Lee Strobel earned a journalism degree and then a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School. He was an investigative journalist and an award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune. I say was because he is now an award-winning Christian author. His conversion story is pretty fascinating. Lee considered himself an atheist although he really hadn’t given Christianity much thought. Imagine his shock when his wife announced she was a Christian! Lee was not happy and he thought it was the end of their marriage. Partly because the change in his wife was fascinating and partly because he wanted to prove her wrong, Lee began to investigate Christianity. Using his training from Yale and his experience as the legal affairs editor and true to his journalistic roots, he set out across the country interviewing leading scholars and authorities. He asked them tough questions. For almost two years he investigated the evidence of Christ and at the end, he became a believer. Lee Strobel details this journey and these interviews in his book, The Case for Christ. (This post contains an affiliate link.) It was one of the first Christian books I read and it greatly impacted my life. My faith had been fed to me from what I had picked up here and there – from church, from friends, from things I heard other people say. I considered myself a Christian, but I was pretty ignorant when it came to what I really believed and why I believed it. And strangely I was content with that level of spirituality and that level of ignorance. And then I wasn’t content with being ignorant. I don’t know what changed. It just did. Suddenly I had this intense desire to figure out what it was I believed. I had many doubts. I was skeptical of some of what I had heard. What if it wasn’t really true that Jesus had risen from the dead? How do we know He did? Was Jesus really God? Why did Jesus have to die? What if it was all a big lie? How do we know the Bible is reliable? Is Jesus the only way to heaven? And I began a journey. I started going to church regularly (at first often sitting there tearing apart and questioning the minister’s sermon in my mind), I joined Bible study groups, asked people questions (oh my, if I found out someone was going to seminary or had been to seminary, I annoyed them to no end!), read Christian books, and began to read the Bible. I became purposeful to figure it out. It was like a fire was lit under me. I wanted my faith to be genuine and real. On the front end of this spiritual quest I picked up The Case for Christ and read it. What fascinated me about the book was that Lee Strobel asked profound questions and was being intelligent about Christianity. It blew me away to read a book that laid it out there and systematically went through the evidence that Jesus is Christ. It was my first exposure to apologetics which is a fancy word for “defense of the Christian faith.” but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB) This is a book that every Christian should read. This is a book that every atheist should read. It is a classic. I am an affiliate of Christianbook.com and your purchase of The Case for Christ or any other product through this post or any page of www.passiontoknowmore.com helps support this website. Thank you.

Sometimes I think people think that Christians get together in our Sunday School classes or small group Bible studies and talk about hot topics like abortion, homosexuality, transgender people, politics, etc. We don’t. At least not the Sunday School classes or Bible studies I have been in. Those topics have come up on a rare occasion - maybe if it was on the news or something, but we are focusing on other things. So what are we talking about when we meet week in and week out? I’ve done many Bible studies and there is a typical format to the ones I have been in. A Bible study book is chosen for the group. The studies vary. Some are deep into His Word. Some have little reading and homework. Some are more substantive than others. A few have short videos we watch. Everyone reads their lesson for the week, answers the questions in their book, and we meet. (Think book club format only with a Bible study.) I had a small group Bible study at my house week in and week out for years. We started at 7 with everyone saying hi to each other and getting their coffee/ tea/ water and light snack. At 7:10 we started the study. We opened with prayer. Someone leads or facilitates the discussion and we talk about the lesson. Sunday school classes are a little different in that they are more teaching with discussion. The facilitator of a small group doesn’t teach as much as they guide the group through the week’s lesson asking questions which get discussion going. For years I was in a women’s group that was for women struggling with depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. We did studies that helped us heal – topics like forgiveness, worry, trusting God, where is God when bad things happen?,… Then I co-lead a women’s group for years that specifically did studies on the Bible – how we got the Bible and how it is reliable; a series which went through each book of the New Testament; a series on discipleship like walking with Christ, etc. I did a study on prayer, a detailed one on Colossians and Joshua, one on the Fruit of the Spirit,... Recently I was in a study which talked about how God hates our bad attitudes like grumbling, greed, being critical, etc. and we read Scripture and studied how God wants to change those bad attitudes into gratitude, contentment, generosity, love, etc. One week had the following questions: What’s the difference between doubt and disbelief? Why were the Israelites frightened to enter the promised land? Do people who have known the Lord a long time doubt? What are the causes and consequences of doubt? Where do you stand regarding doubt and faith? Those kind of questions will get people talking! An example of a Bible study. And another: There have been some incredible discussions over the years! It is weird that I can remember someone making a point, what chair they were sitting in and the details years later, but I can't remember what I had for dinner last night. These discussions have greatly impacted me! I’ve experienced spiritual growth and witnessed it in others too. We are busy learning about what it means to be a Christ Follower. In my small group we would discuss the lesson from 7:10 to 8:15. Then we would ask for praise reports (where God is doing something incredible in your life) and prayer requests. And then we end our Bible studies just like we began – with prayer. We would pray for health concerns, that our children make good decisions, financial and job concerns, for relationships, for our church, for our country, for our world, and for each other. We pray about anything that needs prayer, but not all those things in one closing prayer! Usually the closing prayer had to do with the lesson and immediate needs of people in the group. But we wrote down everyone’s prayer requests and we committed to encourage them and pray for them. It’s pretty awesome - especially knowing others are praying for you and to see God working in each of our lives. The reason I’m writing about what Christians talk about when we get together is I have been thinking a lot about it since last Sunday. Last Sunday School class lesson was about what you think of when you think of a “hot topic.” It was on the sanctity of life. I wish you could have heard the discussion. The teacher wanted us to focus on the sanctity of all life. The homeless person we see. Someone we just don’t like and can’t stand to be around. The elderly. We talked about how God loves that person and that person’s life matters to God. We need to remember that and to treat them that way. We talked about the impact we could have on other peoples lives by the way we treat them and respond to them. They matter