, and just waiting when I opened the curtains to look outside. 

We were on the third or fourth floor of the hotel, so we had a good view. Outside the window was a telephone line or some sort of long wire, and as I looked, there was a clump on the line. It was just far enough away that I couldn’t make it out for a while, but as I watched, I noticed a bird swooping and diving back and forth around the clump. 

After a bit of time, I noticed some tiny feet. Eventually, the little clump became six baby birds, all spreading themselves out on the line. The mother bird kept swooping and diving and calling her little brood to follow.

Obviously, this was their first flight. They were hanging on for dear life, trying to keep their balance, as the line swayed in the wind. We watched for about 45 minutes as they clung on, and their mother kept trying to get one brave little soul to take the plunge. We had to go before we saw them fly, but they were gone by the time we got back.

I’ve often thought of those little birds. They were scared to death. This was their first attempt, though, I thought, they had to fly from the nest to the wire! Or maybe they fell to the wire, and they didn’t like that feeling! 

Anyway, at times, we can be like those little birds. We have our claws wrapped around what we think is safe, and we don’t dare let go. We don’t want to fall again. We’ve found a place to hang on, and that’s where we want to stay. But God, just like that mother bird, is calling us to let go and trust Him. 

Is the wire the safest place for the little birds in the long run? No, they must learn to fly if they are going to survive. And God knows that what we are desperately hanging onto is not the best for us, as well. We need to let go and trust Him. To learn to fly by faith!

One of the most wonderful sermons I ever heard on Psalm 23 was by Bro Tyrone Adrian. He was speaking on depression, but he made one verbal picture that stuck in my head and my heart.

He said, “You can’t have a shadow without light.” Do you understand? Light is what causes the shadow, or rather, the obstruction of light creates it. So, when Psalm 23 says, “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” it is a sure sign that there is light somewhere! 

And God is that light, even in the valley, He is shining behind the clouds creating His shadow! So, the psalmist continues, “I will fear no evil, for thou are with me.” We have to look beyond the clouds, outside our prison walls, up to the hills, from whence cometh our help so we can survive and continue to thrive.

Jeremiah Burroughs writes, “A great man will permit common people to stand outside his doors, but he will not let them come in and make a noise in his closet or bedroom when he has deliberately retired from worldly business.” In other words, a quiet heart knows how to order life. It keeps work and home life protected by good boundaries.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CGCZTQL

Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Six)

by Jilene Scherenske

What God wants to do with you:

God wants to use you!  No matter what you think of yourself, no matter what background you may have come from, no matter what secret sins are in your past or in your life even now, God wants to use you for His glory….and He can if you will but accept His forgiveness like Matthew did.  Matthew was deemed the worst of sinners in his day and yet Jesus forgave him and transformed him.  He can do the same with you!  Jesus’ undeserved yet wondrous grace is available to everyone!  God’s love knows no bounds.  He will absolutely transform your soul with perfect peace!

Sometimes we look at people and judge them and are biased toward them.  What would we think if a known mafia man walked into our church?  But Jesus looks upon all with love.  That is the wonderful thing about our Lord.  He looks upon us with so much love that He died for us!  Let us be careful to look upon others with the eyes of Jesus, always viewing in them the potential they have for God’s glory, always being willing to allow Jesus’ love to flow through us to them.  Let us be careful to not put people in some box and leave them there.  Let us be encouraging and uplifting to everyone no matter who they are.  Remember God’s transformation of Matthew! 

We must learn the sin of greed from Matthew.  We must be careful that we do not get trapped in the sin of wanting more than we have.  It will destroy our life, take us away from our friends and family, take away our reputation, make us miserable at heart.  Rather, we must ask Jesus to make us content with whatever He has given us.  Beg Him to give us a heart of gratefulness.  These two are the cure and the safe guards against the sin of the love of money – contentment and gratefulness.  

We have a modern-day story of a tax collector who gave up everything to follow Jesus.  Ira Sankey is his name.  He was engaged honestly in the tax collecting business, working for the federal government with all of its perks.  He became a Christian at age 16.  Years later he met DL Moody at a convention in Indianapolis.  Moody had been praying for 18 years for someone to travel with him as his music man and he immediately recognized Sankey as the man God had for him.  But Sankey had a wife and three sons, parents and a great job that brought them a comfortable lifestyle.  It took a while, but finally, Moody convinced him to leave the lucrative job behind and join forces with him to win souls.  Their association lasted almost 30 years, from 1870-1899 and saw thousands of souls saved.  He wrote the melodies for several hymns including Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, Tell Me the Story of Jesus, The Ninety and Nine, The Lily of the Valley, The Cleansing Fountain, How Can I Keep from Singing? Hiding in Thee, Whosoever Will, A Shelter in the Time of Storm, Under His Wings, Faith is the Victory, and many others.  Like Matthew, he simply forsook his job and followed Jesus.  

What about you?  Is God calling you to do something for Him?  To leave your current lifestyle and follow His will for you?  My friend, be not afraid.  Jump into His will and you will experience peace and joy like you have never known before.  

