Calling the disciples. Matthew 4:12-20.

 I have been asked questions like, where will the Battle of Armageddon occur, how many battles Israel will fight during these last seven years, or how much time will there be between the rapture and God’s wrath being unleashed on the earth?

I have very few clear answers on things that the Bible is NOT clear on. As I mentioned in the last post, my understanding has gaps, and most of those gaps came from the things I was taught and how those teachers taught.

In a way, I am your teacher, but all I can legitimately do is show you what the scriptures say while directing you to scripture to figure it out for yourselves.

The Chronological Bible adds this commentary.

“According to the Synoptics, Jesus did not begin His ministry until John (the baptizer) completed his. Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels place Jesus ministry in Galilee after the arrest of John the Baptist.”

Suppose you are new to Bible Study and do not know what the word Synoptics means. According to Webster’s dictionary: “SYNOPTIC or SYNOPTICAL means a view of the whole, or of the principal parts of a thing; as a synoptic table.”

So we are looking at the whole gospel to build an adequate picture.

With the 40+ days of temptation completed, has Jesus started His ministry yet?

The answer is not exactly.

How do I know that?

After the testing, Jesus began showing up as John continued to baptize.

"It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
John 1:27-29 NASB

Again Jesus shows Himself to John the Baptist.

"I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God." Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
John 1:34-36 NASB

John 1:34-36 is where we see Andrew and “that other disciple” whom we accept as John, the disciple. These two followed Jesus. How extensively they followed, we do not know.

“The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.” John 1:37 NASB

If we can make a logical presumption, they did not fully follow Jesus. We know this because we will shortly see that they returned to fishing with John’s arrest. We are told Andrew went and found Simon and brought him to Jesus.

“One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).”
John 1:40-42 NASB

Before we show Jesus moving on, I need to show you something.

“The next day, He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip *said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and *said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael *said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He *said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
John 1:43-51 NASB

What happened when Jesus said, “The next day He purposed to go into Galilee.”?

He purposed to go to Galilee. This is the same word as determined.

“On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 1:43-45 WEBA)

The word determined demonstrates a strong motivation. Being prematurely subjected to death could have been a motivator. 

The Amplified Bible used the words desired and decided to convey His motive to go to Galilee, while the American Standard Version tells us that He was minded to go forth into Galilee. The word minded has a country feel to it, and I do not expect Jesus to be in any hurry like the Amplified and many others imply. Notice that John's account doesn't explain the reason for the rapid migration to Galilee, where He found Philip, but Matthew's does.

When did John the Baptizer see these things he is now testifying about?

At the baptism and, at this point, we could be several days beyond the time of testing.

So when the disciple John, speaking about John the Baptizer, begins telling us about challenges from the Pharisees to the Baptizer, John tells us that Jesus began to pop into the scene where the Baptizer is. You see one of those instances in John 1:34-35.

For those who must have evidence,

“Now when Jesus heard that John (the baptizer) was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.”
Matthew 4:12 WEBA)

Since you have a grasp of Biblical things, what would be the thing that would bring John the Baptizer's mission to an end?

Bluntly, his arrest and most certainly his death, but if you have been paying attention, you know there is a time between the Baptizer’s arrest and his head being cut off.

Did He go directly to Galilee?

The answer is no, and Matthew, at least, took Him to Nazareth first.

Why Nazareth?

That was where His mother was.

Why would I suspect that His mother played a role in His travel plans?

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, "They have no wine." And Jesus *said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come."”
John 2:1-4 NASB

How did Jesus know to be here, joining His mother at this wedding?

She brought Him up to speed, told Him who they were, and insisted that He be there. She was a mother, and these were friends.

This interaction with Mary throws another wrench into my understanding. Since we do not see Jesus summoning disciples until He reaches Capernaum, fishing, what are they doing here at this wedding, where Mary has invited them to come? 

This piece of information, especially since much of it came out of (the disciple) John’s mouth, then he would know best if their coming to the place where Jesus had been staying and then spent what appears to be an excess of a day with Him, constituted a commitment on their part. Consider that we were made aware that Simon joined them, and Philip, who appeared out of nowhere, went and convinced Nathanael to come and join.

How many disciples could have potentially been with Jesus at this wedding?