to Him and thus they should matter to us. Yes we talked about abortion briefly. The tragic loss of all of those unborn children was mentioned. Someone mentioned how hurt and guilty those women who have chosen an abortion must feel. We talked about how the vast majority of women who make that decision do it from a place of fear. How those women who have had an abortion need our love and kindness. They matter to God. I told them about a friend of mine who is trained to facilitate a women’s group at another church called Surrendering the Secret. It is a Bible study which helps women to heal from the pain of a past abortion. It helps them exchange that guilt and shame for forgiveness. They thought that ministry was incredible. We also talked about the men who shared responsibility in an abortion decision. Anyways, no one had condemning or judgmental words come from their mouths. It was a loving and caring discussion on the sanctity of life. The point of the lesson was all life is important. And we Christians should act like it is. And since Sunday I keep thinking about how Christ-like those people in my Sunday School class talked about a difficult subject. In general that isn’t how Christians are portrayed in our world today. Yes you are going to run into some Christians who don’t act very Christ-like. The media loves to show those people to the world and it seems like people think that is the norm for Christians. It’s not. It really isn’t. Christians in Bible study groups struggle with the same issues everyone else does – financial and job concerns, health concerns, rebellious children, relationship issues, taking care of the elderly, grief over the death of a loved one, a friend’s betrayal,… We are trying to navigate this life like just like you are. Only we are trying to do it from the perspective of His Word because we believe He is the Only One who can effect real change in our lives and in this world. Christians aren’t sitting around talking about how sinful everyone else is. We are more likely to talk about the sin in our own hearts and words and actions. We are keenly aware we aren’t living up to the world’s expectations of us. God is drawing us deeper. He is transforming us. It's a journey to become more like our Lord. Give us grace when we fail you. We would love to have you join us and experience it for yourself. It is life-changing. #discipleship #spiritualjourney

Sometimes in the Bible it talks about what time of the day it was. All of the inspired authors of the New Testament were Jewish except for Luke who was a Gentile and all of the authors of the Old Testament were Jewish. The Jewish people in biblical times marked time differently than we do. We define a day being 24 hours long starting at midnight, but broken into two 12 hour sections (midnight to noon and noon to midnight.) This is considered Roman time. Jewish time in the New Testament is broken up into 12 hour sections too, but they are divided into daytime and nighttime. The nighttime is from sundown to sunup which would obviously vary daily. But to put equivalent Roman time we will consider it 6pm until 6am. The daytime begins at sunup and ends at sundown which again will vary daily. Equivalent Roman time would be considered 6am until 6pm. Each new 24 hour Jewish day began at sundown (or 6pm.) That is why the Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown. In contrast our Roman days begin at midnight. Jewish Daytime began at 6am; and ends at 6pm for counting hours. The first hour is therefore 7am; the second hour is 8am; the third hour is 9am, the sixth hour is noon or 12pm; and so forth. Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44 – “from the sixth hour” refers to noon and “until the ninth hour” refers to 3pm Matthew 20 – In verse 3 “third hour" refers to 9am/ “Sixth and ninth” hours in verse 5 refers to noon and 3 pm/ “eleventh hour” in verse 6 refers to 5pm Acts 2:15 – “third hour of the day” is 9am Acts 3:1 – “ninth hour” is 3pm Acts 10:3 - “ninth hour” is 3pm Acts 10:9 - “sixth hour” is noon Acts 10:30 - “during the ninth hour” is 3-4 pm Acts 23:23 - “third hour of the night” is 9pm Some versions of the Bible say the Gospel of John used Roman time. (Again, Roman time is how we keep time.) Other versions of the Bible, mostly the newer versions, say the hours mentioned in John are Jewish time. Looking at the context of the verses, I would agree with Jewish time. John 1:39 - “the tenth hour” could refer to the Roman time of 10am or the Jewish time of 4pm. (4pm makes more sense.) John 4:6 - “the sixth hour” is perhaps Roman time of 6am or Jewish time of noon (The heat of the day at noon makes more sense.) John 4:52 - “the seventh hour” is either 7am Roman time or 1pm Jewish time. (Again, Jewish time makes more sense.) The Romans began ruling the Jewish people in Judea in 63 B.C. Apparently the Jewish people still told time with Jewish time for at least the next 100 plus years. The Gospel of John was written around A.D. 80-90 - later than Matthew, Mark and Luke. John being Jewish, the advancement in scholarship of ancient texts and the context of the verses make me think he wrote the Gospel of John using Jewish time. Except then I can't explain John 19:14 where for "the sixth hour," the Roman time of 6 am, makes way more sense then the Jewish time of noon.* We know the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written using the Jewish method of marking time. There seems to be some debate whether the Gospel of John was written using Jewish or Roman time. I certainly don't claim to know which is correct. Jewish Night Watches: The Jewish people in the Old Testament divided the 12 hour night into three military watches instead of hours. Each watch was 4 hours long. The first or “beginning of the night watches” was from sunset (or for practical purposes, 6pm) until 10pm and was mentioned in Lamentations 2:19. The "middle watch" is from 10pm until 2am and was mentioned in Judges 7:19. The "morning watch" was from 2am until 6am and was mentioned in Exodus 14:24 and 1 Samuel 11:11. "Night watches" are also mentioned in Psalm 63:6 and Psalm 119:148. In the New Testament all the authors use the Roman Night Watches for dividing up the night. Roman Night Watches: Rome takes over in the time period between the Testaments and rules the Jewish people. The Romans broke their number of military watches into four 3-hour watches. These were called: First Watch, also called Evening Watch – sundown, 6pm to 9pm Second Watch, also called Midnight Watch – 9pm to midnight Third Watch, also called Cock-crow or Cock-crowing Watch – midnight to 3am Fourth Watch, also called Morning Watch - 3 am to sunrise, 6am Some Roman watches are mentioned in the New Testament: Matthew 14:25 – “fourth watch of the night” refers to 3-6am Mark 13:35 – “evening”, “midnight”, “when the rooster crows”, “morning” Luke 12:38 – “second watch” refers to 9pm to midnight and “third” refers to midnight to 3am When reading the Bible is it critical to know the Jewish and Roman time and the Jewish and Roman watches? Not really, but it helps with context of the passage. For instance in Matthew 14:25 when Jesus comes walking to the disciples on water it was the “fourth watch” or 3:00 am to 6:00 am. Matthew 14:22 tells us Jesus had the disciples get into the boat and go before Him. Verse 23 tells us Jesus went to pray and then evening came. This means the disciples had been in the boat over nine hours and may have been battling the storm a long time before Jesus came to them. That would be enough time to become really terrified! Is that crucial to the text to know that? No, not really - you get the point of the passage without that knowledge. But knowing the context makes your understanding richer. So it's useful to some degree. Update 4/14/22: I wrote an article about Jesus rose on the third day considering it the Jewish way of measuring time. See Jesus Rose on the THIRD Day.

