• In history and tradition (continued)

  • Bartholomew’s death

    • Returned to Armenia after Philip’s death (Derbent)

    • Healed king’s daughter, declaring their idol to be false

    • King and daughter converted, idol’s priests infuriated

      • Priests seized Bartholomew

      • Flayed alive

      • Beheaded

    • Remains moved three times before arriving in Rome

  • Thomas (Didymas)

    • Didymas means twin

    • Taught in Syria, then went on to Kochi, India

    • Jewish synagogue there was receptive

      • Refugees of the destruction of Jerusalem and Judea

      • Numbered in tens of thousands

      • Murdered during sermon – stoned then pierced with a lance

    • House and tomb found by Portuguese in 15th century

      • Mylapore, on southeast coast of subcontinent

      • Destroyed the churches there, seeing them as heretical

      • Remains taken in 17th century to Goa, Meliapore, Ortona, and Rome

  • Matthew

    • Tax collector from Capernaum – Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:13-14; Luke 5:27-28

    • Peter, James, and John might have been on the paying end at some time

    • Stayed in Jerusalem for 15 years

    • Went to Ethiopia, Macedonia, Syria, and Persia

    • Authored an account of the gospel

      • Said to have been originally in Hebrew

      • Later translated into Green and Aramaic

      • Relied heavily on Old Testament scriptures in his preaching

    • Death probably by sword or spear because of offending the Sanhedrin

      • Most of body in Salerno, Sicily

  • James son of Alpheus

    • Remained in Jerusalem as an elder in the church

    • Stoned to death at age 90

    • Location of remains in dispute

      • Dispute over who is who

      • Resultant confusion in tracking “relics”

  • Jude (Thaddeus)

    • Preached in Syria, Arabia, Armenia, and Persia

    • Remained in Edessa (Sanliurfa, Turkey) for eight years

    • Spent several years in Derbent

    • Crossed paths with Thomas, Bartholomew, Simon, and Matthias

    • Reputed to have been an elder at Edessa

    • Martyred in Edessa at 65 AD

      • Armenian kingdom divided in two

      • New king in Edessa ordered Jude and princess executed

    • Entombed at Kara Kelesia (Iran)

      • Remains removed ahead of Genghis Khan’s invasion

      • Now scattered from Italy to Spain

  • Simon the Zealot

    • Preached in Egypt

    • Continued to Carthage and Mauritania

    • Went on to Spain

    • Joined with Joseph of Arimathea to England

    • Left southern England ahead of Boudica’s conquest

    • Joined with Jude in Armenia and Persia

    • Sawed in half in Derbent about same time as Jude’s death

    • Remains in Italy, Spain, France, and Germany

  • Matthias

    • Said to have been one of the seventy

    • Preached in Judea, Cappadocia, and Colchis

    • One of the five apostles evangelizing Armenia

    • Executed in Sebastopol in 51 AD

Remains are said to be in Trier, Germany

• Are you satisfied with your prayer life?

  • Luke 18:1

  • Colossians 4:2

  • Ephesians 6:16

  • I Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing!

    • II Samuel 9:7 – “Continually” means to make it a way of life.

• We must imitate Jesus in our prayer life

  • Luke 3:21 – Jesus prayed when He began His public ministry.

  • Mark 1:35 – Jesus began His day in prayer.

  • Matthew 15:36 – Jesus prayed at mealtime.

    • I Timothy 4:3

  • Mark 14:23 – Jesus closed His day with prayer.

  • Luke 6:12-13 – Jesus prayed before big decisions.

  • Luke 9:28-31 – We must pray when we are trying to transform our lives.

  • Mark 14:32-35 – Jesus prayed at Gethsemane. We cannot fight and win the battle without prayer to God.

  • Luke 23:34 – If we imitate Jesus, the time between our last prayer and our last breath won’t be very long.

• Be careful how you live. How you live will be how you die, and it will most certainly be how you are judged.

• First … how much should we give?

  • Everything! Matthew 22:37

  • … but only part of our giving goes in the place. (Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:8)

  • “I can slack off in other areas as long as I’m a big giver.” NO!

  • “I can slack on in giving as long as I contribute in other areas. I hate to part with my money, but I’ll sign up to teach the kids’ Bible classes all four quarters!” NO!

  • I Corinthians 16:1-2

  • II Corinthians 8:12

• I honor God with my heart – and He deserves it!

  • Acts 17:24-28

  • II Chronicles 2:5-6; 5:6, 13-14; 6:18; 7:4-5, 10

  • II Corinthians 8:1-12

  • Philippians 4:17-18

• It helps me develop joy!

  • II Corinthians 9:6-7

  • How would I react if I was in the first century being persecuted for my faith?

  • How do I react when it is time to give?

• I have fellowship with other Christians!

  • II Corinthians 9:10-15

  • Philippians 4:10, 14-16

• Attitude check: Proverbs 10:8; 15:22; 19:20 – Listen to get wise!

• Isn’t baptism an outward sign of an inward grace? (continued)

  • Notice what scripture says …

    • Acts 22:16 – Paul was baptized to wash away his sins

    • Romans 6:3-4 – We are baptized into Jesus – not baptized because we are in Jesus.