Five

When Mary learns that they have run out of wine, she brings the problem to Jesus. 

Now why would she do that?

Because she knew what He was capable of doing. His response to her answers our question about whether Jesus had started His ministry or not, "what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” So, Jesus tells us He has not officially started. Now, I do believe that His start is only moments later, but that is another story.

How does one get from Nazareth to Capernaum?

You come real close to Galilee.

“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,” Mark 1:14 NKJV)

Mark leaves out the family visit in Nazareth but adds something that few of us associate with the wedding that John details, He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. Considering the amazing impact He made with the wine and the fact that people will talk, He may have had few options but to preach.

When we last saw Jesus in the previous post, He was leaving Nazareth and heading to Capernaum.

What did Matthew tell us?

“And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES: THE PEOPLE WHO SAT IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT, AND UPON THOSE WHO SAT IN THE REGION AND SHADOW OF DEATH LIGHT HAS DAWNED." From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."”
Matthew 4:13-17 NKJV)

A chronological point of view would have Jesus getting,

• Being baptized in the Holy Spirit – associated with the baptism by John in the Jordan.

  The Holy Spirit did fall upon Him, filling Him with the Holy Spirit and staying, but that did not throw Him into His ministry.

• The temptation in the wilderness by Satan.

  This lasted forty days plus a little bit, but the testing still needs to be finished.

• After the forty days, an overview from the synoptic gospels has Jesus passing by John the Baptist at least two more days.

  Is it during this time that Andrew and that other disciple paid attention to Jesus and, for at least a day, followed Him. Some might think this would be the thing that initiates Jesus being launched into His ministry, but it is only part of the fuel. Becoming empowered by the Holy Spirit could do it for me, but where is the action that you might associate with His ministry? So merely being baptized in the Holy Spirit is not the launch pad.

• What if it is the imprisonment of John that moved Him forward?

  Then realize that it is a relatively short time after Jesus' entrance into the ministry that this happens.

Though Andrew and (John, the disciple) followed Jesus and spent the day with Him after the temptation of Jesus, we still see Jesus calling them when He finds them further North in Capernaum.

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”
Matthew 4:18-20 NKJV)

Considering the two places that we see John baptizing, one being South of Jerusalem, Matthew’s account suddenly puts the “new” recruits in the Northern regions of Lake Galilee near Capernaum. This is a stretch of the imagination.

If you were a new Christian and had asked where you should start reading in this new Bible someone just gave you, and they told you to start reading in Matthew; at this point, what could you, with confidence, say that you know?

Wow, there is a lot to know.

• Without someone telling you that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John are Jewish-oriented books, what would you do with the genealogical information?

• Did you grasp that the Jewish leaders refused to accept scriptural evidence (Micah 5:2) that Jesus Christ had been born in Bethlehem?

• Were you, like Herod, alarmed that the Magi (Wise men), because of a star, came to Bethlehem to see the Messiah?

  Now you should be asking why such a powerful man was alarmed? 

  There were several reasons: One is that the Magi, who were many in number and included a relatively large entourage, were known to be kingdom changers. Herod may have feared this large group that would have been well-armed. The other reason is that Herod lived in fear of an overthrow and killed off several family members for these very reasons (Much of this information is rejected by many as it is extra-biblical. (You have no idea how many things make up our “doctrines,” which are all extra-biblical.)

  The chief priests and elders, having been ordered to stand before Herod because of the presence of these Magi, testified to their knowledge of this fact. In response to what the Magi told him, Herod killed all boys aged two and younger in that region.

• Did you pick up on the idea that the lowly, disrespected “temple” shepherds had the angels alert them so that they were aware that the Messiah had been born and those shepherds fell before Him in worship?

• Did you hear enough before you started reading to understand that there would be twelve inner circle disciples that followed Jesus?

• Andrew and quite probably John (the disciple) and Simon (Peter) were among the first to join Jesus, and they were fishermen. 

• We were made aware that Andrew told Simon (Peter) that he was sure Yahshua was the Messiah that all of Israel had been looking for. This information was convincing enough to get Simon on his feet and see for himself. 

If you were to ask me why it is necessary to know whether Jesus began to gather disciples near Jerusalem or Capernaum 40 miles North, I would tell you that, more and more, people with a “religious” background will try to challenge the Bible you hold fast too.

