Matthew, the Apostle - A testimony of gratefulness

Matthew the Apostle (A.D.60)

Matthew, also called Levi, was a former tax collector and later an apostle.  The Jewish folks during Matthew’s time considered the tax collectors at par with sinners and viewed them as traitors as they collected tax on behalf of the Romans.  Like the other tax collectors, Matthew also may have collected taxes using illegal means because the Lord told the judgmental Jewish folks that He came to call the sinners.  The love that Matthew received from the Lord must have come as a surprise to him considering the routine animosity he faced in his hometown, Capernaum.  Later, we read that Matthew was moved by gratefulness that he arranged a feast at his home inviting Christ, his friends, and the other tax collectors.  Though he was running a highly profitable enterprise, he followed Christ immediately leaving it all behind when he received a call from the Lord.  Further, it is clearly understood by Matthew's writing style that he was a person with great humility. 

Matthew, the apostle was a man with fewer words to speak, yet he wrote the gospel with such perfection covering a wide range of events happened during the time of our Lord Jesus Christ extensively with over 130 Old Testament quotes.  The way this gospel is structured alone will tell how Apostle Matthew was a spiritually strong and mature person in the Lord.  He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterward, translated into Greek by James the Less, which was cited by the early Christian Historian Eusebius. The scenes of Matthew’s labors were Parthia and Ethiopia.  Later, he suffered martyrdom in Nabadah, Ethiopia, being slain with a halberd in A.D. 60.

Matthew the tax collector became an evangelist who laid down his life for the Lord because he was touched by the real love right when he was sitting in his tax collecting office.  He had done nothing to deserve such a love.  The Lord Jesus asked Matthew to follow Him and then later visited his home and dined with him.  What I learn from the testimony of a person like Matthew is to be grateful for God's love.  In a way we all are tax collectors of this world, doing sinful things, taking more than what we deserve and giving less in return, still holding our offices of sin.  This is when we were loved by the Lord and to the judging people of the world, He proclaimed that He came to save sinners like us.  Such a reach of love by our loving God should create an overwhelming surge of gratefulness above everything in all our walks of life.  Amen 

James, the Great

James – Son of Thunder (A.D. 44)

James was the first apostle to face martyrdom and the account of his execution is given in the Acts of Apostle written by Apostle Luke.  This was the second martyrdom and it occurred ten years after Stephen slept in the Lord.  James and his brother John were sons of Zebedee and were among the first few to be called by the Lord Jesus Christ to discipleship when they were mending their nets in the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  Later, James also became one of the three close inner circle members of the Lord who also witnessed the transfiguration of Christ in the Mount Hermon.  The character of the two brothers would have been straightforward with thunderous attitude, and maybe that’s why they had earned the nickname Boanerges, meaning Sons of Thunder from the Lord. 

At the beginning of Christ’s ministry, little did Salome and her two children, James and John knew what was in store for them in the future when they had asked for a place on either side of the Lord Jesus in His kingdom.  The positions were not assured though, but however, what they received was a promise of obtaining the Lord’s cup of drink with which to drink someday.

James, the Great

Herod Agrippa didn’t have any respect for the churches and when he laid hands on James and beheaded him with a sword, he saw that it pleased the Jews.  From then on, he began to persecute the Christians.  The Foxes book of martyrs describes the account given by an early writer Clemens Alexandrinus that, as James was led to the place where he would be executed, his accuser repented witnessing the courage and faith of the apostle James.  He fell down at the feet of James and accepted Christ.  Later, both were beheaded at the same time.  Thus, the apostle who by then knew what was the cup of the Lord drank from it cheerfully and willingly.  The whole story of James gives an extraordinary courage in our hearts even today.  From a thunderous one to a truly courageous person, James had come a long way in faith.  We see a resolute, mature and calm believer who was not afraid of the dangers that seemed to persecute him for loving the Savior, Lord Jesus.  

