Lesson eight:

• John in scripture

  • Named among the twelve

    • In initial naming

    • In Jerusalem awaiting the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:13

    • Included whenever apostles grouped

      • The twelve

      • The apostles

      • In the gospel accounts and in Acts

  • Brother of James, son of Zebedee, fisherman – Matthew 4:21

  • Was he the “other” disciple in John 1:35-44?

    • No self-referral by name in his gospel account

    • Only “the disciple”

      • John 19:26-27

      • John 21:20-24

    • With Peter and James

      • Raising Jairus’ daughter – Mark 5:37

      • Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-13

      • Gethsemane on night of betrayal – Matthew 26:36-46

  • Ready to destroy Samaritan village – Luke 9:51 ff

  • Tried to dissuade one from casting out demons in Jesus’ name – Mark 9:38-41

  • Sat closest to Jesus at Lord’s Supper – John 13:21-30

  • Mary given into His care – John 19:26-27

  • Among the first to see the empty tomb – John 20:1-10

  • With Peter at temple gate when lame man healed – Acts 3:1-10

  • Persecuted with Peter for teaching of the resurrection of Jesus – Acts 4:1-22

  • Went to Samaria with Peter to give new Christians there the Holy Spirit – Acts 8:14-25

• Scripture attributed to John

  • John’s gospel account

    • Written between 80 and 90 AD

    • Quoted by multiple early second-century writers

      • Irenaeus (130-202 AD)

      • Ignatius (35-108 AD)

        • Taught by John

        • Elder at Antioch

      • Polycarp

        • Taught by John

        • Elder of the church at Smyrna

        • Declared authenticity of all four gospels

      • Basilides

        • Taught from 117-138 AD

        • Quoted from John

      • Aristides

        • Used terminology and concepts from John

    • Muratorian Fragment

      • Contains list of books considered canonical in 170 AD

  • 1 John (65 AD)

  • 2 John (65 AD)

  • 3 John (65 AD)

  • Revelation (68-69 AD)

    • Controversy on date for Revelation

    • Ancient references versus context

• John in history and tradition

  • Spent several years in Jerusalem

    • Worked with the other apostles

    • Cared for Mary

  • Traveled to Ephesus

    • After Paul’s initial work there

    • Took Mary with him (or not)

    • Taught throughout Anatolia

    • Exiled to Patmos

      • Exiled by Domitian

      • Wrote epistles and Revelation at Patmos

      • Domitian dies in 96 AD

  • Returned to Ephesus

  • Died in 100 AD

• John’s relics

  • John buried in Ephesus

    • Chapel build over his tomb

    • Emperor Justinian replaced it

      • Cathedral

      • Sixth century

    • Cathedral damaged over the years

      • Repaired in late ‘60s

      • Bones of John gone

      • Turkey blames British Museum

      • Current location of remains unknown

Authority is specified to a certain degree

• Example #1: Transporting the ark

  • Exodus 25:14; Numbers 4:15; 7:6-9

  • I Chronicles 13:7-14; 15:2, 12-15

• Example #2: Strange fire

  • Leviticus 10:1-2

• Example #3: Priesthood

  • Hebrews 7:11-16; 8:4

• III John 1:9

“Please go buy me a dog.”

• If you buy a cat, you did not follow the instructions.

Genesis 6:14 – “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood.”

Singing – Colossians 3:17

• Matthew 26:30

• Mark 14:26

• Acts 16:25

• Romans 15:9

• I Corinthians 14:15

• Ephesians 5:19

• Colossians 3:16

• Hebrews 2:12

• Hebrews 13:15

• James 5:13

Work of local churches – II Corinthians 8:1-4; I Corinthians 14:26; Philippians 4:15

• Provide for needy saints

• Provide for worship and edification

• Provide for preaching

Where is the authority for song books?

• We must pick some method by which we sing.

Where is the authority for the church building?

• I Corinthians 14:23, 26

Attitude check: I Corinthians 13:4

How do I know the Holy Spirit is talking to me? (continued)

• These promises to the apostles began to be fulfilled in Acts 1-2.

• We might wonder if the phrase in Acts 2:38 (“the gift of the Holy Spirit”) means that all people receive some supernatural communication or power from the Spirit.