John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men (Thomas Nelson, 2002) 

Leslie B. Flynn, The Twelve (Victor Books, 1988) 

God’s Glory Revealed

by Amanda Baker

Psalm 8:1, 3-4

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

This is a familiar psalm that I have read scores of times in my life.  But recently, the Lord encouraged my heart with some new thoughts about how He reveals His glory.  The psalm references the glory of God in the heavens and the work of God in carefully and meticulously placing the moon and the stars in their places.  I don’t know if you have ever had the picture in your mind of God at creation just flinging the stars across the sky like an artist splattering paint on a blank canvass.  That was kind of the picture that I had in mind when I looked in awe at the starlit night sky.  But the Psalmist here is particular to write of God’s using His fingers to “ordain” or place carefully the moon and all the stars.  When I began to think on this incredibly meticulous task, the next verse came alive to me.  The God Who purposefully and particularly placed the billions of stars in their places thinks about me and even takes time to minister to me individually!  What an amazing and humbling thought! 

But another thought came quickly after these – why do we only see the stars in the night time?  If I had done something as incredible as God has done with the stars, I would want them to be seen ALL the time.  Now I am no scientist to explain this, but the answer seems simple – it is only in the darkness of night that the light of the stars is revealed for our human eyes to see.  Just because we can’t see the stars doesn’t mean they aren’t there.  We just have to wait for God to reveal them to us.  Psalm 8:1 references God’s “glory above the heavens.”  Could it be that sometimes it takes the darkness of the night in our lives to allow God’s glory to be revealed?   

I don’t know what is going on in your life today, but I do know that my God cares about the little things in your life and mine – He thinks on us and visits us!  Maybe you are in a time of darkness – take some time to look at the “night sky” and see what part of His glory He is trying to reveal to you in your darkness.  Then praise Him because He is excellent and worthy of our praise!

Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Five)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew’s End

We know he spent the remainder of his life proclaiming Jesus.  Tradition says he evangelized in Ethiopia and Persia.  There is no reliable evidence of how he died.  Earliest traditions say he was burned at the stake.  Like Paul, he lived a life that had no regrets that he left everything behind and followed Jesus.  Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

Light That Shines - (a devotional book focusing on anxiety)

by Gail Gritts

There are times when God and Israel get along fine, and there are other times when they are at odds with each other, but God’s love for them never changed. And God’s love for us never changes either. He never falls out of love with us.   

I have always found that the more I pour my heart out to Him, the calmer and more assured I become. He creates within me a desire and ability to understand others better, but mostly to see them as people He loves, and people He wants me to love. 

Forgiveness re-joins two who were at odds and allows them to reach back to each other in love. It is that healing balm that binds broken things. 

Don’t be ignorant of the devices of Satan. He wants you to feel like a victim. He wants you to lose your patience, to say hateful words to your family and lose control. He wants you to become so frustrated you explode and want to run and hide. Don’t give him that pleasure. Arm yourself with God’s Word. 

I think sometimes we are tempted or maybe taught to believe that if we question God, that shows a lack of faith. The example of Job shows the exact opposite. We can question, we can wonder, and we can still have faith. It is searching for truth that brings us to a greater understanding of God. God even invites us to prove Him, to test Him, to call to Him, and He will give us the answers. He holds all knowledge. Where else would we need go, but to the source? 

No matter how far we fall, that anchor is still there for us. The bottom is secure, for underneath are the everlasting arms. We are anchored in Jesus. 

The other night I got to thinking about what God is doing while I’m stuck at home. You know, He stated telling me! So, I got up and jotted it down. The first thing He reminded me was – He is NOT sleeping. Psalm 121:3,4 tells us, “He that keepeth thee will not slumber.” He is always on call. He is ever-present. Because He is on call all night, I can lay my head down and sleep. 

Worry is a breeding ground for anxiety. It uses the same parts of our brans that work when we are planning or problem-solving. If we are worrying, that inhibits our ability to focus on the task at hand or connect appropriately with others because the brain isn’t as effective trying to do two things at the same time using the same parts. 

Virtually every person you read about in the Bible, except for our Lord, had negatives of one kind or the other. God wasn’t afraid to share them with us. We still draw strength from the humanity of the Bible characters. So, why would be believer that our weaknesses could not encourage others?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088Y5MJR3

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Four)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew’s later life

The Bible does not record much else about Matthew.  We know he remained faithful to the Lord from that day on, humbly falling into the background.  Having been a tax collector we know that Matthew was most likely wise, disciplined, good with figures, and acquainted with Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.  It was with these skills that he wrote the gospel of Matthew.  His gospel was aimed at the Jews.  He was determined to prove that Jesus was the Messiah promised by the Old Testament prophets.  As we have said he often referred to what the prophets said about the Messiah, evidence of how well he knew the Old Testament.  As a bookkeeper, he was detailed and thus a perfect man to trace the genealogy of Christ from the royal line of David and Abraham to Joseph.  In his gospel we find several of Jesus’ sermons:  chapters 5-7 contain the Sermon on the Mount.  Chapter 10 gives the sermon on the proclamation of the kingdom in conjunction with the sending out of the twelve.  Chapter 13 deals with the seven parables on the growth and worth of the kingdom.  Chapter 18 handles lifestyle in the kingdom including humility, children’s spiritual welfare, and forgiveness.  Chapter 23 contains Christ’s repeated woes on the hypocritical religious leaders.  Chapters 24-25 give us the Olivet discourse dealing with the second coming.  This man whose pen once recorded all the moneys he was deceitfully collecting now recorded the details of many of Jesus’ sermons.  His gospel also reveals his amazement that Jesus would save his group of people – publicans and sinners for he mentions this six times.  In Matthew 5:46-47 he recalls Jesus’ words: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?  As we have seen in Matthew 9, it was the publicans and sinners that sat down to eat with Jesus.  They were the only category of people at Matthew’s great feast.  In Matthew 11:19 Matthew names Jesus as the “friend of publicans and sinners”.  Lastly, as we saw earlier, scripture records in Matthew 21:31-32: “…Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.  For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”  Matthew declares that it was the publicans and harlots who believed in Jesus!  In the gospels three tax collectors are recorded as getting saved – Matthew, Zaccheus, and the publican mentioned in the parable of Luke 18:10-14.  Scripture makes it very clear that this group of people were the most receptive to Jesus.  They were a needy people spiritually, considered the scum of the earth, compared in scripture to the religious leaders of the day who thought themselves to have arrived spiritually and in no need of a Savior.  As Jesus said at Matthew’s feast in response to the self-righteous religious leaders bemoaning the fact that Jesus would eat with such scum, “…They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick:  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  And so He did!  And they are the ones who responded!  I am sure that having Matthew as a disciple was a great aid in bringing this sinful group of people to Jesus.