Both of my children asked a ton of questions. They come by it honestly since I am the Queen of Questions. My son would ask question after question. I would answer one and that would lead to another. One day in the car after asking me at least a dozen questions, I shortly told him to "Stop asking questions!" I regret I said that to him, but kids can wear on the very last nerve of their parents. Years later when I had my son professionally tested for some academic issues I found out his critical reasoning skills were off the chart! Asking questions is good. It means you are thinking and reasoning and searching for knowledge. My daughter didn’t ask as many questions as my son (or maybe I had more patience with my first-born), but when she was 4 and 5 years old she would ask me a lot of spiritual questions. Now this was back when I was an Occasional Christian and to be honest I didn’t really know how to answer her. I remember a few of the questions: If God made everything, who made God? Can God fly like Peter Pan? Does God eat food? Where does God live? In retrospect, these were pretty profound questions and I have no idea where they came from since we didn’t take her to church at that time in her life and didn’t talk about God around our house. I came across a book in a church bookstore called If I Could Ask God Anything by Kathryn Slattery (affiliate link). It’s a book of “Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids.” I remember reading it in 2007 in the waiting room after my Dad’s heart attack. I found it fascinating! It answered a lot of my own questions. If I Could Ask God Anything (affiliate link) answers questions like: If God is invisible, how do I know He is real? Who is the Trinity? Does God ever sleep? Did Jesus ever do anything wrong? What did Jesus look like? Did Jesus have brothers and sisters? (Smile. I just wrote a post on this.) How do I know the Bible is true? It has the answers to about 175 questions. I highly recommend this book for your children, grandchildren, and even for you. Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6 (NLT) Keep asking questions and searching for answers. #Christianbook #childrensbook

I’m a job hopper. I didn’t choose to be. It just worked out that way. I have a degree in civil structural engineering and worked in that field full time for about 10 years. Then I became a stay-at-home mom and a super volunteer for many years. When the kids were older I decided to get a part-time job at Best Buy selling music and game systems and then cell phones. I got tired of working weekends and quit that job. Stayed at home a couple more years and then got my real estate license. For almost 5 years I worked for several individuals and teams as their licensed assistant (so I didn’t have to work evenings and weekends). I lost my job when the market took a downturn and then I got a job at a Christian bookstore. It ended up going out of business. Geez. Stayed at home again. Then I was offered my present job as an assistant to a real estate team. [Shout out to my sweet hard-working husband who supported me all of these years!] I didn’t plan on being a job hopper, though I am very thankful for the way it all happened. Between jobs I had lots of time to spend reading and studying God’s Word, to read many Christian books and research and develop class curriculums. Working at a Christian bookstore had a huge impact on my spiritual journey. Oh what I learned! 1. I was just beginning to teach classes on the Bible. Since I sold Bibles I had to know about them – the various versions and features. It was during this time I learned about the changes in the NIV (I’ve blogged about those – gender neutral language, Including the Women/ the word “saints” removed, Will You Be in that Number?/ the not-really-missing verses, You are NOT Missing Verses.) I was exposed to King James Only (KJO) people who are people who believe the King James Version is the only true Word of God and anyone reading from any other version is not reading God’s Word. I did not know those people existed! And there are a lot of them. Their claim led me to research the subject and to more deeply understand the different Bible versions. But it also served another purpose. The best way to describe the KJO people is they had a chip on their shoulder. They would enter the Bible section of the store and start making comments like, "I would never read from that version of the Bible because _____________." I didn't agree with them. Fine if they wanted to read from the KJV, but don't be telling other people their version isn't the Word of God. I had spent a lot of time researching their claims. Read books about the KJV debate. I could refute what they were saying, but it wasn't appropriate since they were customers. It angered me people were perpetuating lies. (Once I had a guy rant about the children's books should all be in the King James Version. Really?) I was not very kind to the KJO customers. Actually I was very abrupt with them. I would try to pawn them off on other employees. Later God really spoke to me about my behavior toward the KJO people and I was convicted my attitude had not served Him well. If I had a do-over I would act differently - kinder and gentler. 2. One of my fellow employees was the wife of a Pentecostal minister. Once when she prayed at a team meeting she broke out in tongues! This was the first time I had ever heard anyone pray in tongues. I’m not going to lie, it freaked me out. Having been raised in a very traditional church; when I first encountered people raising their hands; saying “Amen” when the preacher made a good point; and even clapping in church; it used to make me a bit uncomfortable. So praying in tongues was over the top on my comfort scale. But at the bookstore I experienced very demonstrative Christians! I had lived in my own little conservative Christian bubble. Although I’m still a reserved Christian in my estimation (I’m sure some would disagree), I grew to appreciate Christians who express their faith in ways different than mine. The bar on my comfort scale has moved. 3. The manager told me when I opened to pray over the store – walk the isles and pray over the books and to even anoint the doors with oil if I felt comfortable doing that. I did not feel comfortable with the anointing. (I think I would be now though.) But I did regularly pray over the books and for the store and its employees. We all did. When we worked together we prayed before work. It was a wonderful practice to put God in charge of things. The other employees modeled prayer for me on a whole new level. They would stop and pray with customers in need. I would regularly witness another employee selling a Bible to a customer and taking their hand and praying with them over the Bible. I never really felt comfortable praying out loud, but I’ve grown in this area and that had a lot to do with watching and witnessing them. Seriously, it was just awesome. 4. I learned about reference books and Christian living books! What I soon realized at the bookstore is that most customers gravitated to the Christian fiction and devotional sections. I call it fast food Christianity. (I wrote a blog on this. called Getting a Fast Food Fix) I’m not bashing Christian fiction. There are a lot of sweet fun-to-read books, if you have time. And devotionals have a place as long as they don't replace actual Bible reading. However, there are a lot of fluffy books out there which lack any real substance. I have a limited amount of time to read and I try to make the most of it. I have been very purposeful to feed my mind with worthwhile authors who wrote about worthwhile subjects. I like to read Christian classics and biographies of Christians. I tried to encourage customers to check out the other areas of the store and towards books that would really impact their situation and spiritual growth. There are some incredible reference books that go largely ignored! When the bookstore was going out of business I literally went around the store and bought dozens of books. My reference library at home is incredible! And since I teach, these books are very useful. 5. God really wanted me to witness all kinds of Christians. I encountered seminary students and ministers and missionaries. I met Mennonite women, struggling single moms, KJO people, people grieving, people struggling, two women who tried to explain to me that you could pray away genetic diseases (I found this sketchy), people who were into charismatic books, people who talked about fighting demons, people obsessed with the end times, etc.… So many of the customers were memorable. When you work in a Christian bookstore you encounter people with amazing stories to tell! People would confide their challenges and difficult situations. New Christians who are on fire for the Lord! People shared miracles which had occurred in their lives. Hurting people I could pray with. And even some judgmental sort of whack-o people. All kinds. One couple in their mid 20’s came in when we weren’t busy. They were dressed in all black and had tattoos and piercings all over. We ended up talking quite awhile and they were fascinating. The guy told me a teenager had been kicked out of his house and this guy and his roommates had taken him in. The kid had never been to church or knew anything about Jesus. So every night he and the kid read the Bible. And that was why he had come in the store. He wanted to purchase the kid a pocket Bible like his and he pulled his Bible out of his back pocket. It was held together with duct tape! The guy opened it up and inside it was written all over! It was obviously a well-used Bible. God was sending me a clear message to stop being so judgmental of others. At the bookstore I not only learned a tremendous amount about Bibles and Christian books that came in very useful for my classes, but God did a number on my whole way of thinking. The secular world has a perception (often not positive) of what Christians are, what they believe, and how they should act. But I realized that I also had a lot of negative misconceptions of what a Christian is. The world often mocks us, but we do it to each other too. I was being very judgmental of other Christians - their actions, the way they looked and their beliefs. God challenged me on that. I encountered a few Christian customers with some pretty funky beliefs during my time at the bookstore. Sadly my reaction to them revealed a lot about me. I began to contemplate “What is essential to being a Christian?” Now I try to filter things through that thought process. If I don’t agree with someone about their belief, I ask myself, “Is this an essential?” If it isn’t, I give them grace. It has radically changed my mind, my heart, and my actions to be more loving towards other Christians and other people. The body of Christ should be unified on the essentials. To quibble over things that aren’t essential to the Christian faith dishonors God and harms the gospel message. It was a valuable lesson to learn. The timing of the Christian bookstore job was perfect in my spiritual journey. God had so much He wanted to teach me in preparation of where He was leading me. His timing is always perfect. Can I get an “Amen”? (Smile.)