  • Numerous examples show that baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way were two separate things. Acts 8:16-18; 10:44-48; 19:1-7

  • So, what is the “gift of the Holy Spirit” that is received at baptism?

    • For centuries, the Holy Spirit had been saying (through prophets) that salvation was coming.

      • Hebrews 3:7; 4:7

      • Jeremiah 31:34; Isaiah 53:11; Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21

      • Salvation was the gift!

• I should not be waiting for something miraculous to occur to either produce or confirm my salvation.

• So, does God do anything today?

  • What God does in answer to our prayers is beyond our ability to know.

  • God is not going to contradict the written word. Galatians 1:6-9

  • God wants us to pay attention to the revealed gospel. Hebrews 1:1-2; 2:1-4

• James 1:5

• II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:3; Jude 1:3

Does the New Covenant authorize worship with instruments?

• God has always been very strict about keeping His word exactly.

  • Acts 16:25

  • Romans 15:9

  • I Corinthians 14:15

  • Ephesians 5:19

  • Colossians 3:16

  • Hebrews 2:12

  • Hebrews 13:15

  • James 5:13

  • We have zero New Covenant passages authorizing Christians to worship through instruments.

  • It’s easy to see that singing is authorized, but there is no clear authority for instruments as worship.

  • Matthew 15:1-9; Colossians 3:17; II John 1:9 – God warns us about staying within what He has specifically authorized.

  • Deuteronomy 4:2; Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18-19

• Are instruments just aids for singing?

  • When God authorized something, He narrows it down to a certain degree.

  • Instruments are not just aids – they add a new type of music.

Lesson six, continued:

• Andrew after death

  • Relics of apostles

  • Motivations for worship diverted

  • Were Andrew’s remains moved about?

• Andrew’s relics

  • Initially buried in Patra

  • Constantius moved all but head to Istanbul

    • Part of his father’s collection

    • Church of the Holy Apostles

  • Head moved to Rome in 1460

    • Save it from being taken by invading Muslims

    • Returned to Greece in 1964 by Roman Catholic Church

Lesson seven

• James son of Zebedee in scripture

  • Matthew 4:18-22

    • Brother of John

    • Son of Zebedee

    • Fisherman

  • With James, one of Sons of Thunder – Mark 3:17

  • Wanted to destroy Samaritan village – Luke 9:51-56

  • Requested special status – Matthew 20:20-28

  • At the transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-9

  • On watch while Jesus prayed – Matthew 26:36-37

  • His mother also followed Jesus – Matthew 27:55-56

  • Executed by Herod Agrippa (AD 44) – Acts 12:1-2

• Traditions about James

  • Went to Sardinia during first persecution

    • Herod Agrippa’s deportation of Jews in AD 19

    • Jewish enclave had grown very large by AD 33

    • James went there to teach them the gospel

  • Continued on to Spain

    • Taught Jewish enclaves there

    • Made his way across Spain to Compostela

  • Returned to Jerusalem in AD 44

  • Took gospel to Spain – why Spain?

    • Gospel had only spread as far as Samaria

    • Spain not eyed as missionary field until AD 54

      • Paul in Romans 15:24-28

      • Ten years after death of James

      • Desire might have been to visit Christians in Spain

  • Remains were divided

    • Head remained in Jerusalem

    • Body taken first to Sinai, then Spain

      • Save it from pillaging by invading Persians in 2nd century

      • Return it to the farthest reach of his missionary efforts

    • Head remains in Jerusalem

      • Hidden under a wall when Persians invaded

      • Kept in Armenian cathedral in Jerusalem

    • No way to authenticate remains’ identity

  • Foreign missions highly unlikely

    • James executed in AD 44

    • Only 11 years from Pentecost to death

    • “Apostles” mentioned just previous to Acts 2

      • Acts 1; 2; 4:33-37; 5; 6:6; 8:1; 9:27; 11:1

      • No discernable time period for his absence

      • “Apostles” = ALL the apostles?

    • Still, not completely impossible

    • Note Acts 3:1-4, 11; 4:13, 19; 8:14-15

    • No positive conclusions can be made

  • Remains moved to Spain

    • Santiago de Compostela

    • “Saint James of Compostela”

  • About early eighth century

    • Just prior to Moorish invasion

    • Second largest pilgrimage site for Europeans

      • Jerusalem

      • Rome

  • “Rediscovered” – twice!!