A S P E C T S - a monthly devotional journal For subscription information on receiving Aspects every month via e-mail, or the laser-printed edition by mail, see NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION near the end of this file. Aspects is written by David S. Lampel. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #17, April 1992 (Internet Edition) C O M P A N I O N S & W A R R I O R S : M A R K 3 : 1 3 - 1 9 ----------------------------------------------------------------- In this issue: Perspective - Even God Wants Friends Perspective - Contributions Perspective - The Battle is the Lord's-- But We're the Foot Soldiers Perspective - Whatever Happened to . . . Perspective - Just Itching to Solo Perspective - The Call to Discipleship ----------------------------------------------------------------- Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. -LUK 6:12 NKJV And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. -MAR 3:13-19 NKJV ____________________________ Every year the same holiday rolls around, inserting itself into our rather mundane routines--another event manufactured by the greeting card industry: Father's Day. Treated with not quite the solemnity of Mother's Day, it is, nevertheless, a wonderful opportunity to honor the male of the species. Back when I lived in a place where I had friends, the same thing would happen whenever this holiday landed on the calendar page. Most of my male friends were dads, and they would always preen a little during this time, beaming from the uncommon adulation coming from their children and wives. And our conversations always seemed to take the same well-worn path: My friends, viewing the holiday from their perspective as progenitors, would usually drop a remark--sometimes small and accidental, sometimes pointed and intentional--to the effect that I--as a male of the species without offspring--could not possibly share in this wondrous event. And every year I would point out--sometimes with amused courtesy, sometimes with bruised fervor--that, while not the father of a son, I was, indeed, the son of a father. And so I, too, could share in this special time (perhaps more unselfishly than they) as a son honoring his dad, just as their sons and daughters were honoring theirs. ____________________________ Shortly after Jesus' wilderness trials, He set about selecting His closest disciples. When we examine this process for its application to our own Spiritual walk, we can choose to consider it from one of two perspectives: As the disciple, or as the one doing the discipling. I suggest there are lessons for us in both, for, as members of God's kingdom, we are--by adoption--disciples, and we are--by calling--those who should be discipling others. We are to be at once the student and the master. Why did Jesus want--or need--disciples? (Like a broken record, again I ask why?) The answer can be found in Mark 3:14-15: And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons. NASB(1) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective E V E N G O D W A N T S F R I E N D S ------------- How human of our Lord to want companions. Consistently throughout the New Testament, the dichotomy of Jesus Christ's life is displayed: consistently we see evidence of His deity, and repeatedly we see His humanity displayed. We are very often reminded of the burden Jesus bore with His disciples; after all, they were mostly uneducated blue-collar workers who seemed to have their level of teachability stuck in neutral. It often seems like they were millstones about the neck of Christ, dragging HIm down when they should have been lifting Him up. But imagine what the trials of those three years would have been like for Jesus if He had not had these companions. What a comfort they must have been to Him on those long, walking journeys down dusty roads. What a joy it must have been for Him to watch their immature faith slowly take root in His patient teachings. That's the master's perspective; the one discipling gains something from those he disciples. But what about the student's perspective? And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him... Jesus knew the twelve closest disciples would gain immeasurable experience and wisdom by walking with Him day by day. To gain this, they would have to be with Him--not just attend a few lectures. The essence of being a disciple is that you stay close by the master--close enough to catch early-morning mutterings, to chuckle over the rumblings of hunger, to experience the response to frustrations, to listen to peaceful ramblings over dinner, to hear the snores of slumber. A true disciple experiences as fully as possible the life of the one discipling. "A disciple is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher."(5) As modern disciples of the same Master, what is our responsibility in this relationship? We are to be like Him.(6) It's not enough to understand His teachings, to acquire His knowledge; we must model ourselves after everything He was and still is. Into the Word ------------- DEITY HUMANITY ----------- ------------ JOH 2:13-16 MAT 4:1-2 JOH 4:25-26 LUK 8:23a MAT 17:1-13 LUK 22:41-44 Making it Personal ------------------ Why are we uneasy with certain "human" qualities of God the Father and Jesus? Take, for example, the time when Moses persuaded God to repent (change His mind).(2) Or the description of Jesus by the writer to the Hebrews, who said Jesus "learned obediance."