Spiritual Warfare – The Transforming Power of the Gospel: Seen in the Disciples – Thomas and John
1 Thess. 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One Who calls you is faithful and He will do it!
The whole person – personality, character, spirituality, emotions, mentality, bodily (love the Lord with your whole …). The gospel is for the whole person, not just a ticket to heaven!
The process is Discipleship. ‘Disciple’ is better understood as ‘apprenticeship’! And the Gospel records show us how this worked in the lives of the Twelve during their 3 year apprenticeship with Jesus. It’s incidental to the main message and focus which is on Jesus, of course. But nevertheless, it is there, and it is there for our encouragement!
One often-missed point is that a disciple is someone who is in relationship with his teacher. It’s not just a question of passing on information or skills. The apprentice’s greatest desire should be to become like his master. Historically, an apprentice went to live with his teacher, as in Bible times with Rabbis and their talmidim. Our challenge is, how do we replicate that environment for discipleship today?
Discipleship should transform our values, beliefs, attitudes. As we’ll see in the Twelve Disciples, God takes the most unlikely people to do His work, so that all the glory goes to Him! He doesn’t call the equipped, He equips those He calls! Although that equipping may take place before the call – example of Paul – transformed from Saul the Jewish oppressor to Paul the apostle to the Gentiles! God used his knowledge of the OT (see Acts 9:20; 17:3; 18:28) and arguably, his education and intellect, but the old attitudes had to go and be replaced by new beliefs, values and priorities (Phil. 3:4-11).
Mark 3:13-14 – Jesus chose those He Himself wanted, appointed to be with Him, that He might send them out to preach, and to have power – just like Jesus! And He has chosen us. We often think of the Gospel as us choosing Christ and accepting Him, but when we do ‘choose Christ’, we find that He actually chose us and accepted us before ever we were looking for Him!
Last week we looked at Peter. This week we look at Thomas and John.
Thomas
| We’re introduced to him in the list of disciples that Jesus chose Mark 3:13-15 ,18 | name means ‘the twin’. He was one of those instructed by Jesus (Luke 6:20) and sent out (Matt. 10:5) |
| Next time we see him is late in Jesus’ ministry John 11:16 | the realist, glass half empty, risk taker, devoted, brave, misunderstood the mission |
| Then in the Upper Room at the Last Supper John 14:5 | the spokesman, said what others were thinking, inquisitive, needed to know, wanted to go with Jesus wherever |
| Then, famously, after Jesus resurrection John 20:24-28 | the sceptic, needed evidence, became the worshipper, first to call Jesus God |
| Later, joins Peter and the others fishing John 21:1-3 | back to normal, good while it lasted but now we get on with life |
Finally, he’s one of those in the Upper Room Acts 1:13, and by implication in Acts 2 with the coming of the Holy Spirit
Church history – went out across the Middle East – Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and finally India in AD52, (c. 3,500 miles) where he preached the gospel far and wide on the west coast, travelled across to the east coast, where he was martyred and is buried at Madras (Chennai). There is a denomination which traces its history back to him – Mar Thoma – it even has a church in Liverpool, which worships in one of the Indian languages.
John
| Mark 1:19-20 | James always first |
| Mark 3:17 | sons of thunder |
| Luke 9:54 | illustrated! |
| Mark 10:35-37 | places of honour (Matthew tells us their mother made the request) NB context of Jesus talking about suffering and death vv.32-34 |
| John 13:23 | Disciple Jesus loved! (NB Peter v8, 24) |
| John 19:26 | at the Cross |
| John 20:2 | first to the empty Tomb |
| Acts 3:1 | Healing paralyzed man |
| Acts 4:19-21 | Answering the High Priest and his family, and cautioned |
| Acts 8:14 | Sent with Peter to Samaria |
| Gal. 2:9 | Pillar of the church |
| Rev. 1:1,9 | Received the Revelation of Jesus Christ |
Church history – took Mary in at Jesus’ death, and eventually to Ephesus; “Little children, love one another”
Look at his epistles, written nearly 60 years later expounding His Master’s commandment in Jn.13:34-35
1 John 2:7-11; 3:11, 16-19; 4:7-12, 16-17, 19-21