Sunday, June 12, 2011

CHRISTIAN

JOHN THE APOSTLE
Out-side of Jesus Christ, John the Apostle had no education. As with the other N.T. writers, (exception maybe of Paul and Luke and the writer of Hebrews) what John wrote was far above what he normally would know. John and his brother James were both common fisherman. The Jewish high religious court, the Sanhedrin, recognized John and Peter as ‘‘unlearned and ignorant’’ and were amazed (Acts 4 :13). These are words from the Lord.
John’s home town was Bethsaida (1. 44; Luke 5. 10), and there was a family of four, the father and mother, Zebedee, and Salome, and two sons, James and John (Mark 1. 19,20; xv. 40; Matt. 22, 56). The father and sons were fishermen (Matt. 4. 21); Salome, the mother, was ambitious for her boys (Matt. 20. 20, 21; Mark 10. 35-37). There is clear evidence that the family was prosperous, for they had hired servants, they minis¬tered of their substance, and they were influential in official quarters (Mark 1. 20; Matt.22, 56; Luke 8. 3; John 17, 15,16; 19. 27).
JOHN KNEW AND FOLLOWED JESUS FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS
John was one of the first followers of Jesus Christ (1 ; 40)--he left John the Baptist to follow Christ.
He was one of the first two disciples to be called (1. 35-40); one of the first Apostles named (Matt.4. 18-22); one of the three privileged Apostles (Mark 5, 37; Matt. 17.1; 26. 37); one of the four who drew forth our Lord's great prophetic discourse (Mark 13, 3); and one of the two sent to prepare the Passover (Luke 22. 8).
John was 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' (13. 23; 19. 26; 20, 2; 21, 7,20). Jesus while on the cross, committed the care of His mother to John. (19. 25-27).
JOHN NOT ONLY WATCHED JESUS DIE ON THE CROSS—HE WAS WITH THE GROUP THAT SAW JESUS ALIVE.
JOHN WENT THROUGH THE CHRISTIAN REVIVAL GENERATED FROM SEEING JESUS ALIVE, AND HE WAS STILL GOING STRONG AT 60 PLUS YEARS LATER..

John appears three times in the Acts: in the Temple (3. I); before the Council (4. 13); and at Samaria (8. 14). After the general reference to him in Acts 15. 2, 22, 23, our next contact with him is about 65 years later (95A.D—some claim 69AD), in the Book of the Revelation (1. 1,4,9), and about 60 years in (85-90A.D.), in his Gospel, and the Epistles which bear his name.

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