The Bible does not say much about Matthew. His gospel, and the gospels of Mark and Luke record both his decision to follow Jesus (Matt 9:9, Mk 2:14, Lk 5:27) and the party he immediately threw so Jesus could speak to his friends (Mat 9:10, Mk 2:15, Lk 5:29).The only other sightings of Matthew in scripture are when he is included in the list of disciples (Matt 10:3, Mk 3:18, Lk 5:27) and the last is when he is listed with the other disciples in the upper room the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:13).

How Do You Worship?

by Amanda Baker

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

I have been challenged recently concerning my attitude in worship.  Ecclesiastes isn’t the place in the Bible that I would expect to find such a challenge, but I believe there are some vital truths to consider about worship and prayer from this passage.  

First, worship is something that God takes seriously!  Solomon here is admonishing the Israelites about the sin of making empty vows to the Lord, vows they never intended to fulfill.  I believe the application can be made that when we come to the house of God to worship Him, He expects us to enter into that worship with a sincerity of heart and willing heart to listen to His Word.  Warren Wiersbe makes the following comment about this passage in his commentary on Ecclesiastes entitled Be Satisfied: “The worship of God is the highest ministry of the church and must come from devoted hearts and yielded wills.”

Second, prayer to the Almighty God and Creator of all is serious business!  The following thoughts concerning the matter of prayer addressed here in Ecclesiastes 5 are also from Wiersbe’s book: “If you and I were privileged to bring our needs and requests to the White House or to Buckingham Palace, we would prepare our words carefully and exhibit proper behavior.  How much more important it is when we come to the throne of Almighty God?  Yet, there is so much flippant praying done by people who seem to know nothing about the fear of the Lord.”  Eloquence in public prayer does not indicate a profound prayer life.  Prayer is my communication line to God.  It should be an avenue that I am familiar enough with that I don’t feel like I have to say something impressive for those who hear me pray publically.  My public prayer is still communication with God not with those listening.  When I approach God’s throne in prayer, it should be done with a broken spirit of humility and with a realization of exactly Who I am talking to.  Spurgeon put it this way, “It is not the length of our prayers, but the strength of our prayers, that makes the difference.”

Those two observations from this passage lead me to the last four words in Ecclesiastes 5:7 – but fear thou God.  When I approach God with the right attitude in worship and prayer, I will understand the true fear of the Lord.  It will not cause me to be afraid of Him, but rather to have the proper respect for Him when I come to His house for worship and when I approach His throne of grace in prayer.  God wants us to worship Him.  It is why He left us here after He redeemed us.  How do YOU worship?

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Three)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew’s First Action After Salvation – the Feast

Matthew’s salvation is recorded in Luke 5:27-28.  And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.  And he left all, rose up, and followed him.  What a marvelous salvation it was!  “And he left all, rose up, and followed him.”  Wow!  Matthew left it all.  He walked away from his table of gain and immediately followed Jesus!  Imagine the people in line waiting to be taxed.  How stumped they must have been.  The tax collector just walked away!  Matthew left all that profit behind.  He also left behind all his greed, all his longing for more stuff, all his love for riches.  All his cravings.  He simply walked away from all of it!  Immediately!  Amazing!  It is obvious that God had indeed been working on his soul for this transformation to occur so quickly.   

In the very next verse we see evidence of his salvation.  He throws a huge party!  Look who is on his guest list – other despised tax collectors!  Lu 5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.  Most likely the only friends Matthew had were coworkers or others of the same trade.  Since tax collectors were so despised, they had no other friends!  Matthew is so joyous over his newfound faith that he must tell his buddies.  We see the proof of his wealth in that he threw a huge feast, the Bible calls it a “great feast” and “a great company”.  The Greek word for ‘great’ is megas.  In other words, a mega feast.  He spared no amount of lavishness in this feast.  The second ‘great’ (“great company”) means that there was an abundance of people there indicating that Matthew’s home was big enough to entertain a large crowd.  The tax collectors must have come from far and wide since it was such a great crowd.  The verse calls the guests “publicans and sinners”, so I wonder what other professions were also there?  Harlots?  Yes!  One commentator says it was a multitude of social outcasts, the scum of society, greedy, money-hungry men, deceivers, liars.  It might be compared to some gangster today, some hoodlum, inviting all of the robbers, thieves, prostitutes, and the like to his home for a huge party!  But look Who the Guest of honor is sitting at the head of the table.  It is Jesus!  Matthew was now experiencing such joy, such peace, such forgiveness that he wanted to tell all his buddies, everyone he knew about Jesus!  He spares no expense.  He does not limit the guest list.  Matthew wanted to see every one of them saved!  I wonder how many of that crowd followed after Jesus because of that feast?  Mark 2:15 records that “…there were many, and they followed him.”  Matthew’s transformation alone would have convinced them.  Perhaps his testimony is one reason why this group of scoundrels continued to draw near to Jesus for ten chapters later in Luke they are still seeking Jesus.  Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. Lu 15:1  Indeed, many of these social outcasts indeed found salvation in Jesus.  Look what Jesus says in Matthew 21:28-32: But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.  29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not  31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.  32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.  

