Commands of Christ

In the life of Epaphroditus of Philippi we have a splendid example of a selfless Christian. The Apostle Paul said of this man: “Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me” (Philippians 2:30). Epaphroditus demonstrated the command of Christ to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

No one would have suspected that Judas would be the betrayer of Christ. In many religious paintings of the Last Supper, Judas Iscariot is portrayed as a swarthy, sinister-looking man who is readily identified as the villain. But the Bible record presents an entirely different picture. Judas Iscariot would have passed as among the most faithful of the Lord’s disciples.

James, the son of Zebedee, held the distinction of being the first of Christ’s apostles to lay down his life as a martyr. James and his brother John are at the center of all the action in the Gospel record. These two brothers were always named nearest to Christ. Along with their parents, Zebedee and Salome, we find a splendid example of an entire family loving and serving Jesus together.

Paul wrote to Timothy that “Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.” Perhaps this little statement is in Scripture to teach us this lesson from the life of Trophimus. We cannot expect our problems to cease when we become a Christian. Whether healthy or sick, God is still and always good. We can assuredly take upon ourselves Christ’s yoke and wholly trust that He will give us the strength to carry whatever burden He gives us to bear.

Although Joseph was descended from a long line of kings and governors, he was a common worker who earned his bread by the sweat of his brow. However, the man had a notable heritage. Had there been an Israelite king in the days of the coming of the Messiah, it could very well have been Joseph!

Mary had the unique privilege of being the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. The Messiah of Israel was sheltered in her womb, nourished at her breast, and warmed in her bosom. On the human side, their lives were intertwined, and yet on the divine side, she depended upon the One she had held in her arms for her salvation.

Epaphras is only mentioned three times in the New Testament. Yet in those three passages, the Apostle Paul bestowed upon him these worthy titles: “our dear fellowservant,” “a faithful minister of Christ,” “a servant of Christ,” and “my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus.”

This encouraging, faithful believer never wrote a book, although some scholars suggest that he may have been the author of the Book of Hebrews. It seems that Barnabas never preached a sermon. As far as history reveals, the man never pastored a church or had a specific ministry of any sort. Instead, he is always linked with others and stands humbly in the background.

While the Epistle of James is a warm exhortation to obedience written for believers, Jude’s epistle is a strong warning against false teachers. Jesus had warned that “wolves” would come disguised as “sheep.” Jude wrote to warn the early church of the dangers of heresy and subtle errors creeping into doctrine and practice.

We do not know how Nathanael and Philip’s friendship began. However, the first person whom Philip wanted to tell about his newly found Messiah was his friend, Nathanael. Perhaps as Jesus and His followers neared the town of Cana, Nathanael’s hometown, Philip ran ahead down the road to go and tell Nathanael the good news!

Have you ever considered the life and ministry of Onesiphorus? Except for his sacrificial service to Paul at a time of desperate need, we might not know at all of this exceptional man. Onesiphorus is a good example of a follower of Jesus who truly fulfilled the “Golden Rule”.

The meeting between Jesus and the woman of Syrophoenicia was a rare occurrence because it took place in a Gentile country. Syroephonicia was outside the traditional borders of the land of Israel, up in the region that is now in the country of Lebanon. This interaction was one of the few that our Lord had with a Gentile.

Living at the dawn of the coming of Messiah, John the Baptist was a unique man for a unique time. According to Luke 1:15, he was “filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.” He rightly can be called the last of the Old Testament prophets. He also could be called the first of the New Testament preachers. Indeed, John the Baptist occupied a unique place in Bible history.

One of Christ’s disciples, “Simon called Zelotes,” had a fascinating background that would have made him stand out among the apostles. Before his conversion, Simon the Zealot would have been a bitter enemy of a publican such as Matthew, or even of a Hellenistic Jew as Philip was. The term zealot is a reference to a particular radical political party whose mission was to throw off all Roman authority and lead a Jewish revolt against Rome as the Maccabees had once led against Greece.

The Book of Acts first mentions Stephen in chapter 6. As the early church grew in maturity and in numbers, the burden of caring for widows quickly became a source of contention between Hellenistic and Hebrew Jews. It is no new thing that Satan uses man’s natural inclinations towards selfishness and bitterness to rob local churches of love, unity, and power.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His disciples, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:20–21). One disciple of Christ who followed this command most fully is an unnamed widow. Christ encountered this woman in the Temple during the final week of His earthly ministry. The brief account of her deed of generosity is recorded in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.

Just after Simeon finished his prophecy of the purpose and destiny of the Christ child in the Temple, we are introduced to another remarkable character. Her name was Anna. Not much is recorded about this remarkable lady. In Scripture, only three verses give a glimpse into her life. Yet, those three verses provide much that we can admire and emulate.

The event many know best about John Mark was when he turned back and went home partway through the first missionary journey. Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark along on the second journey. Paul did not want to bring him. “But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work” (Acts 15:38). Like us, John Mark had to learn to see Christ through his failures. In fact, until we see and confess our failures, we cannot see Christ aright. Under the encouraging influence of Barnabas, John Mark blossomed.

Ananias of Damascus changed the world forever. It was not because he preached an eloquent sermon or wrote an epistle or gave a large donation. Rather, it was because he obeyed the command of Christ to love your enemies. There are no long passages in Scripture about Ananias. However, in the one passage that includes Ananias, we gain one small tidbit of information. That one act of kindness for which he is remembered was an act of kindness that changed the world, for it was an act of kindness to a recent convert named Saul of Tarsus.

In the life of Lydia, who was noted in Acts 16:14 as a “seller of purple,” we find an example of a woman who knew what it meant to go the second mile in the service of her Lord. She lived a holy life in an unholy world and set an example for many generations of Christian women throughout history to follow. Lydia is first mentioned in Acts 16. At this point in the record of Acts, Paul had already been on his first missionary journey and had just received the vision of the man of Macedonia saying, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9). Thus, in Acts 16:12, Paul is recorded as arriving in Philippi, where his path would soon cross Lydia’s.