Stephen - The First Martyr

The day Jesus Stood in Heaven – Martyrdom of St. Stephen

Acts 6:5- 7:60

Stephen was a well-attested man, full of Spirit and wisdom.  Further, the scripture says that he was full of grace and power, and did great wonders and signs among the people. 

Stephen’s testimony

Wisdom could never be hidden; it’s like a light in the darkness.  The person with godly wisdom is like sweet fragrance which spreads in the wind and shares the pleasantness to places wherever it travels.  Such was the wisdom Stephen received from God, in which His reputation was peerless in that time against the synagogues that rose up and disputed with him (Acts 6:9).  Though the members of the synagogues were united to confront Stephen, who with his teachings was shaking the very foundations of Judaic traditions, and none was able to withstand him in the matters of wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.  Then, we can see the age-old tactic of the devil coming into play.  The evil men when not able to withstand truth, resorted to accusations of blasphemous lies to save their kingdom of wickedness.  The mob was instigated against the man who had the face of an Angel.   The attitude of Stephen against such persecution is noteworthy, which sets him apart as a precious testimony in the early churches.  He was calm and composed, remained silent until he was given a chance to speak.  The strategy Stephen in the Spirit employed here against the blasphemous and unwise accusations is a narration of the biblical history of God’s engagement with the people displaying his sound knowledge.  He emphasized God’s promises, His protection, His judgment, His leading, and His dwelling place among several other things.  Stephen’s speech continued till the point the Jewish people were exasperated and gnashed their teeth in great anger.  He was courageous and knew that his earthly journey was about to finish.  Then, he looked up intently into heaven seeing the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  And then, to seal his fate at the hands of his persecutors, he told what he saw in the heaven to the berserk crowd who rushed upon him with one accord.  They threw him outside of the city and stoned him.  Even in the face of death, he was able to kneel down and pray in loud voice to the Almighty to forgive his killers and yielded his spirit to the receiving hands of God. 

I pray for the Lord's abundant grace for us to ponder upon the life of Stephen and increase in our measure of faith.  Stephen's attitude in the face of formidable odds, his forgiving nature, his faith, and his courage, was a milestone in the Christian faith that set up a strong foundation upon which God proceeded to raise His church from the early days.  Amen.

Testimonies have Properties

Testimonies are the foundation on which the church is being built even today.  Throughout the centuries, many Saints have considered themselves of no value while laying down their lives for Christ.  These sacrifices never went waste, but the Lord used them to build His church as per His will in Life and Power. 

The Churches have combined together to become the body of Christ and are functioning on behalf of God to spread Love, healing, blessings, and Himself as life, to deprived people of the world today.

These messages are precious because, like many others, my life too turned upside down for good reading the testimonies of the Christian right from the Apostolic time.  I was not the same person after reading the faithfulness of the believers who against atrocities and persecution of the highest order to renounce Christ, relented not to the devil and his schemes till the very end.  The church history has scores of such witnesses, testimonies, mostly heart-rending, but every story had the capacity to build a person in faith like it built many like me.

We may with our shallow mind might think sometimes that the Lord had failed to protect some of His saints during their difficult times, but when we see it in faith, we see a miraculous building property behind every such sacrifice.  This was possible due to the unwavering faith of the saints and their love for the Lord with which they cooperated with Him to carry out His work on earth.  This site is dedicated to such great saints of the Lord.  My endeavor is to enlighten you with a glimpse of the life of each saint one by one and appreciate their faith in the face of the formidable odds they faced.  Much of them will put us to shame considering the fact how often we betray our Lord when faced with even a little difficulty in our lives today.

The sole of purpose of this journal, as I may say, is to kindle your faith and challenge you to have a higher standard progressively in blessedness, in Life, in the Lord, in the church and in everything that the Lord wants to find His pleasure in your lives.  May God the Almighty bless you and keep you until His return or our return to Him.  Hallelujah.