Thursday 4 July 2013

How the Apostles died



How the Apostles died.

This may interest our Christian brothers and sisters. Please spare just few minutes to read and ponder over this. Thanks.

"For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake". - Philippians 1:29


1 Matthew
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.

2 Mark
Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.
3 Luke
Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.

4 John
Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered From death.
John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos ..
He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

5 Peter
He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross.
According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

6 James
The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.
* This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

7 James the Great
Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer Walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and Knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

8 Bartholomew
Also known as Nathaniel Was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

9 Andrew
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors For two days until he expired.

10 Thomas
Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub-continent.

11 Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

12 Matthias

The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

13 Paul
Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.
Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire.
These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.
Perhaps this is a reminder to us That our sufferings here Are indeed minor compared To the intense persecution
And cold cruelty faced by the apostles And disciples during their times For the sake of the Faith. And ye shall be hated Of all men for my name's sake: But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew
Faith is not believing that God can, It is knowing that God WILL!"
Jesus' Death
The Death of Jesus

For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever
You're doing and take this opportunity! Let's see if Satan
Can stop this.


THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS
At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to death . At the time
Crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst
Criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was Even
more dreadful for Jesus, unlike Other criminals condemned
to death by Crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the
Cross by His hands and feet.
Each nail Was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails Were driven into
His wrist. Not Into His palms as is commonly Portrayed.
There's a tendon in the wrist that Extends to the shoulder.
The Roman guards knew That when the nails were being
hammered into the Wrist that tendon would tear and
Break, forcing Jesus to use His back Muscles to support
himself so that He could Breath.
Both of His feet Were nailed together. Thus He was forced to
Support Himself on the single nail that Impaled His feet to the
cross. Jesus could Not support himself with His legs
because of the pain So He was forced to alternate between
arching His Back then using his legs just to continue to
Breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the Suffering, the courage.
Jesus endured this Reality for over 3 hours. Yes, Over 3 hours!
Can you imagine this kind of Suffering? A few minutes before
He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water
From his wounds. From common images We see wounds to
His hands and feet and even the spear wound To His side...
But do we realize His wounds Were actually made in his body.
A hammer Driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped And an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But Before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and Beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the Flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His Face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The Crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men Would not have survived this torture. " He had no more blood To bleed out, only water poured from His Wounds. The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood. Jesus poured all 3.5 Liters of his blood;
He had three nails hammered into His Members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond That, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His Chest..
All these without Mentioning the humiliation He suffered after carrying His own Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his Face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, Only for its higher part, where His hands were Nailed). Jesus had To endure this experience, to open theGates of Heaven, So that you can have free Access to God. So that your sins
Could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception!
Don't ignore this situation.
1. Simply Pray for the person who sent this message to You:
2.Then, send this Message to people.. The more the better.
3. People will Pray for you and you will make that many people pray to God For other people.
4. Take a Moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, for
Doing what pleases Him.
He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33): "Everyone therefore Who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me before others, I also will deny before My Father in he
aven".

Friday 8 March 2013

MONEY MATTERS



MONEY MATTERS
Introduction
Money matters, of course. It matters to you, and it matters to God. That's why the Bible has so much to say about it. There's nothing wrong with money. We all find it pretty useful. But it's the craving some people have for more and more of it, the things they do to get it, and how they then use it that can be evil.
In the world the man with money is usually respected as a man of influence, while the poor person is often despised. Though it's not like that in the kingdom of God, your attitude toward money and how you handle it is seen as a test of your character. When Christ bought you for Himself, He bought you outright, your possessions and all. You cannot therefore give yourself wholly to Him without giving your money and your possessions. This means that you no longer own anything, you just manage it for God. One day He is going to summon all His "managers," you and me included, and ask us to give an account of how we handled what He entrusted to us. This lesson is to help you to become a good manager, so that you won't blush when you have to give your answer.
Read 1 Timothy 6:3-10
Money can be dangerous!
The Bible speaks of money as being both an instrument for the kingdom of God (Luke 16:9) and "a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Tim. 6:10). That proves it isn't the money itself but our attitude toward it and how we use it that makes the difference. Here are some important safeguards:
1. Don't love it or get infected by the "get rich quick" fever of the world. See what 1 Timothy 6:6-10 says are the tragic spiritual results of wanting to be rich. Note the remedy for this wrong attitude: learning to be content with what God provides.
2. Don't make a god of it. "You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matt. 6:24). Whatever you put in the place of God is an idol. Don't be an idolater. Many Christians have drifted far from God because they put money and prosperity in that first place that rightly belonged to God.
3. Don t hoard it up. Men "lay up treasure on earth" for security, but your treasures can be corrupted and your money taken from you (Matt. 6:19). Instead of hoarding up what is "so uncertain" (1 Tim. 6:17), we should invest what we do not need in the kingdom of God. That's laying up treasure in heaven. That will not prevent us from making adequate provision for our families (1 Tim. 5:8).
4. Don't run into debt. Christians who are always running into debt are poor managers and bad advertisements for the kingdom of God. The only ongoing debt we are allowed is "to love one another" (Rom. 13:8). House mortgages are not debts, but watch those credit cards. Don't let them tempt you to buy what you can't afford.