(3) Do these represent weaknesses in our God? Could there have been a time when Jesus was incomplete? Can God really have His mind changed by man? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective C O N T R I B U T I O N S : A P R O J E C T ------------- O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee O Master, let me walk with Thee in lowly paths of service free; Tell me Thy secret; help me bear the strain of toil, the fret of care. Help me to slow the heart to move by some clear, winning word of love; Teach me the wayward feet to stay, and guide them in the homeward way. Teach me Thy patience! Still with Thee in closer, dearer company, In work that keeps faith sweet and strong, in trust that triumphs over wrong. In hope that sends a shining ray far down the future's broadening way, In peace that only Thou canst give, with Thee, O Master, let me live.(4) ____________________________ If it is true that Jesus wanted--or even needed--the companionship of His disciples, what did each of them bring to the relationship? What singular qualities did each disciple contribute to Jesus' life? SIMON PETER JAMES bar ZEBEDEE JOHN bar ZEBEDEE ANDREW PHILIP BARTHOLOMEW MATTHEW THOMAS JAMES bar ALPHAEUS THADDAEUS SIMON, THE ZEALOT JUDAS ISCARIOT Making it Personal ------------------ As our teacher, Jesus gives to us abundantly--without measure. What do you bring to the relationship? What do you contribute to this relationship with Jesus Christ? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective T H E B A T T L E I S T H E L O R D ' S (7) -- ------------- B U T W E ' R E T H E F O O T S O L D I E R S Recently Chuck Swindoll was speaking on the fall of the walls and conquest of Jericho by Joshua and the Israelites. As superb a story-teller as he is a Bible teacher, Pastor Swindoll(8) told of how the captain of the Lord's host(9) instructed Joshua to "March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."(10) And they did just that. For six days the people silently marched round the city, once per day, letting only the rams' horns speak for them. Then on the seventh day, they circled the city seven times, but at the sustained blast of the trumpets the people gave a great shout and the massive walls fell. And the city was theirs. Clearly the ruin of Jericho was the result of a miracle of God. Even under optimal atmospheric conditions, shouting voices are not going to make walls six feet thick disintegrate. So it begs the question: If God was responsible, why did He have the Israelites go through all that business of marching around, blowing rams' horns and shouting? Why didn't He just do it? Why did He choose to accomplish His miracle through the actions of a bunch of foot-sore Jews? Then He appointed twelve... that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons... The second reason Jesus called twelve men to walk and work with Him was that He needed ambassadors with which to send out His message of salvation and to heal the sick. They would live with Jesus--not only learning His words and observing His actions, but actually learning how to be like Him. But then what? What were they to do with all this new-found wisdom? There's a line in the song "Superstar" where Judas Iscariot (after his demise) sings to Jesus from a modern vantage point: Now why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land? If you'd come today you could have reached a whole nation; Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication.(11) With all due respect toward Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, God was perfectly capable of all kinds of mass communication--even back in 4 BC. You talk about "networking;" with a snap of His fingers Jesus could have established an instantaneous link to the ears and mind of every living person. His message of deliverance would have been immediately accessible to everyone--and with no interference from solar flares or storms over the North Pole. But whatever the reasons, it was decided that God's plan of salvation would be delivered slowly, methodically, like a soft summer breeze that turns into a gale. Jesus would come--not in a flaming chariot to the sound of trumpets, but as a newborn baby to the sound of lowing cattle. He would grow and mature at the pace of a normal child until, well into manhood, He would begin His ministry. Jesus would gather to Himself twelve ordinary men and patiently teach them and witness to them. Then, once He was gone from their midst, they would go out--traveling to near and distant lands--spreading from person to person His good news of salvation for all. They would also be getting their hands dirty. I think one of the reasons God chose to send His message by men (the first disciples) was that people generally respond more favorably to the personal touch. Over the years in my capacity as a computer programmer and consultant, I have learned that most people would rather learn something new through a living, breathing human being than through a printed computer manual. (Bad news for those of us who write computer manuals.) The gospel could have gone out in a pamphlet, but the Disciples were not just delivering words--they were delivering comfort, healing and freedom from the oppression of demons. They were the arms of Jesus being extended to a hurting world. ____________________________ "Satan, the great adversary, directs all his energy to prevent men becoming the subject of that illumination of which the gospel, as the revelation of the glory of Christ, is the source."