Tag Archives: Believe

Twelve apostles and their mission (Matthew 10: 1-15)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus calls the twelve apostles: Simon (called Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James, Thaddaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrays him. He gives them the mission to drive out evil spirits, heal the sick and lepers, and bring the dead back to life. Jesus tells them to preach the Good News in Israel, instead of the lands of the Gentiles and Samarians. He tells his disciples to leave with nothing but their clothes and not to accept money nor beg. They are to seek shelter in each new town and greet their host with peace. If they are not welcome, they are to “shake the dust off their feet” and move on to the next town. Jesus assures them that an unwelcoming town will receive no mercy on Judgment Day.

My Thoughts:

Characters of the story: Matthew summarizes the characters in his story very succinctly. He mentions the disciples’ relationships as brothers and sons, that Simon is renamed Peter (we learn why later), that Matthew is a tax collector and that Judas betrays Jesus. Mathew then tells us the apostles’ mission: to preach the Good News and heal people.

Reason to believe: Jesus asks a lot of his disciples – to leave with nothing, to expect others to feed and shelter them, and to just keep moving on from town to town, whether the people want to hear the Good News or not. It is interesting that many people use Jesus’ miraculous birth, healing powers, and many miracles to prove his divinity. Frankly, the fact that these twelve people were willing to give up their lives, initially in preaching the Good News and later in fact, with no earthly reward, speaks volumes for Jesus’ closeness to God.

No Gentiles: It was surprising to read that Jesus had the apostles focus on the Jews. I always thought they mainly spoke to the Gentiles. Maybe I’m getting ahead of the story.

Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” Speech

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most powerful speakers of all time. Listen to his full I Have a Dream speech video on YouTube to see for yourself. I believe most people have never heard the beginning of the speech, so I recommend listening to the whole speech. However, if you are just interested in the “I Have a Dream” part, it starts around 12:20.

Dr. King emulated the teachings of Jesus, especially the non-violent methods presented at the Sermon on the Mount that we have been learning about in the Gospel according to Matthew. He had such power, such conviction, to stand up for what he believed in, to give the ultimate sacrifice – now that is truly living!

I am not sure what Dr. King would think about his dream 59 years later. The drum major was shot down five years after this speech and no one could really fill the same role after. He would likely be happy the Obamas are in the White House, but still unsatisfied with the conditions of our inner-cities and lost dreams of many. There is so much potential. You just have to believe.

Believe: Tebow wins with 316 passing yards

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The big question is – would God really favor one football team? He seems to as Tim Tebow put up 316 passing yards yesterday to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL wild card playoff game in “Mile High” stadium.

The 316 yards matches an often quoted Gospel passage John 3:16 which reads, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die, but have eternal life.”

I watched most of the game on TV and caught a glimpse of a sign held by a Denver fan which read “Believe, Believe, Believe” and Denver fans are believing today. I mean, what are the chances? Going into overtime, Tebow needed 80 yards passing to reach the 316 number and got it in one strike to Demaryius Thomas to seal the win.

Look out New England Patriots, you never know what God has in store this Saturday.