Remember the parable of the publican and the sinner?  One prayed pridefully that he was glad he was not like the publican.  But the publican bowed himself humbly and begged God for mercy.  I have never thought of the publican as a tax collector, but he was!  Yes, it was a parable, but easily could have been an actual event of a tax collector seeking Jesus’ forgiveness!  Remember, he had to stand “afar off” because, as a tax collector he was not permitted into the temple, he could only go as far as the Gentiles could enter.  So there is great evidence that many tax collectors and other sinners were saved.  I have to wonder if the publicans and harlots that believed in Jesus, as we just read in Luke 15:32, came to Jesus because of Matthew’s testimony?  

Let us not forget that the disciples were also present at this party.This feast happened quickly after Matthew’s salvation.The disciples must have been reeling.Now Matthew was a part of their group!This was their hated tax collector!!What must they have thought as they found themselves a part of this party that was nothing but sinners and hated tax collectors?Were they uncomfortable?Yet there was Jesus accepting these sinners just like He had accepted each one of the disciples.What a testimony Jesus’ love and forgiveness must have been to these disciples!

Hear and Do

by Gail Gritts

Two words found in the book of James will transform your Christian life. Let’s read James 1:22-25. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”

Can you see the two words? Hear and Do.

I don’t know about you, but as a young Christian, I found some of the things the preacher preached, or I read in Christian books hard to accept and understand. The conversation of my new Christian friends didn’t really make sense or seemed extreme and odd. I wondered how others grew in the Lord and feared I might be left behind. I even found some of what II read in the Bible hard to accept. 

Like tithing, for example. Why should I give ten percent of my income? My dad always put a dollar in the plate. That seemed fine to me. Forgiveness. Am I to forgive even when the other person hasn’t asked or made amends? Love. Am I to love those that don’t treat me nice? How do I do that? Anger. I’m not to be angry? I’m to learn to control my tongue and attitude, even when others don’t? That seems a bit unfair.

We face lots of questions as we grow and learn in our Christian life. But these two words help us find answers and know what to do. So, let’s see if we can understand what God is telling us.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” One of the greatest hurdles we face is our own understanding! God created us with an intellect, and we should use it, but sometimes our mind gets to thinking it is more powerful, smarter, and greater than its Creator. 

God often warns us about this type of pride. Even in verse 7 of Proverbs 3, He repeats almost the same words – “Be not wise in thine own eyes.” Sometimes we have baggage or misconceptions or hold certain prejudices that go against what God’s word teaches. And we struggle to bring them in line with Scripture. We think we are right because we have always believed a particular way and find it hard to change. 

Not long into my Christian walk, I found a verse in Proverbs that helped me with this. Proverbs 21:30 says, “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.”  

I have found this one verse so helpful when my mind wants to figure things out. I came to agree with God that His wisdom is greater than mine. If He says something is good, there is a particular way to do something or an attitude I need to adapt, I learned to submit, to stop trying to figure it out, and simply act by faith. I agreed God was always right, and I needed to stop fighting against Him. There is no way to win! “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.”

That is what hearing and doing is all about. You will struggle to “do,” if you disagree with what you are “hearing,” right? So, the first thing you must establish in your heart is that the Word you have before you – God’s Word – is right. It is the correct way to do things. It holds the best perspective on life and promises the best outcome. Then you take your questions and figuring out through the Word and discover what you should do.

Let me give you an example. 

In the book of Luke, we find the disciples out fishing. Remember, these guys were experienced, professional fishermen. They had toiled all night and caught nothing. Jesus comes by and asks them to put the ship out again so he can use it to teach the people. So, they did – they heard and did. When Jesus was finished, He told Simon to throw out the nets again. Simon’s answer is what would most likely be ours as well.   

“Jesus, we worked all night at this and caught nothing! We are professional fishermen. But, if you say so, I hear you! I’ll do it! I’ll let down the nets again.” This time, they caught so many fish their net broke. The key is, they heard and did based on what the Lord told them – based on His word.

I wonder what would have happened if they had laughed Jesus to scorn. Remember, Jesus was not a fisherman. He was a carpenter. What did He know about fishing? They were the professionals; they were the ones with the experience. They knew what to do. Sometimes we take that attitude with things we hear from the pulpit or read in our Bible. Our experience, understanding, and opinion are where we place our faith – where we make our decisions. We aren’t willing to hear!

And when we fail to hear or block what we hear by our own opinion or ideas, we exhibit stubbornness and rebellion. We are trying to make sense of God’s word by our own intellect. But God isn’t impressed with our ideas. He doesn’t need our opinion. Remember Proverbs 21:30?

His opinions are much bigger and better. His have an intent of blessing, and He knows how to make it happen! We are to trust and obey. Do you know that song?  “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” It’s a simple truth, but so full of promise.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is exhibited by acceptance of what we hear and faithfulness in doing what the Word of God says. It isn’t about smarts or opinions, but wholehearted obedience.