In his book How We Got Our Bible (1) Bill Donahue says there are four tests that are used to determine the reliability of any statement or document. They are the Character Test, the Corroboration Test, the Conviction Test, and the Consistency Test. Donahue says if a document meets all four tests, then there is strong evidence for the reliability of that document. Let’s look at these tests with regard to the Bible. Character Test: The historical accounts in the Bible contain details of the author’s lives some of which are not very flattering. If I were to write about my life, I most likely wouldn’t include all the times my actions were less than stellar. But the accounts in the Bible give us the good, the bad, and the ugly along with the times when great faith was exhibited. The authors were eyewitnesses to the events which occurred and all indications are they were men of integrity who recounted the events accurately. Corroboration Test: The authors of the Bible travelled extensively and lived in different places, yet the events they wrote about do not contradict. In the New Testament, the apostles were sent out to preach the gospel message. Peter went to Samaria and Caesarea. Paul went on three missionary journeys and proclaimed the gospel from Syria to Rome. Paul founded churches in Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia. James stayed in Jerusalem and led the Jerusalem church. They wrote their accounts years apart in vastly different locations. Yet the details of their accounts are the same. “The Bible is remarkably accurate and unified.” Conviction Test: Did the authors of the Bible believe in what they were writing about? They believed in their message enough to endure severe hardships, torture and even death for those beliefs. This is confirmed in biblical and nonbiblical history. Consistency Test: We know the over 40 authors of the Bible wrote over a period of about 1500 years. They lived on three different continents and were from very different walks of life. Yet each topic in the Bible is consistently dealt with throughout Scripture. "The Bible has a clear and unified body of teaching.” Donahue says, “No one test alone is strong enough. For example, anyone can have convictions and be sincerely wrong or misinformed. And people with good character make mistakes. But when you combine strong personal character, unwavering conviction, corroborated evidence by multiple eyewitnesses (followers of Christ and non-followers alike) and consistent treatment of subject matter, you have a strong case for the reliability of the documents of the Old and New Testaments.” I am blown away by the consistency of the Bible - how as you move through each historic era and God’s redemptive plan for mankind unfolds - it all connects together with a consistent message. He is a loving merciful God who provided a way for us to be with Him. But as I think about the four tests of reliability of a document I am particularly in awe of the conviction of the New Testament writers. Peter denied the Lord several times and deserted Him. What would have given this coward the courage to boldly proclaim the Gospel in Jerusalem? The disciples went into hiding when Jesus was arrested and crucified. They were afraid and in grief at the death of their Lord, but suddenly they went out into the world risking their lives. James, the brother of Jesus, didn’t believe his brother was the Son of God. But after Jesus' resurrection James was boldly preaching the Gospel. James became the leader of the Jerusalem church. What caused this skeptic to suddenly change? 1 Corinthians 15:7 tells us James saw the resurrected Christ. We know the writers and followers of Christ went to their deaths proclaiming Christ and what He had done. Part of page 449, The Complete Guide to the Bible by Stephen M. Miller (affiliate link) What do we know about their deaths? The Bible tells us that the disciple Judas Iscariot felt remorse at betraying Jesus and went out and hung himself. The death of James the son of Zebedee is recorded in Acts 12:2. We know of the other apostle’s deaths from early church tradition. There are contradictions in some of the accounts. I compiled a list of how the apostles died by starting with the list from The Complete Guide to the Bible by Stephen M. Miller (2) and looking at several other resources. Where sources were in conflict, I put “Not sure.” Simon Peter. “Crucified at Rome with his head downward,” wrote Origen. Andrew. Crucified on an X-shaped cross. James, son of Zebedee. Beheaded with a sword by King Herod Agrippa. The first apostle to die as a martyr. Mentioned in the Bible in Acts 12:2. John. Died a natural death in about AD 100 at what is now Ephesus, Turkey. Still suffered greatly by being exiled on the prison island of Patmos. Philip. Crucified in Turkey. Bartholomew. Not sure. One tradition has he was skinned alive and beheaded after preaching in India. The Martyrdom of Bartholomew says he was stuffed in a sack and dumped in the sea. I saw in two sources he was flayed with a whip. Thomas. Speared to death in what is now India after starting several churches there. Matthew. Not sure. Martyred with an ax or a sword in Ethiopia. Another tradition says he was burned to death. He may have died of natural causes. James, son of Alphaeus. Not sure. May have been crucified. Thaddaeus. Not sure. Crucified or hacked to death with Simon, the Zealot in Iran. Simon the Zealot. Not sure. Crucified with Thaddaeus in Iran. Another story says he was cut in two with a saw. Matthias. Stoned and beheaded. The apostle Paul was reportedly beheaded around A.D. 67 on the orders of Emperor Nero. Paul was a Roman citizen and would have been exempt from a death by lingering torture (such as crucifixion or stoning.) Paul's conversion from a Pharisee who persecuted Christians to a believer who suffered imprisonments, lashes, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked,... for his faith in Jesus as the Christ is especially astonishing (read 2 Corinthians 11:21-27.) According to Halley’s Bible Handbook (3), the martyrdom of the apostle James, the Lords’ brother, leader of the Jerusalem Church, was recorded by Josephus (a Jewish historian); and Hegesippus (a Christian historian of the second century), and the narrative was accepted by Eusebius. (Another source says Clement of Alexandria also recorded James death.) In A.D. 62 many Jews in Jerusalem were embracing Christianity and the High-Priest, Ananus, and the Scribes and the Pharisees commanded James, “the brother of Jesus who was called Christ,” to state from one of the galleries of the temple that Jesus was not the Messiah. But James cried out instead that Jesus was the Son of God and Judge of the world. They hurled him to the ground. He survived the fall and while he was on his knees praying for God to forgive them, they stoned him. It is not so important the exact method each apostle died, as it is that they were willing to suffer horrendous brutal deaths for what they believed. Many people have died for a lie, but they did so believing it was the truth. If the Resurrection had not happened, obviously the disciples would have known it. Who would die for a lie, knowing it was a lie? You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. - C.S. Lewis, English author and Christian apologist Overnight Jesus’ followers went from hiding from the Roman and Jewish authorities to becoming courageous evangelists! The only logical conclusion is they were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had seen Jesus alive from the dead. They were convinced Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. These men did not die for a lie. They died for the truth. (*This post has affiliate links. Thank you for your support.) Books mentioned in this post: Bill Donahue, How We Got Our Bible, (Willow Creek Association, 2000), 25-26 Stephen M. Miller, The Complete Guide to the Bible, (Barbour Publishing, 2007), 368-369 Henry H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook, (Halley’s Bible Handbook, Inc., 1965), 657 #apostles #disciples