“And a person's (this is you) enemies will be those of his own household (How do I define what my household is?).”
Matthew 10:36 ESV Emphasis mine.

Household is the Greek word oikiakos. It is the Strong’s number G3615, pronounced oy-kee-ak-os’. The meanings are familiar, that is, (as noun) relatives: - they (them) of (his own) household.

It is easy to see that familiar people can easily be seen as the person seated next to you in church.

Why would I identify these hostile people as religious, as though they sit by me in church?

Because most of those who have challenged me have been people, I met in church. If you identify these hostile people as strangers on the street, then know that the “law of God” is written upon their hearts, and they have chosen to ignore and not identify with Jesus Christ. Some of the reasons behind that decision can be their own self-will or it's demonic.

Just writing this prompts a thought.

I often assume that you, having fallen in love with Jesus, consume His Words and, therefore, are familiar with many of the things I talk about. Suppose you have been put in a situation where someone else has taught you improperly or incorrectly. In that case, you, too, like myself, have holes in your understanding of Jesus and the events surrounding His imminent return for His church. We must close those gaps as best we can to stand in the face of senseless arguments.

What did Jesus mean when He said this?

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”
Matthew 4:18-20 NKJV

Follow Me is two Greek words that work in unison. The first is Strong's number G1205. It is the word deute. It is pronounced dyoo'-teh and means to come hither!. The secondary word, from Strong's G3694, is the Greek word - opisō follow.

So I can see this as Come here and follow!

Fishers is merely a relational term that these men readily understood. As you have purposefully extracted fish from this sea, so shall you draw people to Me – the giver of life.

How did they react to what Jesus said?

“Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”
Matthew 4:20 TLV

If you had watched the second season of the Chosen series, you would have seen the miracle in which Peter and Andrew, during the Sabbath, tried all night to catch fish in hopes of paying their tax debt. They caught nothing.

Jesus, who was conveniently standing there on the shore watching, instructs the two to throw their nets over on the other side of the boat. This following of directions brought in enough fish to potentially:

• break the nets,

• sink the boat,

• pay their extensive tax debt;

• give several of these guys enough money to take care of their families for several months;

• And, according to The Chosen, it gave Zebedee, the owner of the boats, a retirement. Note, the Bible says very little about Zebedee after this mention in Matthew 4:21-22.

 I enjoyed The Chosen immensely, but I am always aware that it is a creation that takes considerable liberties to hold a movie and television audience. If you try to base your chronological interpretation on the theatrical version given to us by The Chosen, you would again have massive holes in your understanding. An example shows Simon, under threat of imprisonment, becoming more desperate. That seems odd since his initial fishing trip on The Chosen was done on the Sabbath and was against the Torah for a Jew. Frustrated, he and Andrew are headed back to shore when Jesus calls out to throw their nets on the other side of the boat. Why would they respond to a stranger like that unless they had met sometime earlier? The catch was so large that the nets would break, and the boat would sink. Peter called out for help, and part of the crowd that came to help included Zebedee; however, we were only made aware of his presence once this scenario played out.

Only minutes later, after Jesus calls Andrew and Simon, we see this.

“Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”
Matthew 4:21-22 NASB

This is John, initially John the Baptizer's disciple and then a follower of Jesus.

As I explained in the previous post, John, possibly because of how close he was to Jesus, tended not to mention his own name. Notably, this logic falters as you realize that Matthew seems to speak with hesitancy about John's role with John the Baptizer. I say this because we saw Matthew speak of another disciple there with Andrew when Jesus came to be baptized. The assumption is that this other disciple was John, the brother of James.

An important example of this comes from John's recollection of an event. In this setting, Jesus speaks about the one who would betray Him. Peter induced John to ask who Jesus was talking about. Remember that this is John writing about a moment in which he played an important role.

"When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me." The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter *gestured to him and *said to him, "Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking." He, leaning back thus on Jesus' bosom, *said to Him, "Lord, who is it?"
John 13:21-25 NASB

I need to stop here because I have filled in quite a few of the cracks in my understanding, but I still have gaps, and we will try to fix those as we proceed. 

