Battle Axe Series – Early Apostles (Part 2)

In August 2022 edition of the magazine, we featured four battle axes God used to propagate the Gospel in the early days of the church of Christ. These were Peter, Andrew, James and his brother James. This issue focuses on the ministries of Philip, Bartholomew, Mathew and Thomas. Two books, The Search for the Twelve Apostles by William S. Mcbirnie and Foxes Book of Martyrs are the resource materials.

Philip

We are introduced to Philip in John: 1-43, 45, “Jesus found Philip and said to him, ‘Come follow Me”… Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth”. It was Philips who also introduced certain Greeks to Jesus (John 12-20-33). He was equally mentioned at the Last Supper (John 6:5-7).

          According to Anna Jameson in the Sacred and Legendary Art, Philip preached the gospel in Scythia for twenty years before moving to Hierapolis in Phrygia. At Hierapolis, he encountered worshippers of a god known as Mars represented by a monstrous serpent or dragon. This provoked the apostle to pray for their deliverance by commanding the serpent in the name of the cross he held in his hand, to disappear. Immediately, the reptile glided out from beneath the altar, at the same time emitting such a hideous stench that many people died, among them the king’s son.

           In the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip prayed and God restored the boy to life. Still enraged by the humiliation of their god, the priests of Mars arrested him and eventually had him crucified. They then stoned him to death while he hung on the cross. Thus, he yielded up his spirit to God, praying like his Master Yeshua, for his enemies and tormentors.

Bartholomew

Somechurch historians claimed that Bartholomew preached in several countries, including Arabia, Southern Persia, Armenia and India. Dorman Newman in particular wrote in 1685 that the apostle translated the Hebrew version of the book of Mathew into the local dialect in India. From India, Bartholomew visited the Northwest parts of Africa and later Hierapolis in Phrygia along with Philip. Although he was sentenced to death along with Philip, for some strange reasons (God’s intervention of course), the magistrate caused him to be taken down from the cross and dismissed the case.

          Thereafter, he went to Lycaonia where he preached the gospel. His last ministry field was Albanople in Armenia the Great, a place overrun with idolatry, from which he sought to reclaim their souls. The Governor of the city was offended by the gospel and ordered that he should be killed. While some church historians claimed that he was crucified with his head downward, others said he was skinned alive. No matter how he died, Bartholomew’s labours and martyrdom in Armenia are generally acknowledged among the people of faith.

Mathew

Mathew was a tax collector in Capernaum when Yeshua called him into ministry. He belonged to the class of bureaucrats called portitores serving under the publicani, the officers who were concessionaries for taxes according to the Roman custom of that day. As such, he would have had some education and have been acquainted with Aramaic, Greek and Latin languages.

         Significantly, among the first thing Mathew did was to invite Yeshua to his home for a feast. He also invited the only people who would set foot in his house, his fellow ‘tax collectors and sinners’, at least in the eyes of the Pharisees. When the Jewish leaders criticised Yeshua for keeping company with them, He replied, “Healthy people do not need a doctor – seek people do” (Mathew 9:11). And in a paraphrase of the words of Micah 6:6-8, He added, “Now go and learn the meaning of the Scripture: ‘I want to show mercy, not offer sacrifices’. For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mathew 9:12-13).

          Like most of the apostles, Mathew seemed to have preached the gospel in a number of countries, especially among Jews. He also visited Ethiopia, Northern Greece, Syria and Persia. Little is known about the apostle’s later life and the manner of his death. However, some historians claimed that he was pinned to the ground and beheaded.

Thomas

Thomas was also known as Didymas, meaning ‘twin’. The Bible is however silent on who his twin brother or sister was. A few biblical references single him out from among the other apostles as someone who was a questioner or doubter. Even to this day, people refer to him as ‘doubting Thomas’ For instance, when Yeshua told them that they know the way to the Father, Thomas blurted out, “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5). Also, after Yeshua rose from the dead, He appeared physically to the apostles while Thomas was away. Later he arrived, and upon hearing of the resurrection said, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds” (John 20:25).

         Paradoxically, for one who did not believe in the resurrection, Thomas remained in the company of the other apostles until eight days later when Yeshua suddenly appeared in their midst. Addressing Thomas, Yeshua invited him to come and examine His wounds, adding, “Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe”. (John 20:27. Whereupon Thomas prostrated himself and uttered the memorable phrase, “My Lord and My God”. He was reproved by Yeshua for his previous unbelief: “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me” (John 20-29).

          Meanwhile, a great many legends have grown around the far-reaching ministry of Thomas. A church historian, A. M. Mundadan claimed that the apostle founded many churches in several countries, including India and Babylon. According to a stone inscription found in India, Thomas converted three principal kings of India, namely that of Bisnaga, Xoren Perumal, that of Pandi called Pandi Perumal and their Malabar counterpart, Xaran Perumal. The apostle was reportedly murdered by a low caste in India allegedly at the instigation of the Brahmins, members of the highest caste or Verna in Hinduism, while preaching to the people. Brahmins are the caste from which Hindu priests are drawn, and are responsible for teaching and maintaining the knowledge of the false religion.

             What goes through our minds when we read about the sacrifice these apostles made to bring the gospel to us in our various continents? Have we received the same Holy Spirit that came down on the Day of Pentecost? If so, where is the evidence of His operations in our lives? I am talking about the 21^st Century Church. Why are we not ministering in His power if we have received Him the way the early apostles did. About 120 men and women turned the known world upside down through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit. What do we have to show for all our super spirituality? Instead of pointing people to the risen Lord, we teach them self-actualisation. We give them Scriptures to memorise and confess to make them rich.

          We present God as a means to their ends. And we are shameless in our pursuit of the friendship with the world. We water down the word of God for the sake of political expediency. What God calls an abomination becomes something we need to tolerate. And what does the world do? It mocks us. Just like the children of Israel, our conduct and lifestyles have made unbelievers to blaspheme the name of God. I pray that the lukewarm church would repent of its religious pontifications and pretentions before Yeshua vomits it as He warned in Revelation 3:16.