Jesus chose twelve ordinary Jewish men to be His disciples. None of these men were scholars or among the elite in society. They witnessed many physical healings and miracles – the feeding of the 5000, giving the blind sight and causing the lame to walk, Jesus walking on water, the raising of Lazarus, etc. They saw how Jesus interacted with the low-life of society and the leaders of their religion. Jesus taught them, ate with them, traveled with them and they were eye-witnesses to everything that occurred. These twelve disciples were personally chosen by the Lord for a mission. (For more information on the disciples see my post Twelve Ordinary Extraordinary Men.) Why 12? It has been suggested just as God chose the 12 tribes of Israel to bless all nations (through the Messiah), Jesus chose twelve disciples to send out to bless all nations. Jesus taught these men as they followed Him around for over three years. Being a disciple just means they were a pupil or a student. We most often refer to disciples as followers. There were more disciples of Jesus when He walked the earth than just these twelve. But these twelve men were in Jesus’ inner circle. They were specifically chosen by Him for a reason. Everyone who is a student or follower of Jesus is a disciple. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31b,32 (NIV) These 12 men were Jesus’ disciples and doing life with Jesus and then the most astonishing historical event happened. They witnessed Jesus being arrested. They fled into hiding (except for Judas Iscariot who had betrayed Jesus and later went out and hung himself.) Jesus was put on trial, scourged, crucified, died and was buried. And these eleven disciples of Jesus hid. I think they had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. But then for these events to occur, they must have had doubts. How could this happen to their Lord? Were they going to be arrested? Who was Jesus? And so in fear and grief they hid wondering what to do next. Three days go by and Jesus rises from the dead! He comes to them. They see Him in flesh and bones. They see Him eat. They touch His scars on His hands and His feet and His side. I love Thomas’ reaction – Thomas had not been with the other disciples when the disciples first saw Jesus alive and he said, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25b) And then Jesus came and told Thomas to touch the scars and Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28b). The risen Christ walked on earth for 40 days (Acts 1:3) and appeared to over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:6.) He demonstrated to His followers that He was truly alive with "many convincing proofs" (Acts 1:3) - that He was the Christ. The last thing our Lord did before He ascended into heaven was to tell them to proclaim the repentance for forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations. They were to go into all of the world and preach the kingdom of God to all creation. Jesus used the verb apostello which means “to send.” Apostle is a title given to the disciples to indicate their authority. After His resurrection Jesus sent out His apostles to represent Him and teach in His name. In the rest of the New Testament books there is a clear distinction between people mentioned and the apostles. The New Testament restricts the noun apostolos to the special apostles of Christ – His twelve disciples (Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot, see Acts 1:26); along with Paul (Acts 14:14 and Galatians 1:1); James (Galatians 1:19), the Lord’s brother; and Barnabas (Acts 14:14). Apostles were: Personally commissioned by Jesus Had been with Jesus Were given a special inspiration of the Holy Spirit You and I are disciples. The apostles were men who had special authority from Christ. But the great commission to spread the gospel to all nations applies to us all. Why is it important to distinguish between an apostle and a disciple? The reason for the distinction is because one of the criteria for establishing the New Testament Canon of Scripture was the books had to have apostolic origin. To be included in the Canon and therefore to be authoritative for our lives, the books had to be written by an apostle or someone very close to an apostle. Apostolic origin speaks of the authority these men had to represent Christ. It speaks of the authority of their teaching for us today. The Canon of Scripture is our rule of faith. The only non-apostles to write in the New Testament were: Mark- accompanied Peter and recorded his preaching Luke- had investigated everything carefully (Luke 1:3) and traveled extensively with Paul and recorded Paul’s ministry Jude- Jesus’ brother and early follower of Christ Hebrews – unknown author – but met the criteria because although they think one of three men wrote it; all three of those men were either an apostle or very close to an apostle and it met the other criteria for being included in the Canon. So did these apostles and disciples do what Jesus commissioned them to do? Yes! They went from being scared men and women in hiding to courageously proclaiming the gospel. The gospel message spread like wildfire despite hardships and persecution. Today approximately one third of the world’s population considers themselves Christians. How do people know we are a disciple of Jesus? "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34,35 They will know if we love each other.

Happy New Year’s! How about making a resolution this year that is worthwhile? Resolve to be purposeful in the coming year about reading the Bible. What God’s Word will do for us: It answers our doubts of our salvation. It guides us. It encourages us. It helps us grow spiritually. It convicts us. It helps us fight evil. It helps us to encourage others. It helps us teach God’s truth to our children. It prepares us to speak the truth to unbelievers. It helps us discern the teaching of others. It brings us peace and joy. It brings us closer to God. There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. 2 Timothy 3:15b-17 The Message Print off a Bible Reading Chart - not neccesarily to strictly follow, but to keep track of what you are reading. Make a worthwhile resolution this year and be purposeful in keeping it. #readtheBible

In my posts called The Books of the New Testament and Twelve Ordinary Extraordinary Men, I omitted something on purpose so as to not make any of my Catholic readers uncomfortable. As I was preparing to write on the difference between an apostle and a disciple and The Jerusalem Council; I realized I was going to have to omit this information again. I decided I should just address it. Let’s just get it out there so I don’t have to dance around it anymore. Jesus had brothers and sisters. Well, technically they are half-brothers and half-sisters. Jesus had a different Father. Protestants believe that James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote the book of James; and that Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote Jude. Both James and Jude were unbelievers until after Jesus was crucified. What made them suddenly turn into believers? The only explanation is they saw the risen Christ. James went on to become the leader of the Jerusalem church and led the Jerusalem Council. This is one of those things that doesn’t seem like a big deal. But the very first time I taught this information I had a rather large class with some students from a Catholic background. When I said the book of James was written by Jesus’ brother, one lady said very emphatically that Jesus did not have any brothers or sisters! I was confused by her strong reaction. She asked a few more questions about Jesus having brothers and sisters and we went to the Bible Scripture verses. Later I asked a Catholic friend about the student’s reaction to finding out Jesus had brothers and sisters and she also seemed caught off-guard. I found out Catholics are taught Mary stayed a virgin her whole life thus making it impossible for Jesus to have half-brothers and half-sisters. This is called the “perpetual virginity of Mary.” I have a lot of Catholic friends and even some relatives and I did not know Catholics believe this. In the account of Jesus' birth, Luke 2:7 tells us And she gave birth to her firstborn son. This statement indicates there were more children afterwards. Let’s look at the Scripture which says Jesus has brothers and sisters. Matthew 13:55-56 - His mother is Mary and His brothers are James and Joseph and Simon and Judas and He has sisters (not mentioned by name or how many.) Matthew 12:46-47 just says His mother and brothers. Mark 3:31-32 – His mother and His brothers; Your mother and Your brothers Mark 6:3 – the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses (a Greek variant of Joseph) and Judas and Simon; His sisters Luke 8:19-21 – His mother and brothers John 7:3, 5 – His brothers Acts 1:13-14 – verse 13 mentions the disciples and then the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. 1 Corinthians 9:5 – the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas (Peter) Galatians 1:19 – James, the Lord’s brother Let’s think this through and look at different scenarios. The Protestant viewpoint: These brothers and sisters referred to in Scripture are the half-brothers and half-sisters of Jesus. They are the other children born to Joseph and Mary after the birth of Jesus. [This viewpoint is offensive to Catholics who revere the Virgin Mary in a way Protestants do not quite understand.] The Catholic viewpoint has two possibilities: 1. These brothers and sisters of Jesus referred to in the Bible are step-brothers and step-sisters (unrelated by blood). This means that when Joseph was engaged to Mary he already had a family of at least four sons and at least two daughters with his first wife. The whole reason Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth was because Caesar Augustus had ordered that a census be taken and they had to return there for that census. (Luke 2:1-5) If Joseph already had children from an earlier marriage, they would have had to be there too. Why is their existence not mentioned? In Matthew chapter 2 Herod the king hears about the baby born who is King of the Jews. Herod orders the slaughter of all the male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity, from two years old and under. But an angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream and they fled to Egypt with Jesus. They stayed in Egypt until Herod the king died. If Joseph had other children from a previous marriage, again, where are they? And what happened to that first wife? Why wouldn’t it have said that Joseph is widowed? But in all fairness, the Bible doesn’t tell us everything we wonder about and it doesn’t give us all of the details. God only tells us what we need to know. So perhaps there were other children hanging around in the manger when Jesus was born. That concept sort of blows my mind! Mary was probably around 13 -15 years old when she had Jesus. And believing she went the rest of her life as a virgin seems unbelievable to me. First of all, how would anyone else know that? What is wrong with her having sex with her husband? God designed sex between a man and a wife. There is nothing sinful or dirty or shameful about it. In ancient Jewish culture having many children was considered a great blessing – a gift from God. So why wouldn’t they have had sexual intercourse and had more children? 