tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094248114996261058.post4071114591436515880..comments2023-08-27T06:33:12.637-05:00Comments on The Bible in a Year - and Beyond!: Thursday, June 13 ~ MiriamTammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045517118866436340noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094248114996261058.post-44053620621789299632013-06-14T16:05:24.598-05:002013-06-14T16:05:24.598-05:00Philip - interesting to know that he was from the ...Philip - interesting to know that he was from the same town as Peter and Andrew, likely also knew James and John. And he may have also been a fisherman - when Peter gets discouraged after the resurrection and he takes the disciples back to fishing, Philip goes too.<br /><br />He was the first disciple Jesus sought out and chose. And Philip accepted Him as Messiah immediately, and went to get Nathanael/Bartholomew right away. From the feeding of the five thousand MacArthur infers...<br /><i>We found Philip to be skeptical, kind of the group bean counter. He wasn't too strong in faith with regard to the supernatural, tended to deal with material things, had to see it, wanted it in his hands. He was the one who was analytical, pessimistic, reluctant, unsure, slow to believe and trust. His faith tended to be limited by circumstances, money, rules and proof. But in the end, God by His grace overcame all of that in him and he became a great Apostle, ultimately dying, as we saw, as a martyr.</i><br /><br />When Philip told Nathanael about Jesus of Nazareth, we see by Nathanael's reaction ("Can anything good come from Nazareth?!") that he was, at least to some extent, prejudiced. That's not a rational reaction, it's an emotional one. And Philip just said "Come see". And he did. And when Jesus saw him coming he said "Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile". A true, genuine Israelite of the heart, in whom is no deceit. To hear that at the end of your life when you go meet Jesus - that will be amazing. But to hear it at the beginning, from Jesus himself? Wow! Jesus knew Nathanael was a man who worshiped the true and living God, who was waiting for the Messiah and who would follow Him.<br /><br />And when Nathanael sees Jesus' omniscience, he knows exactly who Jesus is - the Son of God, the King of Israel, and he believes. Hook, line and sinker. Everything that comes after just strengthens his faith. But he's in. Love it!<br /><br />Tammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12045517118866436340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094248114996261058.post-49543333155173057462013-06-14T08:27:32.824-05:002013-06-14T08:27:32.824-05:00I am loving learning about the apostles as well. ...I am loving learning about the apostles as well. They've always seemed kind of like those flannel-board characters from Sunday School -- two-dimensional. It's nice to learn more about what kind of personalities they had, even if much of it is inferred.Miriamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08764103317419913495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094248114996261058.post-11960263188049257092013-06-13T14:28:21.843-05:002013-06-13T14:28:21.843-05:00i am LOVING this little series on the apostles. I...i am LOVING this little series on the apostles. I definitely feel like I'm getting to know them, and I can't wait to meet them in heaven!<br /><br />MacArthur had a nice summary of the first four in his Philip sermon....<br /><br /><i>Peter was that dynamic, bold, eager, take-charge guy, initiating, confronting, talking a better life than he ever could live, having undo confidence in himself. He acted too hastily, talked too much, failed miserably, was impulsive. He was always the leader, though, always in charge, always the first one, always the representative of the group. And eventually the Lord shaped him into a powerful, powerful forgiven, restored preacher who literally preaches his way through the first twelve chapters of Acts in the establishment of the church among the Jews, and even the first Gentile converts.<br /><br />And then there was Andrew who lived his whole life in the shadow of his brother, Peter. Andrew, not boisterous like Peter, so different, humble, quiet, gentle, inconspicuous, never seeking prominence, a man who saw not crowds but individuals and every time we see him he's bringing somebody to Jesus.<br /><br />Then there was James, passionate, zealous, ambitious, judgmental, narrow, sectarian, explosive, competitive whose ambition had to be redirected to the glory of Christ and whose passion had to be rechanneled to the building of the church, not tearing people down. And James eventually became such a stalwart that when Herod wanted to stop the growth of the church, he didn't kill Peter, he killed James.<br /><br />And then there was the brother of James, John, also a son of thunder, boisterous, explosive, narrow, sectarian. But became known as the Apostle of love because Jesus took on the project of teaching John how to love by loving John till John so much understood that that he always referred to himself the same way, "The Apostle whom Jesus loved." And John is the great example in the New Testament of the balance between truth and love.</i><br /><br />I love Andrew. He was the people person, he was the one who was always looking to bring people to Jesus. And so humble. I'm the oldest so I can't really relate, but I can imagine that Andrew was just always in Peter's shadow. And I'm sure, even if that was his personality, that it still got tiring, always playing 2nd fiddle. And Andrew found out about Jesus first. I wonder if he was tempted to keep Peter out of it and enjoy the experience without being in his brother's shadow for once. But he doesn't. He doesn't. He brings Peter to Jesus. Because that's his heart. Love it.Tammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12045517118866436340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094248114996261058.post-61437194707957418882013-06-13T08:31:27.806-05:002013-06-13T08:31:27.806-05:00Haha, it doesn't surprise me in the LEAST that...Haha, it doesn't surprise me in the LEAST that MacArthur has this many sermons on one verse. And this is just a bunch of names ~ I imagine there are probably a few more verses he's gone into even MORE detail with!! I love how he gives life to so many passages where the Bible passage itself really doesn't give us much (if any) of the historical or cultural context. I used to be really annoyed that I had to listen to a full hour just to hear him explain the one verse or phrase I was interested in, but I have grown to really love all the extras!!<br /><br />I would love to get that "Twelve Ordinary Men" book, too. I have his "Twelve Extraordinary Women" and really liked it.tammihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03803890115567631062noreply@blogger.com