When Average Men Follow Christ
By Francis Frangipane
Before we doubt whether we are the caliber of the first disciples,
here is a fact sheet compiled from over 200 New Testament Scriptures
concerning those whom Jesus first called.
THE DISCIPLES... came to Christ, believed in Him, followed Him.
They...
dined with Him, often became hungry, often didn't have time to eat,
twice fed the multitudes.
They...
received special authority to heal and deliver, became Jesus' confidants,
were often rebuked and corrected, were entrusted with the mysteries of
God's Kingdom.
They...
did what was not lawful on the Sabbath, broke the traditions of the elders,
entered the Kingdom of God and walked in God's power.
They...
were frightened, fell on their faces, were much afraid, were very astonished,
they marveled, they were indignant and they rejoiced.
They...
became weary on a number of occasions, grumbled and withdrew, some stopped
walking with Jesus; even after the resurrection some still doubted, they wrote
the New Testament and died for their faith.
They...
were taught to pray for the Kingdom to come and for laborers for the harvest,
yet slept while Jesus prayed; they spent ten days in continuous prayer before
Pentecost, and prayed corporately every day afterward at 3:00 p.m..
They...
forgot provisions, made commitments they could not keep, individuals begged
them to heal people they could not heal, they attempted to exorcise demons
that would not leave, they rebuked parents bringing children to be blessed,
abandoned Jesus in His deepest need, they were frequently jealous and
ambitious,
and they turned the world upside down after the resurrection.
They...
had a tendency to invent doctrines, tried to command fire to fall on the
Samaritans,
put a limit on how many times to forgive, presumed John would not die, wanted
to
build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, became the tabernacle of God on
earth
after Pentecost.
They...
prepared cities for the arrival of Jesus, prepared the Passover for the last
supper,
and were prepared by God to represent Christ; ultimately, they were prepared to
die
for the Lord.
They...
remembered what Jesus taught, received the great commission, faced terrible
opposition
from principalities and powers, Jews and Gentiles, yet they made disciples of
all nations.
Let us read the words of Christ as though we were sitting as JesusÆ feet
learning. What
did Jesus say concerning love, spiritual authority, or the power of faith? It
is time to
not be overwhelmed by our flaws and weaknesses. Rather, let us obey all Jesus
taught and
be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, even as His first disciples
were.
www.frangipane.org
A service of Frangipane Ministries, Inc.
Copyright (c) 2008
All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations
were taken from the NASB.
Please visit our website (http://frangipane.org) for additional messages and
resources.
If you wish to contact us with comments or questions about this email, you may
do so by writing us at comments@frangipane.org.
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