2. These people referred to in the Bible are not really half-brothers or half-sisters or step-brothers or step-sisters, but some other relative such as a cousin. I read in a Catholic article that in that culture all brothers, half-brothers, male cousins, and other male relatives were all called brothers. I haven’t ever seen that in any of my reference books, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I am well aware of their culture of extended family and taking care of relatives. And in the epistles, the writers often refer to other believers as “brothers and sisters.” But that doesn’t occur in the gospels. In the gospels it seems a very clear distinction between His disciples, other disciples, and His brothers and sisters. The terminology of referring to believers as brothers and sisters does not occur until after the risen Christ. The Greek word adelphoi (“brothers”) and adelphai (“sisters”) in the original language manuscripts was specifically used in these Scripture verses referring to Jesus’ brothers and sisters and seems to indicate they were either half-brothers/ sisters or step-brothers/ sisters. My ESV text note for Matthew 13:55-56 says there is no historical information to support the view that these were some other relative like a cousin. So why do Protestants think the Lord’s brothers, James and Jude, wrote the New Testament books of James and Jude rather than someone else? I looked at 3 Bible commentaries, 3 study Bibles, 1 regular Bible, and 3 books of the Bible reference books – a total of 10 sources. The book of James was written by the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ: All of these sources say James, the half-brother of Jesus, either was the author of the book of James (8 sources) or “most likely” or “probably” the author (2 sources). There are four men named James in the New Testament. James the apostle, son of Zebedee and brother of John, was martyred in A.D. 44, which is probably before the book of James was written. See Acts 12:1-2. James the son of Alphaeus (also known as James the Less) is almost unknown except that he is listed as a disciple. Catholics believe the apostle, James the Less, wrote the book of James. James the father of Judas in Luke 6:16 was even more obscure than James the son of Alphaeus and can be ruled out as the author. James, the half brother of our Lord is well-known. This James presided at the Council at Jerusalem in A.D. 50. See Acts 15. He is talked about in Josephus’ history (a first century Jewish historian.) He is most likely of the four to be the author of the book of James. Some of the sources say James was known as "James the Just" in Josephus’ history. My ESV Bible (often used by seminary students) says: “The historicity of James the Just is well confirmed in historical literature (e.g., Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20. 200-201; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23).” The book of Jude was written by the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ: Jude was a very popular Jewish name. There are seven Judes or Judases in the New Testament. Five of them can be eliminated as the author because we know Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus didn’t write it and the other four are obscure mentions of Jude. That leaves the apostle Thaddaeus who was also known as Jude (the common Catholic belief); or Jude, the half-brother of Jesus. Because the way this letter is addressed in Jude 1:1 – Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus, and brother of James,… and because verses 17 and 18 seem to differentiate the author from the apostles; most scholars believe it was Jude, the half-brother of Jesus. 1 of my 10 sources didn’t say who wrote Jude. 3 sources say Jude, the half-brother of Jesus wrote it. 6 sources say Jude, the half-brother of Jesus most likely wrote it. What I found particularly interesting was in one of my commentaries it says Eusebius documents that Domitian, in his persecution of Christians in A.D. 96 ordered the arrest of "the grandsons of Jude, the brother of Jesus." And "said to have been the brother of the Lord according to the flesh." My thought process turned to does it really matter if Jesus had brothers and sisters and does it matter who wrote the books of James and Jude? To me although I believe the half-brothers of Jesus wrote the books of James and Jude and that is why I teach that; in the scheme of things it doesn’t matter if they were half-brothers, step-brothers or some other relative. Here is what does matter. The 27 book New Testament Canon is based on each book must have apostolic origin. That means each book must have been written by an apostle or someone very close to an apostle who wrote the teaching of an apostle. Apostles had special anointing and authority given to them by the resurrected Christ. Irregardless if: James the Less (the apostle James, the son of Alpheus) or James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote James Jude (the apostle also called Thaddeus) or Jude, the half-brother of Jesus wrote Jude the books still have apostolic origin. And why does apostolic origin matter? If as Christians we believe the Bible is the Word of God, then the Bible becomes authoritative for our lives. The authorship of these books speaks to the very authority of the canon of Scripture. Apostolic origin means we can trust the teaching to be that of our Savior's. But certainly your eternal destination or whether you can call yourself a Christian doesn’t hinge on whether James or Jude were the Lord’s brothers. If you don’t believe that, fine. Let’s agree to disagree and be respectful of each other’s positions. And as always I think it is a good thing to know where another believer is coming from. [I was looking something up and came across this in the preface of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (1): "Some people draw unwarranted conclusions from the fact that I never say more about the Blessed Virgin Mary than is involved in asserting the Virgin Birth of Christ. But surely my reason for not doing so is obvious? To say more would take me at once into highly controversial regions. And there is no controversy between Christians which needs to be so delicately touched as this. The Roman Catholic beliefs on that subject are held not only with the ordinary fervour that attaches to all sincere religious belief, but (very naturally) with the peculiar and, as it were, chivalrous sensibilty that a man feels when the honour of his mother or his beloved is at stake. It is very difficult so to dissent from them that you will not appear to them a cad as well as a heretic. And contrariwise, the opposed Protestant beliefs on this subject call forth feelings which go down to the very roots of all Monotheism whatever. ..." As a Protestant, a Catholic's belief in Mary's perpetual virginity is foreign to me. We have two different viewpoints. And that is alright, at least as far as I am concerned. I will try in the future to handle this subject with more compassion and diplomacy.] (1). C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (HarperCollins Publisher, 1980), IX,X. (affiliate link)

