Battle Axe Series – Early Apostles (Part 1)

We are doing something completely different in this month’s issue of the magazine regarding the people God used as His battle axe to depopulate the kingdom of darkness. Unlike other editions that featured each battle axe, we are presenting the ministry work of the early apostles, starting with Peter, Andrew, James and his brother John. Two books, The Search for the Twelve Apostles by William S. Mcbirnie and Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelly provide the required information on their ministry and martyrdom.  

Peter

Simon Peter was brought to Yeshua by his brother Andrew. Both of them were fishermen operating around the Sea of Galilee. Their invitation to Christ was with the words, “Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people” (Mathew 4:19). Peter and Andrew straightway left their nets and boats to follow the Messiah. Peter was a married man but there are no records in the Bible of his family life.

 Much has been made of his temperament and the fact that he was appointed a leader by the Lord Himself. Peter was a rare combination of courage and cowardice before the Day of Pentecost. His baptism in the Holy Spirit changed all that and he became an unstoppable giant in the Kingdom of God. Under his leadership, the Apostles set out to preach the Gospel, but only to the Jews. This was a simple message- that the Messiah had come, that He had died for their sins and risen for their salvation; that He had ascended into heaven and had sent His Holy Spirit to His disciples; and that He was worshipped as God.

 At that time Mesopotamia was one of the strongest centres of Jewish traditions. The Jews there were rich and influential and they had commercial settlements in many places on the coast of India, Ceylon, Malaya and on the farthest coast of China. Many believe that Peter’s ministry work took him to Babylon, a chief city in Mesopotamia. Others believe that he also evangelised the area North of Rome. Another legend said that Peter preached in Britain during the Caradoc-Claudian war, as well as in Gaul. His last visit to Britain reportedly took place shortly before his arrest by Emperor Nero. In AD 67, Peter met his death in Rome by the hands of Romans who crucified him hanging upside down at his request because he said that he was unworthy to die in the same position as his Lord.

Andrew

Andrew was a native of Galilee, born in Bethsaida. Later, he lived by the sea in Capernaum. He was initially a disciple of John the Baptist. After Yeshua was baptised by John in the Jordan, Andrew and some of his disciples started following Him (Yeshua) because John declared that He was the promised Messiah.

There are some impressive traditions about the later ministry of Andrew after the Day of Pentecost. It is said that he went to Scythia, which is southern Russia, in the area around the Black Sea. In fact, he is known as the patron saint of Russia, based on the early tradition that he had preached the gospel in the country. Another strong tradition also places his ministry in Greece. There, he was reportedly imprisoned then crucified by the order of the proconsul Aegeates, whose wife, Maximilla, had been estranged from her husband after listening to the preaching of the apostle. Supposedly Andrew was crucified on a cross which instead of being made like the one Yeshua died, was designed in the form of an “X”. To this day, that type of cross is known as St. Andrew’s Cross.

A third tradition said that he spent time in Ephesus and Asia Minor. At first glance, it would seem that these three traditions are contradictory. But perhaps they are mutually complementary. After all, Andrew had to minister somewhere in the world, and if he did not die in Jerusalem, it is very possible that he went to Asia Minor. Or if he went beyond Asia Minor to Scythia, that too is reasonable. We should not forget that the Holy Spirit had free reign in the church at this time and many miracles were recorded, including the Spirit taking Philips from one location to another in what can now be known as ‘time travel’ (Acts 8:39).

James, Son of Zebedee

He was among the three men who comprised the inner ring of Yeshua’s disciples, along with his brother John and Simon Peter. The most unusual thing about his life was the manner and time of his death, for he was the first of the apostles to be martyred. James was the older brother of John and was partner with Andrew and Peter in the fishing trade along with their father, Zebedee.

James received his call to follow Yeshua while fishing in the Sea of Galilee. Now John his brother had been a disciple of John the Baptist, but there is no reference in Scripture to James having the same relationship with the forerunner of Yeshua. James was eventually ordained as one of the apostles by the Lord Himself, and from that time forth he occupied a prominent place among the disciples. He was present at the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the Transfiguration, and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

 It is interesting to note that these three disciples, who were to suffer so much for the cause of Yeshua, should witness the raising of the dead to give them the courage to die; the transfiguration of Yeshua that they might know the reality of the spiritual world; and the agony in the Garden that they might understand that they too, must suffer agony for Yeshua. However, in contrast to the other two, Peter and John, it was the life of James that was cut short while the church was young. As the first of the apostles to be martyred, it is significant that Yeshua permitted him to share the intimate secrets of His agony in the Garden and His Transfiguration.

John, Son of Zebedee

John grew up in Galilee along with his brother James. He accompanied Yeshua on His first tour of the town and later with some of his business partners, quit the fishing industry to become fulltime disciple of the Lord. He was present at the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37), and at the Transfiguration (Mathew 17). He was also nearest to the Lord at the agony of Gethsemane. John was therefore, the most intimate of Yeshua’s disciples.

          He and his brother James were called the “Sons of Thunder” by Yeshua when they sought to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village whose inhabitants had refused them hospitality. On another occasion, John exhibited his zeal and intolerance when he said, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group” (Mark 9:38). John’s mother expressed the ambition of her sons when she requested for them the chief place in the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:35).

At the Last Supper John occupied the privileged place of intimacy with Yeshua (John 13:23). He also witnessed the trial of the Messiah as he was known to the family of the High Priest. John was also present at the crucifixion of the Messiah and there the Lord gave him the responsibility to take care of Mary, His mother. He was equally with Peter when both went to see the empty tomb after Yeshua resurrected.

           John was with Peter at the gate of the Temple when a lame man was healed (Acts 3:10). He was also with Peter on the mission to Samaria to impart the Holy Spirit to new converts (Acts 8:12). He along with Peter and James, Yeshua’s brother, were called “pillars” in the Jerusalem church. His epistles reveal that he rose to a position of influence in the worldwide church movement, and that shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem, he moved to Ephesus in Asia Minor. John was eventually exiled to Patmos, a penal colony off the coast of Turkey from where he received the visions contained in the book of Revelation. There is a firm tradition that John lived until the reign of Emperor Nerva, 68 years after the resurrection of Yeshua.

 A look at the lives of these humble servants of God raises questions in my mind about their understanding of Scriptures. Were they feeding on the same word of God available to our generation? Did they not know that Yeshua’s death and resurrection opened the doors for them to be rich beyond their wildest imagination? Why were they not contend to build mansions in Jerusalem or ride the best donkeys in the city rather than migrate to strange lands to preach the gospel? Does our generation have anything to learn from the sacrifices made by these men? We thank God that they kept the faith and rejected the plate of porridge offered them by satan and his agents.

There is no basis for comparing the early apostles to the charlatans in our generation who parade themselves as ‘men of God’ yet are by nature children of hell. The children of God are not deceived by their pontification. It is clear that they harbour the spirit of the world and are working for their master, the devil. God cannot be mocked. 2 Timothy 2:19 sums it up for us, “Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal, ‘The LORD knows those who are His’, and everyone who calls on the name of the LORD must turn away from iniquity”.