The Bible gives other examples of people who cast away their earthly understanding and stepped out by faith to obey – to hear and do – what God had shown them.

Rahab heard about the God of the Israelites. So, she hid the spies, and God saved her and her family.

Abraham heard God calling him to leave home, so he went out, not knowing where he was to go, and God gave him a land, a son, and a nation.

Gideon heard God calling him to become the man to lead the army and, even though he was unsteady at first, he obeyed. And God used him to break Israel free from their enemy.

The woman with the pots. I love this story. The poor woman’s husband died and left her with two sons and in debt. The Prophet told her to gather pots from all her neighbors. That seemed odd, I’m sure, but she and her sons collected as many vessels as they could, and God filled them with enough oil to pay her debt and live off the rest!

Sometimes, what God tells us is challenging, but we can be sure He will keep His promise if we will follow on by faith.

Let’s look at hearing and doing another way. We are to live by faith; by the same faith that brought us to Christ.

You heard the word of salvation, and what did you do? You came to Christ, confessing your need of a Saviour and asking His forgiveness. And how did God bless? He forgave your sins and made you anew.

If you haven’t yet done that, let me assure you. Romans 10:17 tells us “Faith cometh by hearing.” We hear the word of God. Then, in Romans 10:9, we do something about it. You confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. That is the doing part. And what does God promise will happen? Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Then, as you learn to walk in this new life in Christ. You will succeed by doing the same – following the same pattern. 

When you hear something from God’s word, whether it is tithing, giving, helping others, speaking for Christ, loving, forgiving, or whatever it might be. When you hear it – do it! Do it by faith, and God will bless. We are to live by the same faith that brought us to Christ – based on His word, His promises, His ability. Hear and do.

So, what has the Lord been speaking to you about lately? You will find it will always match His word, and He will keep placing it on your heart and before your ears. It will challenge you to cast out your net! When you hear and do, the blessing is on the other side of obedience. Walking by faith is not a blind walk, it is a confident assured stride based on the knowledge of God’s word, character, and promises.

John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, “Nothing before, nothing behind, The steps of faith fall on the seeming void, and find the rock beneath.” That is the walk of faith, but you will never know what it is like until you step out!

So, let me encourage you. Hear – listen to what the Lord says, to His word, to the preacher  

and DO. Obey what the Bible instructs. Take each step by faith, and you will grow. You will put yourself in the place of blessing. 

Revelation 1:3 – “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

There are those two key words again - they that hear and they that keep or do! Two great words to take you forward, to grow your faith, and put you in a place of God’s blessing.

Hear and Do!

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part Two)

by Jilene Scherenske

Jesus finds Matthew

Why did Matthew choose such a hated occupation?  We must assume that at one time he had an eye for greed and for gain, a love for money.  Somehow material things became so important to him that he was willing to become the scourge of the earth to get stuff!  That is how the devil operates.  He implants an idea, a simple thought.  “I wish I had more.”  Perhaps Matthew grew up very poor.  Perhaps he began to envy those who were wealthier.  One thought, one little thought and the devil took advantage and grew it so big that Matthew was willing to nearly sacrifice his soul to get more.  Day after day, hour after hour the coins tinkled into Matthew’s purse.   

Despite the fact that he could no longer worship and hear the Word of God in the synagogue, he knew the Old Testament well.  In his gospel, the Gospel of Matthew, he quotes the Old Testament 99 times – more than that of Mark, Luke and John combined!  And he quotes from all sections of the Old Testament, for he quotes from the Law, and the Psalms and the Prophets!  The time came when he began hearing about John the Baptist and how that some of his cronies had gotten baptized (For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans [tax collectors], justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. Lk 7:28-29).  Then stories of Jesus began surfacing more and more.  This was a man who could work miracles!  Some were saying He might be the Messiah!  God began working his wooing power in the soul of Matthew.  

I believe that God’s work in his soul was profound.  As God worked on his heart Matthew realized how despicable he had been behaving.  He knew he had forsaken God for stuff, stuff that was no longer satisfying.  Matthew became miserable, restless, unsatisfied, tortured by what he had become.  He hated the fact that others hated him for his actions, but now he began hating himself.  And then something wonderful happened, he began wishing he could see Jesus.  So when the day arrived that Jesus said simply “Follow me”, Matthew was ready!  He literally dropped everything, walked away from his table of sin, and followed Jesus!  Jesus found Matthew working the ungodly job of collecting unfair taxes.  He caught him in his own sin!  Yet Matthew somehow put the shame away and followed Jesus immediately!  Amazing!  I would think the shame of sin that must have been upon his soul by now would have kept him from following Jesus.  But God had beforehand done a tremendous work in Matthew’s soul of convicting him of sin and then giving him a longing for the only One Who could forgive him, set him free, and give him a new life.  He knew that One was Jesus.  He was ready!  Hidden in Jesus’ words was forgiveness.  Matthew knew that also for he had heard the story of the man with palsy who was not only healed but when Jesus was healing him Jesus said, “…the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins…” Matt 9:6.  Three verses later Matthew records Jesus’ words to him: “Follow me”  Matt 9:9.  Two simple words from Jesus but they were music to Matthew’s tortured conscience!  Matthew was ready for Jesus’ precious forgiveness!  Imagine his joy!  At once he knew he was forgiven.  Peace and joy flooded his soul!  He felt pure, something that his hardened heart had not felt in a very long time.  He was experiencing the matchless, marvelous, wonderful grace of Jesus!  Though the chief of sinners, he was now 100 percent forgiven, but not only that, he was now lifted to the status of a disciple of Jesus!