This post is somewhat different than my other posts. For a month and a half I have been pondering something a friend mentioned to me. My friend told me she went to lunch with a Christian woman. This Christian woman was talking about how she had felt sick; her friend suggested probiotics; how she felt so much better since taking them; and then she added, “It is a God thing.” This made my friend uncomfortable - that this Christian woman thinks God is involved with how her bowels operate. Ha ha. Sounds so funny. I started thinking how often I say that very thing – “It’s a God thing.” (Or a variance of “What a blessing!”) It just rolls off my tongue and is very natural for me to say. I see God’s hand in my life. I experience it all the time. I ask God to be part of my life. I carry little conversations on with God. I try to listen to Him and obey Him. I love Him. I talk to God throughout my day and I have a relationship with Him. But it wasn’t always like that. I remember early on when I first joined a small group (a Bible study group), a woman saying she doesn’t believe in coincidences. She thinks God’s hand is in everything. I even remember who said this because this was so contrary to my thinking at the time! I didn’t think of God being involved in every aspect of my life. I believed in coincidences. Years later during another study the same thing came up with regards to God’s sovereignty. We had a genuine conversation (which is one of the things I love about the groups I have been in) about if God was involved in all parts of our life - even the little things and even when the bad things happen and how He is involved. Since my conversation with my friend, I have been pondering my journey and the many times I have experienced God. I can think of so many examples of asking God to help if it is His will and me experiencing that help. Even in the little things. Here are just a couple of those little things: At work I had thousands of pictures on my computer and one day they all duplicated. I asked other people for help. No one knew why. I deleted all the extra copies which was very time-consuming. The next day the same thing happened. The third day driving to work I had a conversation with God which went something like this: “God, I know this is a First World Problem. No biggie in the scheme of things. But these pictures duplicating is driving me crazy. Please help me to figure out how to make it stop if it is Your will.” The computer never again duplicated pictures. Smile. I recently was searching for my ancestor’s 1806 log cabin several states away. I prayed about finding it. I debated whether to try to see the cabin on a Friday and visit a relative on Saturday or vice versa. I decided to try to locate the cabin on Friday. Not only did I find someone who could show me where the cabin was (in the middle of nowhere up several dirt roads), the woman who owned the cabin was visiting for the weekend and asked if I wanted to see the inside. I immediately thanked God. It was a beautiful sunny fall day and I got some wonderful pictures. The next day was rainy and cold and ugly. I knew it was a God thing. I know there are a lot of people who think these types of occurrences are coincidences. But I know they are God. The longer you are in a relationship with God you just recognize Him. When you experience over and over God providing for you, you just come to know Him. The perfect person walks into your life just as you need them. Someone says the right thing at the right moment to encourage you. You witness human kindness at the moment you are greatly lacking it. Once I was outside and I was upset about something and praying about it and suddenly a hummingbird flew around my head and then hovered in the air. It made me smile and I immediately thanked God. He knows how much I love hummingbirds. Don’t get me wrong. God is not some genie we can ask things and get our wish. Things don’t always work out the way I would like them to work out. But I have come to trust the Lord. He knows what is best for me. And for you. A perfect example is a woman in my old small group had been out of work for quite awhile. She was starting to run out of money and beginning to really worry. We prayed and prayed for her. She had some interviews, but nothing panned out. Then she had an interview for a really good job that she wanted and we prayed for her to get it if it was His will. She didn’t get it and was clearly disappointed. We kept on praying and trusting that God would provide for her. Shortly afterwards she got the most incredible perfect job. A German company hired her (she spoke fluent German) – good pay, full time, benefits - and they sent her to Germany for training. Her brother lived in Germany and she hadn’t seen him in many years! Had she been offered and accepted the job she wanted, she would not have even applied for this job. And what a blessing to be able to see her brother and his family! It certainly was a God thing. I have so many experiences of God’s plan being different than what I was asking and His plan being the better one! Always! Someone keeps telling me that “things always work out for the best.” That isn’t really what the Bible says. Romans 8:28 says And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,… Get that? To those who love God. And what is the “good” God will cause to happen? Verse 29 tells us it is to become conformed to the image of His Son. In other words, the "good" is for us to become more like Jesus. So what we think is good and what He knows is good for us may not be the same thing. Christians still have really bad things happen to them – cancer, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a spouse who leaves them, etc.… but we have the assurance that God is in control and will be with us through it. It is that peace that surpasses all understanding. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (NASB) That peace is a real thing. I experience it now in a way I didn’t years ago. I sort of trusted God before. I do trust God now. (The majority of the time anyways. I still sometimes try to fix things on my own. He's still working on me.) I think that trust comes from just walking with Him day in and day out. I believe He can do anything He wants with my life and I want Him to be my Lord. I believe most Christians want a Savior. They aren’t too sure about the Lord thing. When I surrendered my life to God the first time, I wanted a Savior. When I surrendered my life 15 years ago to Him, I wanted Him to be my Savior and my Lord. I asked Him to take over. He has. And wow! It is way better than when I was trying to run the show. So back to my friend and her friend who said that taking probiotics was a “God thing.” That makes me smile again typing that. When Christians say “It’s a God thing,” they truly believe it. God cares about every aspect of our lives. Yes, even our digestive systems. We really don't have any idea the wonderful things God is doing behind the scenes in our lives. We only notice a few. It reminds me of what John Piper said that is so very true: And one day when my sweet friend tells me a story and says, “It is a God thing”; I will dance with joy and celebrate with her! Let me leave you with this beautiful poem, Life is But a Weaving: He is working in your life. You aren't even aware of most of it. Trust Him. He knows what He is doing. [Please note that while this meme attributes this poem to Corrie ten Boom she says at the beginning of her book, Tramp for the Lord, (affiliate link), that this poem she shares has an anonymous author. This poem is not hers. Tramp for the Lord is an excellent book - well worth reading. It is about Corrie ten Boom's travels around the world in the years after she was released from the concentration camp. Very powerful.] #encouragement

Jesus called twelve men from His early followers to become His closest disciples. All of these men were Jewish. All of them were from the Galilee region except for Judas Iscariot, who was from Judea. None of them were scholars or rabbis. Some of them were married; we know Peter was (Mark 1:29-31) and some of the others (1 Corinthians 9:5). They were ordinary men who were chosen to do life with Jesus. They were with Him every day of His ministry here on earth. They witnessed the life and miracles of Jesus. He taught them. They witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection; and were personally commissioned by the Lord to go out and tell the world of God’s redeeming love. There are 4 places in the Bible which name the 12 disciples and they are Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:13-16, and Acts 1:13. Who were the twelve disciples? 1. Simon Peter: Most often referred to as Peter. His Hebrew name was Simon and Jesus named him Cephas (John 1:42) which in Greek is translated Peter and means “rock” or “stone”. Peter is the brother of Andrew (Matthew 4:18). He was a fisherman (Luke 5:1-11). Peter is well known for denying Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. Married Peter was impulsive, cowardly, hot-tempered, tenderhearted, insightful, and yet dense. He was very human and is easy for us to relate to. At his first sermon on the day of Pentecost about three thousand souls were saved! Now that is a good day. A prominent leader in the early church and is a major person in Acts 1-12 Spread the Gospel to Samaria and Caesarea Wrote 1 Peter and 2 Peter 2. Andrew: Brother of Simon Peter Was a disciple of John the Baptist before he became a disciple of Jesus (John 1:40) His occupation was a fisherman (Matthew 4:18) 3. James: Known also as “James the Elder” and “James the Great” The son of Zebedee Brother of John (Matthew 4:21) He was a fisherman (Luke 5:1-11) James was put to death by the sword for his faith and it is recorded in Acts 12:2 4. John: Son of Zebedee Brother of James (Matthew 4:21) He was a fisherman (Mark 1:19) Known as the disciple ‘whom Jesus loved’ Wrote 5 books of the Bible - the Gospel of John, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Revelation The only disciple who was not martyred for his faith although John was exiled to the island of Patmos and suffered greatly for his faith. 5. Philip: This is not the same evangelist Philip found in Acts Brought Bartholomew and Greeks to the Lord 6. Bartholomew: Also known as Nathanael 7. Thomas: Also known as Didymus Best known for doubting the resurrection of Jesus until he could see and touch the wounds of the living Jesus (John 20:24-29) We often refer to him as Doubting Thomas. 