Levi, who became Matthew, was a customs official in Capernaum who taxed imports and exports based on his own judgment. The Jews hated him because he worked for Rome and betrayed his countrymen.
But when Matthew the dishonest tax collector heard two words from Jesus, “Follow me,” he left everything and obeyed.
Matthew 9:9
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom:and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, had the nick name doubting Thomas, but was he more of a skeptic than a doubter? Thomas did not ask for a special revelation from Jesus. He simply asked for the same proof the other disciples had. Thomas was the kind of man who wanted to know for himself. He was his own man. He would not let others do his thinking for him.
How did Jesus respond to Thomas? He made a special resurrection appearance for him. Jesus understood Thomas’s desire to know for himself. Jesus came to Thomas on his level. He didn’t rebuke him. He didn’t humiliate him. He could see that deep down in Thomas’s heart, that Thomas really wanted to know God.
John 20:27-29
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
The interesting thing about Philip, one of the Twelve, is that he was personally reached by Jesus himself. While Philip brought Nathanael to Jesus, and Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, no one brought Philip to Jesus. Instead, Jesus came right to him. Normally God reaches people through people, but this was an exception to the rule.
We don’t know a lot about Philip. All the vignettes of Philip appear in the Gospel of John. But from that Gospel, we discover that he was a completely different kind of person than Peter, Andrew, James, or John. He is often paired with Nathanael, whom he brought to Jesus.
It also would appear from John’s account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand that Philip may have been in charge of the supplies and food, the road manager of sorts. He was the kind of guy who was practical.
And according to church history, Philip laid his life down for Christ, being stoned to death after reaching many with the gospel.
“The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow Me’ ” (John 1:43).
You don’t get a nickname like Sons of Thunder for no reason. But that is how Jesus’ disciples, James and John, were known. They were rough-hewn guys—amazing, colorful characters. They would not back away from a confrontation. In fact, they might even have looked forward to one. They could be very aggressive. And they also could be very insensitive.
On one occasion, when the people in a village of Samaria were not responsive to the message of Jesus, it was James and John who wanted to call down fire from heaven on them. When Jesus spoke of His own impending death, about how he would be betrayed and then handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked, spit upon, scourged, and ultimately killed, James and John blurted out, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask. . . . Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory”. These guys just said what they thought. And they were just like us: hopelessly human and remarkably unremarkable.
But God transformed them. And at the end of their lives, these men, who were known as Sons of Thunder, became known for something else. James was the first apostle to be martyred. And John became known as the apostle of love. God made James and John into different people than they were before—and He can do the same for us.
Mark 3:17
And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
The Apostle Andrew first heard John the Baptist proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. He then went back to his occupation of fishing until Jesus came by and called to Andrew and Peter to follow Him.
Like many of us, Andrew lived in the shadow of his more famous sibling, Simon Peter. Andrew first told Peter about Christ, then stepped into the background as his boisterous brother became a leader among the apostles and in the early church.
The Gospels don’t tell us a great deal about Andrew, but we can read between the lines and find a person who thirsted for truth and found it in the living water of Jesus Christ. Discover how a simple fisherman dropped his nets on the shore and went on to become a remarkable fisher of men.
John 1:40-41
One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
Do you ever think about the people in the Bible? They were human just as we are. They had the same problems, feelings, faith, doubts that we have. For the next few days we will look more closely at a few of these people.
Without question, the Apostle Peter was the disciple most of us can identify with. A fisherman, ordinary person, one minute he was walking on water by faith, and the next he was sinking in doubts. Impulsive and emotional, Peter is best known for denying Jesus when the pressure was on. Even so, as a disciple he was dearly loved by Christ, holding a special place among the twelve.
Peter, often a spokesman for the twelve, stands out in the Gospels. Whenever the men are listed, Peter’s name is first. He, James, and John formed the inner circle of Jesus’ closest companions. These three alone were given the unique privilege of experiencing the transfiguration, along with a few other extraordinary revelations of Jesus.
After the resurrection of Christ, Peter became a bold evangelist and missionary, and one of the greatest leaders of the early church. Passionate until the end, historians record that when Peter was sentenced to death by crucifixion, he requested that his head be turned toward the ground because he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Savior.
Matthew 4:18-19
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea:for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Fort Madison, Iowa is a small town that has a state prison. Many of the prison guards live in the town with their families. One of SOS team members, Linda, held a KIDS Club for the children. Sixty attended, some of them were kids from Christian families but ten children were saved. All were given “3 Things God Can Not Do” Bible tracts. Continue to pray for these young converts.
Matthew 19:14
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me:for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
SOS Events is privileged to teach others how to witness at events. The group pictured here is from a local church at the Fishhawk area in Florida. Since this training about 2 months ago, these trainees have hosted 2 events and participated in several more.
Souls have been saved. These Christians have new witnessing tools to help them be aware of lost souls in the marketplace and at churchyard events.
If you would like be trained email us at info@sosevents.org.
Acts 26:22
Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great……
“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just our possessions, but the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all the earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of time which God has given us each day.”
Billy Graham
Psalms 90:12
So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom
Center for Evangelists 