• Attitude check: Philippians 2:3-4

• Why doesn’t your church speak in tongues?

  • Tongues were real languages.

    • Acts 1:26-2:4 – The apostles spoke in “other tongues”.

    • Acts 2:5-6 – The foreign Jews were not hearing some mystical speech that was unintelligible to them. They were hearing the apostles speak in their own languages.

    • Acts 2:7-11 – The apostles were speaking in languages they were not trained in.

    • Acts 10:44-48 – There is no reason to believe that the Gentiles were speaking unintelligible sounds.

    • I Corinthians 13:1-3 – Some might say, “The tongues of men might be real languages, but the tongues of angels are something else. No man can understand them.”

      • However, many times in the Bible, angels spoke to people and the people understood it perfectly. Matthew 1:20-21; 2:13, 19-20; 28:2-7; etc.

      • In context, Paul is not saying that there are mystical angelic languages. He was giving hypothetical exaggerations to show the importance of love (cf. Galatians 1:8).

  • Tongues were to edify through understandable communications

    • I Corinthians 14:1-11 – Prophesying is better than speaking in a tongue because it’s understandable to others. What about I Corinthians 14:2? If I speak Swahili to an English audience, I’m not getting through (even though God understands it).

    • I Corinthians 14:12-19 – Tongues were to edify the church and instruct others.

    • I Corinthians 14:20-26 – If the gift of tongues was used properly, it would be a sign for unbelievers (v22).

  • Tongues were able to be controlled

    • I Corinthians 14:27-28 – If the language could not be understood, the tongue speaker was to be silent. It could be controlled!

    • I Corinthians 14:39-40 – Don’t forbid the proper use of tongues but keep silent if you’re going to use the gift improperly. This is more evidence that the gift of speaking in tongues could be controlled.

• 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)