The following is a quote from a book I read but I don’t know which book:
“The twelve apostles were a diverse group. Simon the Zealot was a patriot – a kind of redneck who hated the Roman government. Matthew was a tax collector – a collaborator with Rome. That would be like Rush Limbaugh and Ted Kennedy serving on the same committee! They’d about slit each other’s throat! But Jesus united them. Thomas and Peter were opposites too. Peter was impulsive, a sanguine personality, quick to believe, and often fickle. Thomas was melancholy, a thinker, slow to respond but deeply committed. All these personalities must have occasionally unnerved each other. But they were united by a cause bigger than their own egos and personalities – the deity of Jesus Christ.
“Jesus united that diverse group of disciples by motivating them to sacrifice their egos in service to each other.”
Today God will put you together with someone who is your opposite. Remember that Jesus came to help us work out these differences in a spirit of unity. Your diversity can be your greatest strength or your greatest weakness.
Tags: apostles, unity
“On the eleventh day of Christ my True Love sent to me: Eleven Pipers Piping“.
The eleven Pipers represent the eleven faithful apostles. Jesus had hand-chosen them, including the one unfaithful apostle. Each of these apostles was given the intense training of Jesus Christ Himself. They walked through crises with Jesus, heard His messages repeatedly, saw signs and wonders, and experienced bitter persecution.
They each received a calling (the word ‘Apostle’ means ‘sent one’). Some, like James, lived a short ministry, while others, like John, lived a long ministry. Each, with the exception of John, died a violent death at the hands of their persecutors. And each leaves a legacy of church plants and hundreds of converts to Christianity. They each received a message and took it to the far corners of their world. They were the eleven Pipers Pipers the good news of Jesus Christ.
Tags: apostles, evangelism