​As we continue our study of the Apostles, we turn our attention to a group of lesser-known Apostles. Though they aren’t mentioned much in Scripture, Jesus chose these three young men from His disciples to be His apostles: James the son of Alphaeus; Judas (not Iscariot), who was also called Lebbaeus and Thaddaeus; and Simon the Cananite, who was also called Simon the zealot.

These young men were unlikely to be chosen. In fact, if we were to select a group of people to change the world, we would most likely never pair some of these people together. Not only was this group of 12 a group of different personalities, but also a group of different perspectives. But with Jesus as their Lord and the Holy Spirit in their hearts, they turned the world upside down.

Watch our study from Sunday as we consider the impact these men had on the world for the cause of Christ.

​This past Sunday, we continued our study of the Apostles—the unlikely ones Jesus chose to be with Him. As we considered Thomas and Matthew, we again see the kinds of people God calls to follow Him. Thomas was a realist who was often perceived as a pessimist. Matthew was a notorious tax collector—a traitor to the Israelites. But we see that Jesus looks beyond those attributes and changes them from the inside out.

Maybe you feel like you say the wrong things and are often misunderstood. Or perhaps you feel like your heart and mind just aren’t working quite right. Jesus loves you as much as He loves Thomas and Matthew. He wants to be with you and mend your broken heart—not just sad hearts, but hearts that don’t function as they should. This is His specialty. He isn’t repulsed or annoyed by your personality. He’s not confused by who you are. He knows you and He loves you—and He’s calling you too!

Watch our study of Thomas and Matthew as we continue to be amazed by God’s grace!

​Philip and Bartholomew were Apostles of Jesus. They were also real people—just like us. And just like us, Jesus loved them so much that He received them just as they were. But Jesus loves us too much to leave us as we are. He fined-tunes, harnesses, and focuses the best parts of our personalities while He alters, transforms, and changes those parts of us that need His touch.

As we continue considering the unlikely ones that Jesus chose to be His Apostles, we turn our attention to Philip and Bartholomew. While scripture has more to say about Philip than Bartholomew, they are paired in the snapshots we studied from the Gospel of John. 

Watch our study as we examine the responses of these men when Jesus asked them to do something that seemed impossible. 

​When Jesus considered sending out ministry workers into the harvest, He didn’t send experts from the religious institutions in Jerusalem or a group of super-spiritual and committed people like John the Baptist. He chose and sent a rag-tag bunch of young men from Galilee to radically change the world.

We’ve been considering these young men and getting to know them better. As we do, we can see that they aren’t the stained glass saints we often think they are. They were people like us: full of flaws yet full of faith—the kind of people Jesus calls and uses. 

This past Sunday, we considered James and John—two brothers with a reputation for retribution. They were sectarian, zealous, and ambitious, known informally as the “Sons of Thunder,”… yet they were changed eternally by the love of Jesus.

​This past Sunday, we continued our study of the twelve ordinary men Jesus called to be His apostles and focused our attention on Andrew. Although we read more about his older brother (Simon Peter) God knew that this quiet, bold, faithful, and humble man would be willing to do what God had called him to—the good work of The Good Shepherd.

There are three passages in the Gospel of John where Andrew is mentioned individually. In each instance, we see Andrew bringing people to Jesus. Watch our study of Andrew as we meditate on his willingness to come to Jesus and concern that others would come to Christ, too.

​Jesus, fully God and fully man, is still only one man. He knows that the opportunities for pastoral ministry are endless, but those willing to partner in the work with Him are few. He instructed His disciples to pray that more workers would be sent into His harvest.

When these ordinary people prayed, they probably thought that God would send experts from religious institutions in Jerusalem or super-spiritual people like John the Baptist to do this work. Jesus certainly wouldn’t choose them to be the fulfillment of their prayer…would He?

As we continue our study from Matthew 9 to Matthew 10, we read that Jesus did just that—calling gloriously ordinary people, equipping them for ministry, and sending them out as ambassadors for Him. And first on this list was Simon, who is called Peter.

Watch our study from Sunday as we consider this fisherman from Galilee who became a fisher of men only through the transformation that Jesus made in his life.

​All of us are called to glorify God in all that we do—no matter the specific call God has for our life. Whether you’re an artist, teacher, banker, plumber, or pastor, God’s call on your life is no less holy and no more sacred than anybody else’s call. The key to bringing God glory is seeing our calling as from Him and for Him. It’s for Him that we work and labor. 

No matter where or to what He has called you, the opportunity for pastoral ministry is plentiful. But those willing to actually do the work and labor are few. We know this because Jesus said it was so. And after He encouraged His disciples to pray for more workers, He sent them to do this work. Those that He sent weren’t the religious elites. They were ordinary people who had been with Him. 

People probably questioned Jesus about His invitation to the unlikeliest ones to join Him in the good work of The Good Shepherd. And yet, it was His plan so that He would receive the glory. Watch our study of Matthew 10:1-4 as we consider why Jesus chose the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty things.

​When Jesus saw the multitude around Him, He was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd (Matthew 9:36). This is not just vivid imagery or poetic analogy, but the specific language God used in the Old Testament to describe His people. 

In Ezekiel 34, we read of God’s promise that one day He will be the Good Shepherd and do the good word of feeding, tending, and seeking and saving the lost. We find these qualities in The Good Shepherd—Jesus—as He cared for people by teaching, preaching, healing the hurting, and alleviating suffering.  

Watch our study of Matthew 9:27-37 as we consider the good work of The Good Shepherd.

​Have you ever had a situation where you’ve tried every option and exhausted every resource? And yet, there seems to be a two-year-old in all of us that still says, “I can do it myself!” Eventually, our self-sufficiency and pride disappear when circumstances deplete our strength and resources so that nothing is left but to cry out to Jesus. 

Though He would rather be our first choice, Jesus is willing to be our last resort. When our desperation overrules our hesitation, we finally come face to face with Jesus and might expect anger and frustration, but instead, Jesus shows us compassion, mercy, and grace.

Watch our study of Matthew 9:18-26 and Mark 5:21-43 as we encounter two daughters and a dad desperate for Jesus to help them, coming to Him as their last resort.

​God chose to pour new wine into new wineskins. He decided to pour the person and power of the Holy Spirit into the most unlikely of vessels. But why? So that no one could boast and God alone would get all the glory. 

In this way, the adventure of the Great Commission could be available to anyone that Jesus would call to follow Him—even if that person is considered lower than low, like a tax collector named Levi.

Watch our study of Matthew 9:14-17 and Luke 5:27-39 as we consider why Jesus came to introduce something new, not to patch up something old.