The writers of the Chronological Bible said this about Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation. (Some we obviously know.) “Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee to be baptized by John the Baptist. John 3:23 tells us that John had been baptizing near Aenon and Salim, and yet the exact location of Jesus' baptism is uncertain. Immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness of Judea, (which is) below Jericho.” 

The Chronological Bible also tells us, “The place where the Baptist had been baptizing disciples is reported in John 1:28 as Bethabara of Judea in some Greek manuscripts and as Bethany of Perea in others. Neither place can be located with certainty. Many of Jesus' earliest followers, however, were from areas farther north surrounding the Sea of Galilee, such as Bethsaida.”

What is to say that the Baptist did not move North, and that is where Jesus found him upon His return from the temptation? Nothing would prevent him from doing that, and it makes sense because Andrew ran off to tell Simon, and he came back immediately. The NASB entitles the next section, “Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds.” That tells me that much of what we have seen in Matthew’s gospel, after Jesus’ baptism, lends itself to His gathering of disciples.

He appeared to more than five hundred brethren. 1 Cor 15:5-11

 We ended the last study on these verses.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NASB (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (4) and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Of the utmost importance is the fact that Christ died for our sins. If you knew the scriptures and had some faith, that statement alone would be enough for you; there is, however, more. The Jews knew the scriptures, yet they chose NOT to believe, receive, or acknowledge Jesus. An excellent piece of evidence for their unbelief comes out of this story from Matthew 2.

Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'" Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. (Matthew 2:1-7 NASB)

Deeply troubled, for several reasons, Herod calls the chief priests and scribes of the Jews and inquired as to where this King of the Jews was born. They knew the answer and exclaimed, in Bethlehem of Judea.

Micah 5:2 AMP But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you are little to be among the clans of Judah; [yet] out of you shall One come forth for Me Who is to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ancient days (eternity).

Note how, in our example from Matthew, there was no denial and no refusal, but it was there. The fact that Herod had to turn to the Magi for answers is the most damaging piece of evidence against them, for their refusal to receive Jesus.

Many were aware of Christ's death on the cross. The Apostle John was standing close enough to the cross for Jesus to direct John to take care of Mary, Jesus' mother. Others witnessed this event, although they may not have understood what had taken place or what was about to occur.

There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God's kingdom to come. He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what they had decided. (Luke 23:50 CEV)

Though many despise the man, Kenneth Copeland preached a powerful message called, From the Cross to the Throne. What happened during those three days? We have evidence that tells us what happened during that time, and Hebrews 5 is one of them.

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:8-10 NASB)

Page 1.

He (Jesus) suffered, not only the beatings, but the cross, and then hell itself. Yes, I have heard mere men like Hank Hannegraf express his scorn toward those that think that God could be put in hell. But what you, who are unwilling to accept that piece of information, forget is that Satan thought he had won. As far as Satan was concerned, he had killed Jesus. The problem with Satan's logic is that hell was made for those who sinned, and that would have included all of us were it not for Jesus and the cross. Jesus was NOT born into sin like we are; and, He never sinned. Satan had put Jesus there illegally, kind of like Joe Biden and this rigged election. The difference being, because Jesus never sinned, Satan could not hold Him, and this is why Jesus was able to rip the keys of death, hell, and the grave from that moron’s hands; preach to the captivity, and set them free.

Let's park here for a moment.

How many different ways could a person understand captivity?

At least a couple. Being born into sin, we are, in a sense, in captivity as we speak. The other definition of captivity comes from doing Satan’s will.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 NASB The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, (25) with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, (26) and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

This would be a most unfortunate and hopeless situation if there were no salvation. Ah, but there is a way to reverse this hopeless situation, and His name is Jesus. That change from a hopeless person to one that is hope-filled only comes through faith in Jesus' price that He paid on the cross for you, and, occasionally, it requires that we walk away from things that would enslave us.

Romans 6:5-7 NASB For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, (6) knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; (7) for he who has died is freed from sin.

So if you find yourself doubting your salvation, or wondering if there are legitimate reasons for your salvation, keep in mind that there were witnesses. Paul spells out, in generalized terms, who they were. I will walk through this slowly.