One would think that Jesus perhaps had erred in His choice of Matthew.After all, Matthew had a horrible reputation, one that was as low as one could get.Surely his presence in the group of disciples would not help Jesus’ cause.Furthermore, one would think that, since all the disciples were from Galilee, most, if not all, had probably been forced to pay unbelievable taxes to Matthew.Just think of it: Peter, Andrew, James and John perhaps all the disciples, at one time or another, had to pay unfair taxes to Matthew!Now he was one of them!Surely this would not make for unity in the group.His association with the group would further infuriate the religious leaders and perhaps be a stumbling block to other Jews, all of whom had such a bias against tax collectors.But Jesus is the God of all grace.His grace is free to all who will accept it.He chose fishermen, who were considered the lowest of all men, Galileans at that!Now He choses one who all the people, not just the pious Pharisees, see as an absolute scoundrel, a horrible sinner!But God’s grace is without bias.His love reaches down to everyone.

How Important Is Your Obedience?

by Amanda Baker

Most of you are probably familiar with the story of Joshua and the children and of Israel’s amazing defeat of the city of Jericho.  They obeyed the instructions the Lord gave them and marched around the city for seven days until the Lord caused the walls to fall in on the city.  The people were able to utterly destroy this stronghold in Canaan when they obeyed the Lord’s instructions.  However, there was one man who disobeyed the instruction to leave all the spoils of Jericho for the Lord.  Achan took of the accursed things in Jericho and hid them in his tent.  His disobedience seemed insignificant until a couple thousand men went up to defeat the small city of Ai and met unexpected defeat.  The Lord revealed to Joshua that there was sin in the camp that had to be eradicated before Israel would be victorious against the enemies in the Promised Land.

The thing that struck me was how many people were affected by Achan’s disobedience – thirty-six people died in the Israelites defeat at Ai, Israel was put at risk for other nations to come against them, Achan and his whole family were stoned to death and all his belongings were burned in the valley of Achor.  Achan’s coveting the Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold caused great distress for the whole nation of Israel.  I believe God uses stories like this one to illuminate an important truth – Obedience is a non-negotiable matter in the eyes of a holy God.  What are you trying to negotiate when it comes to matters of obedience in your life today?

The Twelve Disciples - Matthew (Part One)

by Jilene Scherenske

Matthew

Matthew is a disciple we know little about because he is seldom named in scripture, yet, as we shall see, there is much to learn from his devoted life to our Savior. 

Tax Collecting

Let us begin our account of Matthew by getting an education on his profession.  He was a tax collector.  These men would buy tax franchises from the Roman emperor.  They would then exact tax money from the people to feed the Roman government. However, it was an unspoken agreement that they could extort above and beyond the set fee to pad their own pockets.  They could even make up their own tax categories and charge for them!  And that is exactly what they did!  They even used thugs to strong arm money from people.  Reminds me of the mafia!  There were two kinds of tax collectors.  The Gabbai (pronounced Yahbi) were general tax collectors.  They collected property tax, income tax, and the poll tax which were set by official assessments, so there was less extortion involved with this group.  The Mokhes (pronounced Mocks) were the other group and they collected a duty on imports and exports, goods for domestic trade, and virtually anything that was moved by road.  They set tolls on roads and bridges, they taxed beasts of burden and axles on transport wagons, and they charged a tariff on parcels, letters, and whatever else they could find to tax.  Their assessments were usually arbitrary and differed from day to day on how they felt that day!  There were two kinds of these Mokhes – the Great Mokhes and the Little Mokhes.  A Great Mokhes stayed behind the scenes and hired others to collect for him.  Zaccheus was apparently a Great Mokhes since he was called “a chief tax collector” in Luke 19:2. 

The Little Mokhes were the most despised tax collectors.They would often stop people, search them, or pierce their baggage with long, sharp iron rods, looking for contraband.Matthew was apparently a Little Mokhes because he manned the tax office, dealing with people face to face.Here is how we could describe his life as a tax collector.These men were considered the worst of the worst.They were banned from the synagogue and forbidden to sacrifice and worship in the temple thus being essentially worse off religiously than a Gentile.Their alms were even refused.He had to keep his distance from any group of people because, as a tax collector, he was so terribly hated.The Jewish Talmud even taught that it was righteous to lie and deceive a tax collector, because that was what a professional extortioner deserved.What made things even worse for Matthew was that he was a Jew!No self-respecting Jew in his right mind would ever choose to become a tax collector for the Roman government!By doing so he had effectively cut himself off from his own people, most likely his own family, and from his God!He was considered a traitor to his nation because he worked with the hated Romans, a social pariah, and a religious outcast.He was viewed as among a most despicable and vile scoundrel.In Jewish eyes, he was more hated that the Roman soldiers.His occupation was lumped together with the heathen and harlots (Matt 18:17, 21:31).With his office just outside Capernaum, Matthew had an ideal location.The heavily loaded caravans traveling the only road from Damascus to Jerusalem had to stop at his customshouse and pay import taxes.He also received taxes from fishermen and the nearby Sea of Galilee.