Your money is God's
As a Christian you and all that you have belong to God. Your money is like the "talents" (Matt. 25:14 ff) your Master entrusts you with and gives you freedom to use, but it is really His. He is testing you to see whether you will be "faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2) as His manager, or "wasteful" (Luke 16:1). One day we shall have to give an account.  
Learning to give
God is the greatest giver (John 3:16), and you are called to be like Him. You don't do God a favor by your giving. You are simply recognizing that it's all His anyway. Some have a special gift of giving (Rom. 12:8), not necessarily because they are wealthy but because they have faith for this. Offering hospitality is an additional and valuable means of giving (1 Pet. 4:9). How should we give?
1. Freely and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7). It's not meant to be like having a tooth pulled out!
2. According to what you receive (1 Cor. 16:2). Heaven estimates our giving by comparing what we give with what we keep (Mark 12:41-44).
3. Systematically and prayerfully. This is not rummaging around in your pocket or purse at the last moment (1 Cor. 16:2).
4. Secretly. We're not to make a big show of how generous we are (Matt. 6:1-4).

Sowing and reaping
This is how Scripture likens giving (2 Cor. 9:6-11): for every grain you sow, you may expect to reap many more. Generous reaping depends on generous sowing (v. 6), and you reap spiritual blessing, not just financial (v. 10). See what a generous return God promises you (Luke 6:38).
Tithes and offerings
Tithing is giving a tenth of what you receive back to God. Offerings were additional gifts-how much and how often is a matter of free will, hence "free will offerings." In the Old Testament, tithes were for the support of priests and Levites. Similarly in the church, tithes are for the support of people (full-time shepherds or those who are in need) and offerings are generally for church expenses, special projects, or for the work of God outside your own congregation that you may want to support. When the people failed to bring their tithes and offerings into God's house to support His servants, God said they were robbing Him (Mal. 3:8-10).






Excerpts:
From Living God’s Way
By: Arthur Wallis

MONEY MATTERS



MONEY MATTERS
Introduction
Money matters, of course. It matters to you, and it matters to God. That's why the Bible has so much to say about it. There's nothing wrong with money. We all find it pretty useful. But it's the craving some people have for more and more of it, the things they do to get it, and how they then use it that can be evil.
In the world the man with money is usually respected as a man of influence, while the poor person is often despised. Though it's not like that in the kingdom of God, your attitude toward money and how you handle it is seen as a test of your character. When Christ bought you for Himself, He bought you outright, your possessions and all. You cannot therefore give yourself wholly to Him without giving your money and your possessions. This means that you no longer own anything, you just manage it for God. One day He is going to summon all His "managers," you and me included, and ask us to give an account of how we handled what He entrusted to us. This lesson is to help you to become a good manager, so that you won't blush when you have to give your answer.
Read 1 Timothy 6:3-10
Money can be dangerous!
The Bible speaks of money as being both an instrument for the kingdom of God (Luke 16:9) and "a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Tim. 6:10). That proves it isn't the money itself but our attitude toward it and how we use it that makes the difference. Here are some important safeguards:
1. Don't love it or get infected by the "get rich quick" fever of the world. See what 1 Timothy 6:6-10 says are the tragic spiritual results of wanting to be rich. Note the remedy for this wrong attitude: learning to be content with what God provides.
2. Don't make a god of it. "You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matt. 6:24). Whatever you put in the place of God is an idol. Don't be an idolater. Many Christians have drifted far from God because they put money and prosperity in that first place that rightly belonged to God.
3. Don t hoard it up. Men "lay up treasure on earth" for security, but your treasures can be corrupted and your money taken from you (Matt. 6:19). Instead of hoarding up what is "so uncertain" (1 Tim. 6:17), we should invest what we do not need in the kingdom of God. That's laying up treasure in heaven. That will not prevent us from making adequate provision for our families (1 Tim. 5:8).
4. Don't run into debt. Christians who are always running into debt are poor managers and bad advertisements for the kingdom of God. The only ongoing debt we are allowed is "to love one another" (Rom. 13:8). House mortgages are not debts, but watch those credit cards. Don't let them tempt you to buy what you can't afford.

