Looking at the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali this morning.
The disciples were all Israelites and usually, we don't focus on their lineages. Jesus' bloodline is spelled out for us but that is not so for the other disciples but we do have clues.
"And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles - the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." - Matthew 4:13-22 ESV
Two sets of brothers... Zebulun and Naphtali. These tribes have long interesting histories. Here is something that is said of one of them.
"Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer." - Judges 5:14 KJV
The people of Zebulun had a gift for writing and Naphtali had artists.
"He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work." - 1 Kings 7:14 ESV
God used Peter and John to pen most of the new testament. Jesus picked fisherman but they came from a heritage that was great.
I don't know who your parents are or the heritage that you come from. It may be great or it may be quite lowly but light has shone into your life if you have believed in Jesus. You bring your family before God's throne when you come to Him. The gifts He gave to your fathers and mothers are manifested in you as you walk by faith.
"I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven," - Matthew 8:11 ESV
Many will recline at your table also.
It may not be easy to trace your family line but you represent all those that have come before you. Hold your head up high and worship with all that you possess. What you have came from someone as a gift. Let's give what we have been given back to God in gratefulness and thanksgiving.
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Showing posts with label Apostles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apostles. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Friendship Among The Apostles
Peter, James and John were Jesus' close circle of friends. The twelve apostles were each special people to God and to each other. They all spent holidays together but these three seemed to be nearest Jesus. He was a man who came from Heaven and died in his early thirties. No wife or family to invest in... at least not yet in the traditional sense that we think about these relationships.
I sometimes wonder about these other men and what circles of close confidants they had.
"He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him." - Mark 3:16-19 ESV
James and John were brothers but the scripture doesn't speak of their age differences. Clearly they were brothers but they were close brothers.
"About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church." - Acts 12:1-5 ESV
Here we see the death of James recorded. It mentions specifically that this was John's brother and Peter was thrown in jail. What a time that must have been for John the Apostle. He must have been right in the center of those prayer meetings for Peter. They likely became a place for healing to begin for the loss of his brother.
I often look at and think about the 'people' individuals have (and don't have). Most folks have only a few people. A wife. A parent. A sibling. Maybe many friends but only a few close friends. You can't buy these people. It doesn't work that way. When I see someone go through a crisis like John went through when Jesus died and then his brother went to Heaven soon after I look to see if they have a circle of people and prayer seems to kick into high gear.
The Church became John's friend in his time of crisis but it is friendship that is different than the friendship we have with individuals. In a way it is representative friendship. God loves us through a group of people or a few individuals that emerge from the cloud of that group for a period of time to represent God's heart. Those interactions might bloom into close friendships and they also might not.
Jame wrote this in the epistle he penned sometime before his death in Acts chapter 12.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' while you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there,' or, 'Sit down at my feet,' have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?" - James 1:27, 2:1-7 ESV
We can see the clear references to Church politics but can't we also see friendship mixed in there?
Grace is God's friendship to us and grace is our friendship given to people.
God loves us. He is our friend if we have believed in Jesus. A relationship has formed that not even death can separate. Jesus has pulled us in close if we have said 'Yes' to Him about what He has done for us and the rest of the humanity at the cross. He isn't going to leave us or forsake us.
"Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land." - Psalm 68:4-6 ESV
Maybe I'll just end like this.
"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them." - Mark 9:2-3 ESV
Let's watch Jesus glow together. Even if it's just for a season. Let's have that kind of friendship and let's bring those who are trapped in prisons of different kinds out again through the power of our combined prayers. The solitary don't have to stay that way if we love each other and give grace as we have been given grace. A group can form where friendships can be born and the wounds of loss can be healed.
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I sometimes wonder about these other men and what circles of close confidants they had.
"He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him." - Mark 3:16-19 ESV
James and John were brothers but the scripture doesn't speak of their age differences. Clearly they were brothers but they were close brothers.
"About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church." - Acts 12:1-5 ESV
Here we see the death of James recorded. It mentions specifically that this was John's brother and Peter was thrown in jail. What a time that must have been for John the Apostle. He must have been right in the center of those prayer meetings for Peter. They likely became a place for healing to begin for the loss of his brother.
I often look at and think about the 'people' individuals have (and don't have). Most folks have only a few people. A wife. A parent. A sibling. Maybe many friends but only a few close friends. You can't buy these people. It doesn't work that way. When I see someone go through a crisis like John went through when Jesus died and then his brother went to Heaven soon after I look to see if they have a circle of people and prayer seems to kick into high gear.