Stand – No Matter What!

by Amanda Baker

Daniel 3:17-18 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

The book of Daniel contains familiar stories that I remember being taught from a very early age, yet in recent study of this Old Testament book, I have been struck by some simple yet profound truths.  Some of those truths come from the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace.  You know the story – Nebuchadnezzar built an image, probably of himself, for the people to worship.  He had almost his whole kingdom bowing down to him at the sound of the music.  Remember that kingdom included those from Babylon and more than likely multitudes of captured Hebrews who had assimilated into the culture of Babylon.  Out of all those people, Babylonians and Hebrews alike, only three, that we know of, were willing to stand up rather than bow their knee to a pagan king.  Now these three Hebrews were standing before one of the most powerful humans on earth at that time.  A few things strike me here – Nebuchadnezzar gave them another chance to fall in line with the decree.  He could have thrown them in the furnace without question.  But the biggest truth here lies in the response of the Hebrews – “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”  We know the rest of the story – God gloriously delivered them from the fiery furnace.  But when they stood before the king, they did not know what would happen.  They only knew that their God was worth living and even dying for!  What faith and trust in an Almighty God! 

What “furnace” are you facing today?  There is no way to tell whether the Lord will choose to deliver you or whether He will choose to give you the grace to endure the “furnace.”  But in either case, He promises us that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5) Live in confidence today that no matter what the outcome is, our God is worth standing for – no matter what!

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Eight)

by Jilene Scherenske

Lessons from Andrew’s Life

Missionary work begins first at home.  With our relatives.  It is where Andrew began, and he did not pick the easiest family member to win!  But his passion was so great that Peter could not resist.  What have you done to win your relatives?  Is your passion for Christ so great that they will see it and not be able to resist your invitation to come to Him?  Do you possess Andrew’s kind of enthusiasm for the gospel?  If not, take a moment now to ask God to give you a joy and a boldness for winning souls. 

Can you see the potential in even a small child?  Andrew did!  That soul was as important to him as any other soul there that day when 5000 were gathered to hear Jesus speak.  Have you ever found yourself placing greater worth or greater possibilities on one over another?  Ask God to remove the bias in your heart and love everyone equally, no matter how they appear, how they act, or who they are.

Andrew saw the potential in a little boy.  I wonder what that boy went on to be?  I am convinced he got saved.  I wonder, did he follow Jesus as often as he could after that?  Did he go home and convince his family of Jesus?  Did he and Andrew keep on being friends?  Did he witness the cross?  I like to think he spent the remainder of his life telling others about Jesus.  Too often I think we look upon someone through our own fleshly eyes.  We do not see them as God sees them.  We limit their worth.  Years ago there was a weeklong evangelistic crusade in Scotland.  Only one little boy came forward for salvation.  The evangelist was disappointed.  But he did not realize that this little boy would be so set on fire for Jesus that years later he would open a whole continent for the gospel.  His name was David Livingstone.  Let us ask God to give us a love for every soul that crosses our path, the clerks in the stores, the people in the cars next to you at a stop light, everyone around you, and then ask God to give you a willingness to share the gospel with whomever He brings to you no matter who they are, no matter what your flesh thinks of them.

Andrew took the ‘barbarians’ to Jesus.  These were definitely considered by the Jews to be unworthy people.  The Jews considered them to be “dogs”, a definition meaning they were worthless people, scoundrels.  But Andrew obviously did not see them as such.  By this time, he knew that Jesus would want to see anyone who wanted to see Him.  He did not consider who they were, he did not esteem them as unfit, he simply took them to Jesus, even if they were ‘Greeks’.  

Andrew brought the 5 loaves and two fishes to Jesus, such a meager meal.  Did he have any expectations that Jesus would use it to fill the bellies of over 5000?  Perhaps not.  He did not try to figure things out, he just simply followed God’s leading and obeyed.  Is there something in your life today in which you feel God’s leading, but your flesh is saying that it is silly?  If God is in it, nothing is silly in His eyes.  Perhaps you have a desire to witness to someone, but you do not have any idea how it could happen.  Consider the story of Edward Kimball.  His name is but a footnote in the records of history.  He was a simple Sunday School teacher who was timid and soft-spoken.  A 19-year-old man had begun attending his class and Kimball could see that he was ignorant of the gospel.  The Lord led him to speak to this young man about his soul and to confront him at his workplace.  On the way there he began to doubt.  Was this the right time and the right place?  How could the young man pull him away from his duties?  Would he embarrass the boy?  Would his co-workers tease him for listening to the gospel?  He entered the store with great timidity.  He found the boy in the stockroom and with fumbling words he made his weak appeal.  But amazingly the young man accepted Christ right then and there!  That young man was D.L. Moody who went on to be used mightily of the Lord in America and England for almost the entire half of the nineteenth century!  

Andrew took second place.  He was never worried about being first, he just simply went about doing what God led him to do and was content in that.  Is this where you are?  Are you content just being in the center of God’s will wherever that leads you, even if it is a behind the scenes place?

Andrew’s ministry is the example of one-on-one evangelistic work.  The true story is told of a women who was 82 years old.  She was participating in a training session preparing for a Billy Graham crusade.  The trainees were encouraged to make a list of 3-10 unsaved people they knew, then pray for them every day, and invite one of them to each of the services.  This elderly lady bemoaned the fact that she did not know any unsaved folks.  Later during the crusade, she approached the trainer saying, “I’ve been going to the supermarket twice a day on purpose.  I used to go only once a week.  Every time I’ve gone this week, I made sure I got the same checkout girl.  I’ve become friends with her.”  Then she pointed to a girl at the altar being dealt with and said, “That’s her!”  On another evening she pointed out yet another women at the altar and stated that she had gone to the beauty parlor twice that week, having not been in years.  But she made another friend there and now she was also getting saved!  She was an Andrew!  One by one she brought them to Jesus!  Will we go to such effort to do the same?  May all of us ask God for open hearts to minister to whomever He puts on our path.  Let us ask God for warm and eager hearts to take the effort and make of them friends and love them to Jesus.  

