TWELVE ORDINARY MEN – Part 3 of 4

Christ’s choice of the apostles testifies to the fact that God can use the unworthy and the unqualified. He can use nobodies. They turned the world upside down, these twelve (Acts 17:6).  It was not because they had extraordinary talents, unusual intellectual abilities, powerful political influence, or some special social status. They turned the world upside down because God worked in them to do it.

God chooses the humble, the lowly, the meek, and the weak so that there’s never any question about the source of power when their lives change the world. It’s not the person; it’s the truth of God and the power of God in the person. (We preachers need to remind ourselves of this. It’s not our cleverness or our personality. The power is in the Word -- the truth that we preach -- not in us.) And apart from one Person -- one extraordinary human being who was God incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ -- the history of God’s work on earth is the story of His using the unworthy and molding them for His use the same careful way a potter fashions clay. The Twelve were no exception to that…

Let’s not, however, underestimate the importance of their office. Upon their selection, the twelve apostles in effect became the true spiritual leaders of Israel… The apostles became the preachers of the new covenant. They were the ones to whom the Christian gospel was first entrusted… They became the foundation stones of the church, with Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Those truths are heightened, not diminished, by the fact that these men were so ordinary. 

-- Excerpts from “Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness and What He Wants to Do with You” by John MacArthur

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TWELVE ORDINARY MEN – Part 2 of 4

Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.”  (Luke 9:22-24 NIV)

It was a brief but intensive schedule of discipleship. And when it was over, on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, “all the disciples forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). From an earthly point of view, the training program looked like a monumental failure. It seemed the disciples had forgotten or ignored everything Christ had ever taught them about taking up the cross and following Him. In fact, their own sense of failure was so profound that they went back to their old vocations for a time. And even at that, it appeared they would fail (John 21:3-4).

But encouraged by the risen Lord, they returned to their apostolic calling. Empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they valiantly undertook the task to which Jesus called them. The work they subsequently began continues today, two thousand years later. They are living proof that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. In and of themselves they were clearly not sufficient for the task (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:16). But God led them in triumph in Christ, and through them He diffused “the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (v. 14). 

-- Excerpts from “Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness and What He Wants to Do with You” by John MacArthur

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TWELVE ORDINARY MEN – Part 1 of 4

“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles: Simon (whom He named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” (Luke 6:12-16 NIV)

The Twelve were personally selected and called by Christ. He knew them as only their Creator could know them (cf. John 1:47). In other words, He knew all their faults long before He chose them, He even knew Judas would betray Him (John 6:70; 13:21-27), and yet He chose the traitor anyway and gave him all the same privileges and blessings He gave to the others.

Think about the ramifications of this: From our human perspective, the propagation of the gospel and the founding of the church hinged entirely on twelve men whose most outstanding characteristic was their ordinariness. They were chosen by Christ and trained for a time that is best measured in months, not years. He taught them the Scriptures and theology. He discipled them in the ways of godly living (teaching them and showing them how to pray, how to forgive, and how to serve one another with humility). He gave them moral instruction. He spoke to them of things to come. And He employed them as His instruments to heal the sick, cast out demons, and do other miraculous works. Three of them -- Peter, James and John -- even got a brief glimpse of Him in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). 

-- Excerpts from “Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness and What He Wants to Do with You” by John MacArthur

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WHO’S ON FIRST?

SPECIAL NOTE: March 29, 2025 marked the 26^th anniversary of this SOUND BITES Ministry in memory of our son, Dustin, who had died on that date the previous year (1998) from a brain tumor at the age of 16. Dustin had developmental and physical disabilities, but one of the many things his life taught us was the importance of putting God first. And that is what SOUND BITES has been about for these 26 years – reminding subscribers to start the day by putting God first. So, as today’s quote asks, “Who’s on first?”

SOUND BITES began in 1999 and since then 6,083 quotes, including today’s, have been sent out to our e-mail subscribers or Facebook followers or Blog readers around the world. As we continue through Lent, Easter and beyond, let today’s SOUND BITES quote speak to you first thing in the morning, and then let it overflow to others everywhere. Please freely share with family and friends; with school and work mates; with neighbors; and with your pastor, staff and fellow church members. We would love to hear from you. Simply send an e-mail to SOUNDBITESMinistry@gmail.com with where you live and how God is using SOUND BITES to minister to you or through you to others. You are welcome to comment below as well.

As one subscriber recently wrote: “Good morning. Thank you for your due diligence in continuing the Sound Bites Ministry.  Know that you have so many grateful souls who cherish your effort. My bookcases are full of reading material that I use to support my love for Jesus and grow in faith because I know my journey to be closer will not end until I have left earth. I am blessed to have a fire inside and never ending enthusiasm that keeps me excited to grow a deeper relationship with a living God. Your ministry is one of the valuable resources I can depend on and I have purchased many of the books from authors you reference in Sound Bites. Wishing you many blessings and smiles!”

Thank you for your continued support of this ministry!  -- DW

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 WHO’S ON FIRST?

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:33–34 NIV)

In the 1930s, the famous comedian duo Abbott and Costello entertained audiences with a sketch called, “Who’s on First?” It’s a funny example of miscommunication, but it’s also a great question to ask ourselves. In your life, who’s on first? When you wake up, what first comes to your mind? Do your worries come first or your blessings? What do you fill your mind with first? The world news? Social media? Scripture? Let me ask you again, do your worries come first to your mind or your blessings?

In the Matthew passage, Jesus is teaching the gathered crowd who is to be first in their lives and what should be of first importance. Prior to this passage, Jesus told them not to store up their treasures on earth, but to put the kingdom of God first. This does not mean that God will give earthly riches, but it will mean that their trust won’t be found in those earthly riches. If they seek the kingdom first, their minds won’t be consumed by the anxieties of the world.

Let’s think again about our mornings and who is on first. Jesus tells us that if we seek first the news of the world, our minds will focus on the turbulent waters of politics and the economy. If we seek first the social media posts of our friends, our minds will focus on what other people have or have done. But if we seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, our minds will be grounded in the promises of our Savior. 

-- Excerpted from “Altar’d: The Transforming Power of Surrender” by Susan O. Kent

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ALL Y’ALL ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:14-16)

Jesus is speaking to His gathered disciples and reveals what life in the Kingdom should look like… It’s important first to note that the “you” in verse 14 is plural and would better be translated as “all y’all”. So while there are places where the Scripture speaks of us individually reflecting God’s glory in our unique way, here Jesus tells His disciples: “All Y’all” (collectively) are the light of the world.

Think of it this way. People who get lost in a dark cave have a greater chance of finding their way out if someone lights and holds a single candle. However, they have a much greater chance of finding their way out if a thousand people who are spread all over the cave light and hold candles…

So if we are interpreting Jesus’ words correctly, God’s plan to light up the dark world is to send His disciples into the world to shine His glory through good works done from a heart full of love.

A plain reading of Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” indicates that God handcrafted you intending to use your life to share a unique part of His glory with the world through you… So we show God’s glory to the world as we express and reflect the goodness of God to the world through the good works He commands us to do in His name.

To return to the dark cave illustration, it’s as if God deploys a thousand people all holding their single candles spread into the different parts of the cave people are lost in and collectively uses those candles to draw an arrow of light to point to the way of escape and rescue. The creativity and wonder of it all takes my breath away.

May you let Christ shine through you as you do His work in the world. 

-- Rev. Tim Carson, former pastor at Estero Church, Florida

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