Matthew, the Apostle (#7 in a series on the Apostles)

Before and after pictures are always fascinating to me. You know—like the ones you see in the newspapers or magazines; or, more commonly now, on commercials for diets, plastic surgery, or hair replacement. The Word of God gives us a striking picture of a “before and after” of an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.Continue reading “Matthew, the Apostle (#7 in a series on the Apostles)”

God’s Blueprint for Local Church Leadership

Evangelical churches are generally known by their desire to evangelize the unevangelized world; that is, to send missionaries into all the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, in obedience to Christ’s command (Matt. 28:18-20). Then, when people who hear the gospel accept Christ, the missionary will endeavor to lead the convert into baptism, churchContinue reading “God’s Blueprint for Local Church Leadership”

Bartholomew (Nathanael) the Apostle (6th in a series on the Apostles)

The 12 men who uniquely lived and labored with Jesus of Nazareth for the duration of his 42-month public ministry are the subjects of this series on the Apostles. They were holy men, yet not hallowed. They were good and godly men, yet men of passions and prejudices as men of today are. They wereContinue reading “Bartholomew (Nathanael) the Apostle (6th in a series on the Apostles)”

James, Brother of John (5th in a series on the Apostles)

Mark tells us that Jesus “ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.” (Mark 3:14) These men, ordinary as they might have appeared to some, became known as “the apostles” of our Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed with them and for them, and when He calledContinue reading “James, Brother of John (5th in a series on the Apostles)”