The Church became John's friend in his time of crisis but it is friendship that is different than the friendship we have with individuals. In a way it is representative friendship. God loves us through a group of people or a few individuals that emerge from the cloud of that group for a period of time to represent God's heart. Those interactions might bloom into close friendships and they also might not.
Jame wrote this in the epistle he penned sometime before his death in Acts chapter 12.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' while you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there,' or, 'Sit down at my feet,' have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?" - James 1:27, 2:1-7 ESV
We can see the clear references to Church politics but can't we also see friendship mixed in there?
Grace is God's friendship to us and grace is our friendship given to people.
God loves us. He is our friend if we have believed in Jesus. A relationship has formed that not even death can separate. Jesus has pulled us in close if we have said 'Yes' to Him about what He has done for us and the rest of the humanity at the cross. He isn't going to leave us or forsake us.
"Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land." - Psalm 68:4-6 ESV
Maybe I'll just end like this.
"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them." - Mark 9:2-3 ESV
Let's watch Jesus glow together. Even if it's just for a season. Let's have that kind of friendship and let's bring those who are trapped in prisons of different kinds out again through the power of our combined prayers. The solitary don't have to stay that way if we love each other and give grace as we have been given grace. A group can form where friendships can be born and the wounds of loss can be healed.
--
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Will We Wipe Them Away?
I awoke this morning and the word that was on my mind was 'offscouring'. I read a bit and looked at a few things but this word kept coming back. The Greek word translated 'offscouring' is only used once in the new testament. It is Peripsema (Strong's G4067) and it is used here.
"Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." - 1 Corinthians 4:13 KJV
Some things are kept but other things are wiped away. This speaks of the stuff that is wiped away.
This is that verse in context using a more modern, but reliable, translation...
"For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children... I urge you, then, be imitators of me." - 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16 ESV
Paul identifies strongly with the other Apostles. He had his disagreements with them but that didn't stop him from identifying with them. He even made collections for the Saints in Jerusalem (see 1 Corinthians 16:1).
Grace elevates and promotes people. It does not wipe them away. Yet, It happens all the time. People wipe others away to put a shine on their new life.
In America we live in a society where people wipe away the older generation to make room for the newer one.
I am so thankful God does not consider me as someone to wipe away like a grimy smear. Really I am.
Who does God remember that I have forgotten? Prayer will reveal the answer. I want to love them like the Apostle Paul loved people. I want to write them, or the modern equivalent of it, like Paul did at great expense to himself.
It is easier to compartmentalize our lives at times so we can go forward... to lighten our load. But who is it that carries our burdens? Is it us or is it God?
The Apostles are people most believers will want to meet when they are Heaven but when they walked the Earth it seems that they had few real friends. Perhaps we can befriend some people who are well known in Heaven but forgotten on the Earth.
Help us God. It can't happen without You. We need You. Fill us with love. Open our eyes. Cause us to move on the narrow pathway loving and serving others because You love and serve us.
--
"Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." - 1 Corinthians 4:13 KJV
Some things are kept but other things are wiped away. This speaks of the stuff that is wiped away.
This is that verse in context using a more modern, but reliable, translation...
"For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children... I urge you, then, be imitators of me." - 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16 ESV
Paul identifies strongly with the other Apostles. He had his disagreements with them but that didn't stop him from identifying with them. He even made collections for the Saints in Jerusalem (see 1 Corinthians 16:1).
Grace elevates and promotes people. It does not wipe them away. Yet, It happens all the time. People wipe others away to put a shine on their new life.
In America we live in a society where people wipe away the older generation to make room for the newer one.
I am so thankful God does not consider me as someone to wipe away like a grimy smear. Really I am.
Who does God remember that I have forgotten? Prayer will reveal the answer. I want to love them like the Apostle Paul loved people. I want to write them, or the modern equivalent of it, like Paul did at great expense to himself.
It is easier to compartmentalize our lives at times so we can go forward... to lighten our load. But who is it that carries our burdens? Is it us or is it God?
The Apostles are people most believers will want to meet when they are Heaven but when they walked the Earth it seems that they had few real friends. Perhaps we can befriend some people who are well known in Heaven but forgotten on the Earth.
Help us God. It can't happen without You. We need You. Fill us with love. Open our eyes. Cause us to move on the narrow pathway loving and serving others because You love and serve us.
--
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