Thursday Bible Study

  {Disciples} THREE OTHERS_   Faithful to the end   The Gospel writers give us the names of three other disciples, but not much more!   If these men ever asked Jesus a question or had an extended conversation with him, Scripture doesn’t record it.   But we do know that they were chosen by Jesus to be in the band of his closest followers, and like the others, these three had left their old lives behind to follow him. They served, went out and preached, and witnessed Jesus’ miracles like the others.   They were faithful to Jesus but were not major players in the Gospel record.     [Group discussion starter] Do you know a Christian who serves the Lord sacrificially and faithfully, but quietly and out of the spotlight?   Without necessarily naming them, talk about that person to the group.     James, the son of Alphaeus is the ninth name in Luke’s list of the Twelve (Lk 6:14-16). He’s the second man among the Disciples named James; t...

  {Disciples} JUDAS ISCARIOT_   Turning away     The most notorious of al the disciples – and the one universally scorned – is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus. His name appears in every list of the disciples (except in Acts 1), and it always appears last.   The other eleven are an encouragement to us because they show how common people can be used by God, even with all their faults and failures, to do remarkable things.   Judas, on the other hand, stands as a warning about the power of spiritual carelessness and pride, which can drag us away from loyalty to Christ.   Judas lived in close proximity to Jesus for three years.   He heard every teaching; he saw every miracle.   But in all that time his heart only grew harder.   The other disciples were being transformed, by Jesus, into passionate followers; Judas was being changed too...     [Group discussion starter] Have you ever had a friend or colleague that appeared to b...