What does God want to do with you?

Do you identify with Andrew in any way?  God wants you to be a soul winner like Andrew.  He wants you to not figure out a situation, but just simply bring your life to Him.

John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men (Thomas Nelson, 2002) 

Leslie B. Flynn, The Twelve (Victor Books, 1988) 

Tears (Part Five)

by Gail Gritts

TEARS

 “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”  Revelation 7:17 

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  Revelation 21:4

Tears will end – they are a part of this temporal life only.  And, the things that create tears – death, sorrow and pain – will also end. 

Matthew Henry explains, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. They have formerly had their sorrows, and shed many tears, both upon the account of sin and affliction; but God himself, with his own gentle and gracious hand, will wipe those tears away, and they shall return no more for ever; and they would not have been without those tears, when God comes to wipe them away. In this he deals with them as a tender father who finds his beloved child in tears, he comforts him, he wipes his eyes, and turns his sorrow into rejoicing. This should moderate the Christian's sorrow in his present state, and support him under all the troubles of it; for those that sow in tears shall reap in joy; and those that now go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them.” 

So, let’s shed all the tears necessary to bring souls into the fold, to minister to the saints, and to bear the burdens of this life – rejoicing that one day there will be no more crying.

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Seven)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew’s Later Life

Three countries (Russia, Scotland and Greece) claim Andrew as their patron saint, whatever that means.  Does it mean that he traveled to all three with the gospel?  Tradition states that he died in Greece.  The local governor had him put to death on a cross because he was so enraged that his wife and brother had become Christians.  Andrew felt unworthy to die as Christ did, so he requested that the cross be X shaped.  It is recorded that when he knew he was to be crucified he stated: “Oh, cross most welcome and longed for!  With a willing mind, joyfully and desirously, I come to you, being a scholar of Him which did hang on you, because I have always been your lover and yearn to embrace you.”  It took 3 days for him to die on that cross and all the while he was conscious it is said that he kept on urging people to accept Christ as their Savior. 

Tears (Part Four)

by Gail Gritts

TEARS                                         

“Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews…” 
 Acts 20:19  

The tears of Paul are oft recorded.  In Acts 20:31 he says for three years he did not stop warning day and night with tears and in II Corinthians 2:4 he speaks of the great anguish of heart as he wrote with tears to the believers.  As he speaks of the care of the churches in II Corinthians 11:28 one would have to assume that many tears were shed as he sought to equip these saints. 

When commenting on Acts 20:19 Brown says, “He "sowed in tears," from anxieties both on account of the converts from whom he "travailed in birth," and of the Jews, whose bitter hostility was perpetually plotting against him, interrupting his work and endangering his life.”  Tears were incorporated in the service of the Lord for the Apostle Paul, and, yes, for most all who seek to serve the Lord.

Tears in the ministry are the result of many things.  Our hearts break as we see the burden other believers carry.  We weep with those who are broken hearted, disillusioned and in need of comfort.  We weep, as we feel helpless to create change. We weep over the failures of others and over those who go against God’s mandates.   We also weep over our own failures and inadequacies.  Tears are a part of the ministry.

Tears are not a sign of weakness, but of the depth of our sincerity and humility in service.  Tears, as a result of the service of the Lord, put us in good company.  Jeremiah was known as the Weeping Prophet.  Joseph, Jacob, David and Jonathan all wept.  Ezra, Job and Isaiah wept.  Jesus wept. 

What about you?  Are tears a part of your service?  Is your heart tender enough to weep for others?  Or are you hardened?

The Twelve Disciples - Andrew (Part Six)

by Jilene Scherenske

Andrew took Second Place

In most of the scriptures’ references to Andrew, he is known as Peter’s brother, implying that that is the only way people knew who he was.  It was as though he was not his own man, but, rather, was known as the brother of Peter.  He never made it to that inner circle of disciples who Jesus invited to witness the raising of Jairus’ daughter, or the Transfiguration.  Since James and John were brothers and Andrew and Peter were brothers, and there seems to have been a closeness among the four, it seems sort of out of place that Andrew is left out of the inner circle.  There is no record that this bothered Andrew.  He just simply went about doing what God prompted him to do.  He was more concerned for his service, for his pleasing God, than for his reputation.  Even scripture leaves him in the background.  For instance, when He and Peter were called into full time service Matthew tells us that Andrew was there, but the parallel account of this event in Luke 5 does not mention Andrew’s name.  He seldom comes to the forefront even in scripture, yet he was certainly a part of the group, playing a quiet, unsung role.  Scripture never records him as being a participant in the big debates, nor craving honor.  We just see him quietly bringing people, mostly the insignificant people, to Jesus.  He served God as Ephesians 6:6-7 states: “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:”  

We never hear of him preaching a great sermon and winning thousands as his brother did.His name is not mentioned in Acts (except for the list of those in the upper room prior to Pentecost) or any of the epistles.He just went about winning one soul at a time.Although we need those who will stand in the pulpit and win many souls from it, yet we need many more Andrews who will serve one on one, or teach a small Sunday school class, or faithfully serve behind the scenes in whatever way God asks.