(14) ____________________________ In a manner of speaking, these two commissions--preaching and the casting out of demons--go hand in hand. Jesus knew better than anyone that as ministers in His name, the Disciples would find themselves up against Satan's minions. Nothing stirs up the wrath of the Father of Lies as much as good preaching. Not only would the Twelve be called upon to minister to those possessed by demons, but they would need the Spiritual authority to do battle with Satan in their own lives. ____________________________ For All the Saints For all the saints who from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest: Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might, Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light: Alleluia! Alleluia! O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, And win with them the victor's crown of gold: Alleluia! Alleluia!(15) Into the Word ------------- "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -MAT 5:13-16 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," -MAT 5:43-44 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." -MAT 10:8 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -MAT 28:19-20 "You are witnesses of these things." -LUK 24:48 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." -ACT 1:8 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective W H A T E V E R H A P P E N E D T O . . . ------------- Simon Peter: Ministered in Antioch, Corinth and Rome--where he was martyred by being crucified upside down.(12) James bar Zebedee: Scripture records that James was beheaded by Herod (brother of Herodias) in 44 AD.(13) John: Lived to an old age; ministered in Jerusalem, Asia Minor, and Ephesus--during which time he wrote his gospel and three epistles. Banished to the island of Patmos by the Emporer Domitian, he there wrote the book of the Revelation. He returned to Ephesus after being set free by the Emporer Nerva and died a natural death, the last of the disciples to die. Andrew: Legend has him traveling to Greece and the province of Achaia; there he was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Philip: Tradition places him in the area of Galatia and Phrygia in Asia Minor. He died in Hierapolis, near Colossae and Laodicea. Bartholomew (or Nathanael): Just where Bartholomew preached is uncertain; legend has him meeting death by flogging, with his body being tied up in a sack and tossed into the sea. Matthew: Matthew preached to the Jews and died a marytr in Ethiopia. Thomas: Tradition places Thomas in many places: India, Parthia, Persia or even farther East; he may have died in a shower of arrows while praying. Thaddaeus: Said to have preached in the regions of Edessa, Armenia and Persia. James bar Alphaeus: Nothing but barest legend is known of James. Simon, the Zealot: Same as with James bar Alphaeus. Judas Iscariot: Met death at his own hand, after selling Jesus to the Jews for 30 pieces of silver. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective J U S T I T C H I N G T O S O L O ------------- Do you remember what it was like right before your dad or mom allowed you to first take the wheel of the car? For months--maybe years--you had been sitting there, traveling along as a passenger, silently observing every move the driver made. Let's see, first you push in the clutch, then turn the key; you put it into first gear, then eeeaase out the clutch while giving it a little gas; when the engine gets a little whiny, you push in the clutch and shift to second gear. . . It looked so easy, and you knew you could do it yourself. All this time you had been watching and learning from the one who already knew how to drive, and now you were convinced you were ready. What would it have felt like if your mom or dad had never let you take the wheel? What a waste! All that time spent learning, working the technique through your head, patiently acquiring a vast catalog of knowledge--all for nothing. Worse, what if after taking Driver's Ed in summer school, after even getting your license, the instructor had said, "Well, now you know everything there is about how to drive a car. Here's your bicycle back; you'll have to ride it for the rest of your life." Bummer! The day would come when the Disciples would be ready (whether they realized it or not). Like young birds being kicked out of the nest, it would be time for them to be on their own--to carry Jesus to the corners of the world. They weren't professional students--learning just for the sake of acquiring knowledge. The Twelve were workers, ambassadors. They were learning from Jesus for only one reason: to head out into the world and do it themselves. Making it Personal ------------------ Are You Ready to Solo? What have you learned from Jesus, and why? Are you a professional student: always learning--never doing? Jesus chose His personal Disciples so "He might send them out to preach..." Are you a disciple of Christ, or did He have only twelve? Are disciples only preachers? Is there a distinction between "disciple" and "servant?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective T H E C A L L T O D I S C I P L E S H I P ------------- b y D I E T R I C H B O N H O E F F E R "Discipleship means adherence to Christ, and, because Christ is the object of that adherence, it must take the form of discipleship. An abstract Christology, a doctrinal system, a general religious knowledge on the subject of grace or on the forgiveness of sins, render discipleship superfluous, and in fact they positively exclude any idea of discipleship whatever, and are essentially inimical(16) to the whole conception of following Christ. With an abstract idea it is possible to enter into a relation of formal knowledge, to become enthusiastic about it, and perhaps even to put it into practice; but it can never be followed in personal obediance. Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth which has a place for the Fatherhood of God, but omits Christ as the living Son. And a Christianity of that kind is nothing more or less than the end of discipleship. In such a religion there is trust in God, but no following of Christ. Because the Son of God became Man, because he is the Mediator, for that reason alone the only true relation we can have with him is to follow him. Discipleship is bound to Christ as the Mediator, and where it is properly understood, it necessarily implies faith in the Son of God as the Mediator. Only the Mediator, the God-Man, can call men to follow him. ____________________________ "Discipleship without Jesus is a way of our own choosing. It may be the ideal way. It may even lead to martyrdom, but it is devoid of all promise. Jesus will certainly reject it. ____________________________ "If we would follow Jesus we must take certain definite steps. The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. The call to follow at once produces a new situation. To stay in the old situation makes discipleship impossible. The only right and proper way is quite literally to go with Jesus. The call to follow implies that there is only one way of believing on Jesus Christ, and that is by leaving all and going with the incarnate Son of God."(17) ======================================================================== NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Notes ----- 1 Parallel passages: MAT 10:1-4; LUK 6:12-16. 2 EXO 32:9-14 3 HEB 5:8 4 Washington Gladden, Hymn #451 in The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration (WORD, 1986). 5 LUK 6:40 6 "Several aspects of the Rabbi-disciple relationship in first-century Judaism are significant. The disciple left his home and moved in with his teacher. He served the teacher in the most servile ways, treating him as an absolute authority. The disciple was expected not only to learn all that his rabbi knew but also to become like him in character and piety (MAT 10:24; LUK 6:40). The rabbi in return provided food and lodging and saw his own distinctive interpretations transmitted through his disciples to fu ture generations. So when Mark says that Jesus chose twelve men 'that they might be with him' (MAR 3:14), he accurately reflects contemporary understanding of how future leaders should be trained." (Lawrence O. Richards, Expository Dictionary of Bible Words (Zondervan, 1985), p.226) 7 "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give all of you into our hands." -1SA 17:47. 8 Charles R. Swindoll is speaker on the radio program "Insight for Living" and pastor of the First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton, California. 9 Most scholars agree this was not just your run-of-the-mill angel, but actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Swindoll concurs, pointing out that a common angel would not have told Joshua to remove his sandals because of the holiness of the ground. For a comparison, see EXO 3:1-5, ACT 12:6-8 and REV 18:21-19:10. 10 JOS 6:3-5 11 Tim Rice, from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar, c Copyright 1969, 1970 Leeds Music Ltd., London England. 12 The subsequent travels and eventual deaths of the Disciples can only rarely be authenticated. Most of their respective histories are based more on legend than fact. I offer it here not as absolute fact, but as "generally accepted tradition." In some cases we do know what happened to a disciple of Christ, but more often than not it is supposition based on letters, secular history and legend. The apocryphal nature of some of this information should not diminish what we do know: that the disciples were disp ersed and the Gospel was carried to many lands and sundry peoples. Most of the information included here is from Thirteen Men Who Changed the World, by H.S. Vigeveno (Gospel Light Publications, 1966). 13 ACT 12:2 14 Charles Hodge, More Gathered Gold (Evangelical Press, 1988), p.280. 15 William W. How, Hymn #546 in The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration (WORD, 1986). 16 Since I had to look this word up, I thought that maybe there might be others who would need to, too. Inimical means: 1. like an enemy; hostile, unfriendly 2. in opposition; adverse; unfavorable. 17 From The Cost of Discipleship (MacMillan, c.1963) by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. "Among the Flossenberg martyrs was a remarkable young Lutheran pastor named Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who had joined the underground convinced that it was his duty as a Christian to work for Hitler's defeat. Bonhoeffer was only 39 when he died, but he had already made a monumental contribution to Christian thought, which today has profound and growing significance for both theologian and layman." Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed by the S. S. on April 9th, 1945. Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in Aspects is Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. 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