    • I Corinthians 12:13 – We are baptized into one body.

    • Galatians 3:27 – “baptized into Christ”

    • Colossians 3:12 – “buried with Him in baptism”

    • I Peter 3:21 – “baptism now saves you”

    • Note: The Bible never says that baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace.

  • Observe the experience of those baptized

    • When people in the Bible were taught about baptism, they acted quickly, realizing their souls were in jeopardy until they were baptized.

      • Acts 2:41

      • Acts 8:36

      • Acts 16:33

      • Acts 22:16

    • The fact that they treated baptism as an urgent matter harmonizes with the idea of salvation being granted at the point of baptism.

    • We also read of people rejoicing after their baptisms. Again, this makes sense if people realized they were getting baptized “into Christ.”

      • Acts 8:38-39; 16:33-34

    • Acts 8:26-40 – The Ethiopian didn’t wait until other people were present so that he could have shown his baptism as an “outward sign.”

  • What about verses that say we’re saved by faith?

    • They were absolutely true (and should be taken in context).

    • Romans 4:1-3

      • Romans 4:4 – Works are described as earning something that is due. Abraham was a good man, but God certainly never owed him salvation.

      • Abraham certainly needed to obey God!

        • Acts 7:2-4; Genesis 11:31

        • Genesis 12:9

        • Genesis 12:7-8; 13:3-4

        • Genesis 14:20

      • Abraham is used as an example to show that “man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:21-24)

      • James 2 is using the word “works” differently than Romans 4 (James 2:14-26)

    • The words “faith” and “belief” can certainly include actions.

      • Acts 16:34

      • Hebrews 11:4, 7, 8, 17, 24, 27

    • Noah was saved by faith. Faith caused him to build an ark!

    • People today are saved by an obedient faith.

  • John 3:16 – The word “believes” is synecdoche. There is more involved than just mental assent.

    • Context: John 3:1-8 – Nicodemus is told what he must do to be saved.

    • Numbers 21:6

    • Harmony: Acts 11:18; Mark 16:16; James 2:14-26; John 12:42-43; Romans 5:1 (1:5; 16:26; 6:3-4); Acts 16:34 (16:31-33)

• In scripture

  • Bartholomew

    • Only in the listings

    • Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13

    • Called Nathanael in the book of John (John 1:45-49)

      • First to declare belief in Jesus as the Son of God, King of Israel

      • Jesus promised him greater wonders to come

    • Named together with other apostles in John 21:2-4

    • Bartholomew means “Son of Tolmai”

  • Thomas

    • Willing to die: John 11:16

    • Didn’t know: John 14:1-6

    • Prove it: John 20:24-28

    • Such a bad thing? Acts 17:10-12

    • Difference between him and us

  • Matthew

    • Also called Levi

    • Tax collector – Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27-29

    • No other mention other than listing of apostles

  • James son of Alpheus (the Less)

    • Mother’s name was Mary – Mark 16:1

    • Probably the James of Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18

      • Apparently well-respected among the apostles

      • Possibly prominent

    • Not certain about I Corinthians 15:7

    • Galatians 1:19 problematic – different from James the son of Alpheus

    • Author of book of James?

      • Book of James – compare with Sermon on the Mount

        • Persecution – James 1:2; Matthew 5:10-12

        • Perfection – James 1:4; Matthew 5:48

        • Praying in faith – James 1:5; 5:15; Matthew 7:7-12

        • Wrath – James 1:20; Matthew 5:22

        • Mercy – James 2:13; Matthew 5:7

        • Obedience – James 2:14-16; Matthew 7:21-23

        • Being peaceable – James 3:17-18; Matthew 5:9

        • Serving two masters – James 4:4; Matthew 6:24

        • Humility – James 4:10; Matthew 5:3-4

        • Judgment – James 4:11-12; Matthew 7:1-2

        • Perishable riches – James 5:1-3; Matthew 6:19

        • Patience in suffering – James 5:10-11; Matthew 5:12

        • Swearing – James 5:12; Matthew 5:33-37

  • Thaddaeus (Lebbaeus, Judas)

    • Only seen in listings of the apostles

    • Son of James (not the apostle James)

    • Not the brother of James

    • John 14:21-24

  • Simon the Zealot, Zelotes, Canaanite

    • Only in the three listings of the apostles

  • Judas Iscariot

    • Foretelling: Psalms 69:25; 109:8; John 6:71

    • Misconduct: John 12:1-8

    • Betrayal: Matthew 26:14-16, 21-25, 47-50

      • Mark 14

      • Luke 22

      • John 18

    • Acts 1:15-25

  • Difference between Judas and Nathanael

    • John 1:49

    • Matthew 26:14-16

  • Matthias

    • Acts 1:12-16

    • No other reference in scripture

• In history and tradition

  • Bartholomew (Nathanael)

    • Preached throughout Parthia as far as India

    • Translated book of Matthew into Sanskrit

    • Moved on to Armenia and preached there

    • Joined Philip in Hierapolis, nearly martyred there

    • Description of Bartholomew by Indians

      • Black, curly hair with white skin and large eyes

      • Hair over his ears and long, grisly bead, medium height

      • Voice like a trumpet, able to speak any language

      • Wore same clothes and shoes many years with no wear