1 Corinthians 15:5-7 NLT He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. (6) After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. (7) Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

At the time of its writing, this statement was vital, as many of these people knew Peter by visual contact. To add that most of these witnesses are still alive is like telling these readers to go look them up for yourself, as they will validate what I say. When you realize Paul's potential age, as he wrote this letter to the church in Corinth around 59 A.D., you can guess the ages of those living witnesses and ascertain that they may not be around much longer.

Our faith is not the ramblings of fools and older men; they were the words of Jesus/God. John, in the opening lines of his gospel, tells us that Jesus spoke the worlds into existence.

Page 2.

John 1:1-3 NASB, In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.

He told us what He was going to do, and then He did it with such a precision that it leaves the wisest baffled. He rose from the dead and is now seated with the Father. God put Him there and the writer of Hebrews tells us that.

Hebrews 1:1-4 NASB God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, (2) in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. (3) And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (4) having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

He is not merely lounging around, waiting for His next mission, He is constantly standing on our behalf much like a defense attorney.

Hebrews 7:25 NASB Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.

What Paul says next is a challenge to understand.

1 Corinthians 15:8 NASB (8) and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

Some translations talk as though Paul is saying that he should have been aborted. I would like to tell you that something like this never happened in Paul's day, but I cannot attest to the fact that it did not. Murdering a baby, as we do today, was detestable to the Jews, although handing your newborn into the arms of the god Moloch is no better. So, to read something like abortion is absurd, and therefore, forces us to look at some other meaning. The assumption then would be, that after all these years, perhaps he now wishes he could have been there at the beginning and walked with Jesus, as these disciples did. Paul tends to answer the question for us.

1 Corinthians 15:9 NASB (9) For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Why would he say, I am the least of the apostles?

Peter, originally called to be the apostle to the Gentiles, fumbled the ball, and Paul, in time, picked it up and ran with it, although we, for the longest time, still see Paul with a focus on the Jews.

When Paul says, I am not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church, it makes sense. Remember, Paul told us he had a thorn in the flesh. You can continue to rant how you know what Paul's thorn was, based on some traditional but incorrect teaching. Still, you fail to remember that Paul, was above all else, an astute theologian, with the only known composition they had, the law and the prophets. There, in the book of Numbers, God told Israel to eliminate the Canaanites, or they will become pricks in your eyes and thorns in your flesh. This reference to scripture by Paul tells us that he did not adequately eliminate something from his life.

Page 3.

If you have read the book of Acts, then you can admit that Paul was not only a passionate man but a man capable of a fast temper. Remember, he chased off John Mark and Barnabas, a decision that he may have regretted for years, and yet, there is this statement from Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:10 NASB (10) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain, but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

• But by the grace of God, I am what I am.

What is it that Paul turned out to be? Only one of the most influential writers of not just the New Testament, but the Bible itself. If one of us Gentile believers thinks about a writer of the Bible, we think about Paul. You would think he wrote the book of Acts. He didn't, but he was a dominant player as we learn about the grace of God first hand. We also saw the labors of Paul as he went on his missionary journeys. And finally, we see Paul point to the fact that it was the grace of God working through him that makes his labors so significant.

Paul closes out this fifteenth chapter of 1Corinthians with this comment.

1 Corinthians 15:11 NASB (11) Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Wow, Paul put tremendous trust in the idea that others were following Paul's lead and preaching the same message that Paul preached. We know he struggled with this idea and told young Timothy:

1 Timothy 1:3 NASB As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,

As many of you know, doctrines are the foundational reasons for us having church, and clearly, this had become a problem in Ephesus. The phrase “to teach strange doctrines” is merely a repeat of the same word three times. It translates to English as instruct differently. Example. If the doctrine is one of salvation upon the cross, and you tell the Christians that attend your Bible study weekly that they are sinners with no hope of anything other than hell's flame, then you are instructing differently. By the way, I mention this because I attended a bible study in which the leader repeatedly said such things.

Many of us have sat under false teachings. It is nothing short of a miracle, or perhaps God's grace that we have come to know and understand this grace – the same grace that Paul preached.

One last thing. This forgiveness on the cross happened once, with no reason, whatsoever, to repeat the event, as the Jews had to do with their sacrifices. Having believed, we are saved eternally.

Hebrews 5:8-9 NASB Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. (9) And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

In Christ, we have eternal salvation.