8. Matthew: Also known as Levi Matthew was a tax collector (Matthew 9:9). Don’t let the meaning of this escape you. He collected oppressive taxes for the Roman government. The occupying Romans and all who collaborated with them were hated. Matthew would have collected taxes from the citizens but also from the merchants passing through town. Tax collectors were supposed to take a commission from the taxes they collected. Tax collectors were known for overcharging and pocketing the remainder and they were wealthy because of their dishonest practices. Matthew would have been hated intensely by his fellow Jews. Tax collectors were sell-outs and looked down on by society. And what did Matthew do when Jesus called him to be His disciple? He left his lucrative career. He immediately dropped everything and followed Him! Wrote the Gospel of Matthew 9. James: He was also known as “James the Less” or “James the Younger”. 10. Thaddaeus: Also known as Jude and Judas the son of James He was referred to as Judas in John 14:22. 11. Simon the Zealot: He was a Zealot when Jesus called him. Rome took over the appointment of the High Priest. As a result, the High Priests, who represented the Jews before God on their most sacred occasions, collaborated with Rome. The Zealots were a Jewish group who sought violent armed rebellion against Rome. These Zealots led the Great Revolt in 66-70 A.D. which led to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. This is the only time a Zealot is mentioned in the New Testament, but they are mentioned a lot in historical writings of this time period. 12. Judas Iscariot: He is known for betraying Jesus (Matthew 26:20-25). Judas Iscariot was replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:23-26) In every list of the disciples Peter is named first. Peter seems to most often be the spokesman for the group. Peter, and the brothers, James and John, were closest to Jesus. They were in His inner circle of disciples. All three of these men were with Jesus at the Transfiguration and the Garden of Gethsemane. James and John were known as “Sons of Thunder” probably descriptive of their dispositions. The only three disciples to write books of the Bible were Peter, John, and Matthew. These twelve ordinary men had front row seats to the greatest time period and event in history. These twelve men were the first witnesses to the Gospel. Their instruction from Jesus and the conversations with Him became the teachings and instructions for the universal church. These men had their strengths and weaknesses. Jesus knew these men were going to disappoint Him, desert Him, deny Him, and betray Him. But Jesus also knew that once they were filled with the Holy Spirit, these men would become extraordinary and carry the message of God’s redemption to all mankind. In the Old Testament we see God forming the twelve tribes of Israel to be a blessing to all nations. In a similar way, God chose twelve men (along with all of the disciples of Jesus) to bless all nations. See Galatians 3:7-9. Followers of Christ are His disciples and are commanded to carry the Gospel message to every corner of the earth. This is our Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB) And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God can take ordinary people like us, make us extraordinary, and use us to do His will. All we must do is follow Jesus. There is nothing greater. No higher calling. No greater purpose. It is how to live a significant life. #disciples

I saw this picture on Facebook. It is the marquee at a First Baptist Church saying the sermon would be on Hanukkah Feast of Dedication John 10:22-31. I am guessing the person who originally posted the picture was noting the irony of a pastor at a Baptist church doing a sermon with Hanukkah mentioned. Perhaps the pastor should have come up with a different title to his sermon. Or perhaps not, because this title may have drawn people to come to church out of curiosity. Hanukkah is mentioned in the Bible! I did not know this. I did know about the history that led to Hanukkah because I teach on the Intertestamental history - the 400 years between the Old Testament and New Testament. During this time period God made the nations ready for Christ. Greece united the civilizations of western Asia, southern Europe and northern Africa, and established one universal language – Greek. Rome made one empire of the whole world, and Roman roads made all parts of it accessible and travel fairly safe. The Dispersion of the Jews among the nations paved the way for the propagation of the Gospel of Christ in their synagogues. Galatians 4:4 tells us, But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,. Understanding what happened in the Intertestamental Period greatly enhances your reading of the New Testament. This is the time period when synagogues became necessary… when some of the Jews broke into sects such as the Pharisees and Sadducees… when the Romans occupied Judea… when the hearts of the people were prepared for their Savior. And when Hanukkah occurred. During the Syrian Era (198 – 165 BC) the Syrian Seleucid Empire took control of Judea. They wanted to spread Hellenism throughout their empire. (Hellenism is the process of adopting Greek culture and religion.) The Seleucid kings were cruel, but when Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163BC) took over, he brought cruelty to a whole new level. He forbid the Jews to practice their traditional way of life, including their religion. The Jews were persecuted. He hellenized Jerusalem, outlawed Judaism, enforced paganism and pagan sacrifices, plundered Jerusalem, turned the Jerusalem temple into a pagan shrine and he offered a sacrifice to the god Zeus on an altar in the Most Holy Place! Many Jews died because capital offenses included: Jewish sacrifice, circumcision, observing the Sabbath or Jewish festivals, and possessing scrolls of Scripture. Jews were forced to eat pork and to sacrifice to idols! One day an elderly priest named Mattathias of the Hasmonean family refused to offer a pagan sacrifice. Another Jew was going to comply and Mattathias killed him and then killed one of the Seleucid soldiers. The Maccabean revolt began! Mattathias, his five sons and others fled into the hills and started fighting the Seleucids. Mattathias dies and leadership fell to one of his sons, Judas (called “Maccabeus”.) The revolt lasted for 3 years. The Jewish people won! Thus began The Maccabean Era (165 – 63 BC). The Maccabees retook Jerusalem, cleansed the temple, and restored worship. This event was commemorated with the Feast of Dedication/ Hanukkah/ Feast of Lights. The Jewish people had 70 years of independence before they invited the Roman General Pompey in to restore order. From 63 B.C. on the Jewish people lived under foreign rulers. (Well, until they became the country of Israel in 1948.) The history of the revolt is found in First Maccabees 1 and 4 and Second Maccabees 6 and 10. These books are in the Apocrypha which are the books written during the Intertestamental period and are not part of the canon of Scripture. This history is also recorded in other ancient writings. Back to the picture of the marquee and the sermon on John 10:22-31. John 10:22-23 (NASB) At the time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. This is the only place in the Bible that Hanukkah is mentioned. Hanukkah is a Hebrew word for “dedication.” Bibles call it the Feast of the Dedication (KJV and NASB); the Feast of Dedication (ESV); the Festival of Dedication (HCSB and NIV); and Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication (NLT); Hanukkah (The Message). According to Dr. Gary M. Burge in his book, Jesus and the Jewish Festivals, (affiliate link) Hanukkah was considered a minor festival of Judaism. It was not one of the festivals that required a pilgrimage to the temple. It was never a biblical festival – having come about in the Intertestamental period. It was celebrated in Jesus’ day and since Jesus is Jewish, He would have celebrated this festival. Dr. Burge says “the gospel records are not exhaustive, and so we should not conclude He failed to celebrate others as well.”(1) Prior to John chapter 10 we see that Jesus had many debates and run-ins with the Jewish leadership of Jerusalem in chapters 7, 8, and 9. The portico of Solomon is also referred to as Solomon’s Porch. There was a massive porch around the temple which provided shelter from the weather. Solomon’s Porch was a porch on the eastern side of the temple and overlooked the Kidron Valley. In John 22-31 Jesus is standing around on Solomons’ Porch at the temple for the Feast of the Dedication (perhaps mentioned to give us a time frame) talking to the Jews. The Jews ask Jesus if He is the Christ. ("Christ" is the Greek word for "Messiah.") They don’t just ask, they say “tell us plainly.” Jesus replies about sheep and the sheep hear His voice and follow Him. Especially interesting is what Jesus says in verses 28-30. Jesus gives His sheep eternal life and they will not perish. And He says, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus is saying He is God! The Jews knew exactly what Jesus was saying. What was their response? To pick up stones to stone Him for blasphemy. Jesus says He is God. The choice comes in believing it. I bet it was an interesting sermon! (1) Gray M. Burge, Jesus and the Jewish Festivals, (Zondervan, 2012), 88-90. (affiliate link)