Your money is God's
As a Christian you and all that you have belong to God. Your money is like the "talents" (Matt. 25:14 ff) your Master entrusts you with and gives you freedom to use, but it is really His. He is testing you to see whether you will be "faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2) as His manager, or "wasteful" (Luke 16:1). One day we shall have to give an account. Page 33
Learning to give
God is the greatest giver (John 3:16), and you are called to be like Him. You don't do God a favor by your giving. You are simply recognizing that it's all His anyway. Some have a special gift of giving (Rom. 12:8), not necessarily because they are wealthy but because they have faith for this. Offering hospitality is an additional and valuable means of giving (1 Pet. 4:9). How should we give?
1. Freely and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7). It's not meant to be like having a tooth pulled out!
2. According to what you receive (1 Cor. 16:2). Heaven estimates our giving by comparing what we give with what we keep (Mark 12:41-44).
3. Systematically and prayerfully. This is not rummaging around in your pocket or purse at the last moment (1 Cor. 16:2).
4. Secretly. We're not to make a big show of how generous we are (Matt. 6:1-4).

Sowing and reaping
This is how Scripture likens giving (2 Cor. 9:6-11): for every grain you sow, you may expect to reap many more. Generous reaping depends on generous sowing (v. 6), and you reap spiritual blessing, not just financial (v. 10). See what a generous return God promises you (Luke 6:38).
Tithes and offerings
Tithing is giving a tenth of what you receive back to God. Offerings were additional gifts-how much and how often is a matter of free will, hence "free will offerings." In the Old Testament, tithes were for the support of priests and Levites. Similarly in the church, tithes are for the support of people (full-time shepherds or those who are in need) and offerings are generally for church expenses, special projects, or for the work of God outside your own congregation that you may want to support. When the people failed to bring their tithes and offerings into God's house to support His servants, God said they were robbing Him (Mal. 3:8-10).



Excerpts:
From Living God’s Way
By: Arthur Wallis

Why Do We Suffer As Christians?



SUFFERING FOR CHRIST

Key Scriptures

Philippians 1:29           Hebrews 2:10
1 Peter 2:21                 Colossians 1:24
1 Peter 4:1-2, 12-19
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.”
– Phil. 1:29
“ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”
 – 1Peter 2:21
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
– Hebrews 2:10
“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.”
– Colossians 1:24
Why Do We Suffer?
Suffering is a fact of life. To those outside of Christ it is an enigma, to those who are in Christ it is a necessity! There can be no whole view of discipleship which does not take suffering into its perspective. We are surrounded by it on every hand and we experience it daily in our walk with God.
Suffering is not the same for the believer as for the unbeliever. To the person who has not experienced the love of Christ for himself, the fact of all the suffering in the world may be the very thing that prevents him from finding God. Whilst we need to sympathise totally with men and women in their distress, we must remember the awful fact of man's own responsibility for much of the mess in which he finds himself. Man was created as a responsible agent by God and given the government of every created thing. Man's failure to carry out that responsibility is reflected in the distortion and tragedy we see all around us. Sin corrupts and distorts, it destroys and opposes anything intrinsically good. Sin is at the root of all the suffering in our world today, because it is a world that no longer manifests the harmony, balance and beauty in which God created it. The world lies under the control of Satan. He has become the 'god of this age' (2 Corinthians 4:4) ever since man relinquished his stewardship of creation. Man's sin gave Satan the opportunity he had been waiting for to take over and pervert the goodness of God's own creation.
God is not indifferent to suffering. God took suffering into His very heart when He let His innocent Son die on the cross on our behalf (Isaiah 53:4). The cross was the reversal of the power of Satan and sin. Christ is now King and His Kingdom rules over all and we are part of it as disciples of Jesus.





Courtesy:
Understanding the Dept of Discipleship
{The Foundations of Christian Living}
By: Bob Gordon with David Fardouly.