Fools, Idiots, and Unsophisticated Morons

turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 1 1 Corinthians chapter 1: 26-31 we're starting a new series today called the Dirty doesn't and what we're going to be looking at is the lives of the Apostles and as I said earlier there's actually 14 Apostles if you count all of them uh so we'll call it a Baker's Dozen plus one uh but uh we're going to go look and see what kind of people did God choose to use in his original Ministry what kind of people did God choose to use and and what can we learn from their lives and and does that give us hope that God can maybe use us as well and uh you know I I like to use illustrations many of you here for a while I like to use illustrations in object lessons

and the problem with object lessons is that uh number one they cost a lot I have to go to Target or someplace like that and buy them and I have to pay for them and then the other thing is a lot of times I'll forget them I'm a very good forgetter and I'll forget to bring them from home or I'll forget them in the office when I get up to preach and so today's illustrations are great because they cost me nothing and they're already here they cost me nothing and they're already here and so I would like for pastor uh ener and Pastor Andy and uh for Pastor Peter to come out up front here upstairs Pastor John you stand up downstairs as well and you guys all come on up here and Jason you're on our

staff team too I'll make you stand up and uh and that's because today the title of my message is this for fools idiots and unsophisticated morons and so I got the perfect examples right here this is the kind of people that God uses fools idiots and unsophisticated morons and I'll show you that from the Bible all right thank you gentlemen you may go down look at John look at 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and beginning with verse number 26 the Bible says for you see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God had chose CH the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to

confound the things which are Mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised that God chosen yay and things which are not to bring to not things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence but of him of him are you in Christ Jesus who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and Redemption and uh that according as is written he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord and John 15:1 16 Jesus said to his disciples you have not chosen me but I have chosen you and I ordained you that you should go forth and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain that whom whatsoever you shall ask of the father my name he may give it to you God

chose men and he chose men that were not always the most brightest the smartest and the best but they were men that God could use and God wants to use you also and he uses fools idiots and unsophisticated morons if you look at 1 Corinthians chap 1: 26 and 27 again it says for you see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God had chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God had chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are Mighty so the Bible says God didn't chose choose the wise men of the world but he choose the chose the foolish men of the world uh you know sometimes when

you're dealing with language the Bible uh it's always it's sometimes good to go back and look at the original language now you don't have to know Greek or Hebrew to understand your Bible praise God he's given it to us in our own languages but but we also uh can open up the understanding the word by going back and look up Greek words or Hebrew words for example in uh in Timothy it talks about to exercise yourself rather onto godliness and the word exercise comes from the Greek word gymnazo and so from that we can figure out that just like the exercise the physical exercise in the gymnasium can make you stronger the same principles apply to spiritual exercise it needs to be challenging it

needs to be repetitious and all the things that apply to your physical exercise also apply to your spiritual exercise and and then you can look at the word in U Romans chapter 12 it talks about being transformed by renewing of your mind and that word transform comes from the Greek word metamorphic and you remember that from seventh e8th grade science it's a metamorph phosis when the butterf caterpillar changes into a butterfly that transformation that happens and the the caterpillar doesn't do it God does that and God wants to transform our lives in that same way and so going back sometimes into the Greek or the Hebrew will help open up the word to you and there's a lot of good computer

programs that will help you with that you don't have to uh know Greek you don't have to know Hebrew but it'll be a an interesting way to study your Bible and so as we look at these words that are here in this p this we want to understand some things if you go back to put a marker in 1 Corinthians because we're going to come back there but I want you to go over to acts 4 Acts chapter 4 and I want you to look at verse number 13 Acts chapter 4 and verse number 13 of course Jesus was resurrected at this time the disciples were starting to take leadership and preaching the word and they were arrested for what they did and and it tells us in Acts 4 and verse number 13 now when they saw the

boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus the word ignorant comes from the Greek word idiotas that's why I say idiots uh that he said these were idiots these guys that they're they're unlearned and idiots the word unlearned comes to the word a gratas which means without grammar in other words they didn't know the big words you ever had you ever said something like this you know I I really can't witness to people because I don't know all the big words words all the the words in the Bible to explain and and these were guys that were were people that didn't have all the big words

they didn't have a big vocabulary a great education uh they were basically idiots as far as they were concerned and these are the ones that God use in Acts chapter 4 and verse number 12 it says neither is there salvation in any other for there's none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved these guys were just foolish enough to believe in Salvation and and sometimes you have to be foolish enough to believe in Salvation now salvation when you study it is very logical and salvation when you study it through makes a lot of sense uh and and God wants us to think about salvation come now and let us reason together the Bible says but at the same time it is uh it sometimes

seems like the people that think they're wise in their own conceits don't believe in Salvation because they think they've got life all figured out it it's like the atheist you know when somebody says they're an atheist uh they think they're saying how wise I am but you know what atheists are stupid people and the reason they're stupid people by saying I'm an atheist that makes them stupid because an atheist says there is no God and nobody can say for sure there is no God Have You Been Everywhere have you seen everything do you understand everything you really can't say there is no God he might be where you haven't been to he might be where you haven't seen and um at the best you can be as

agnostic I don't believe there's a God I don't think there's a God but to call yourself an atheist is really kind of a foolish statement you see foolishness of Salvation is something that is wise see a lot of times the problem people have with salvation by trusting Jesus Christ you see the gospel is that Jesus died was buried and rose again and he died to save you from your sins that you and I the Bible says in Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and every one of us falls short of of of heaven and we can't earn our way we can't work our way to heaven Ephesians 28:9 for by grace are you saved through faith then not of yourselves it's a gift of God not of Works L

any man should boast but when when you tell people this they think that well that's too simple all I have to do to go to heaven is pray and ask Jesus to save me I I should have to do something special I should have to get baptized or or join a church I should have to become a good person I should have to give away all my money um they they want to do something big and special but the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chap 1:2 that Paul says for our rejoicing is this the testimony of our conscience that in Simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation the world and more abundantly to you word we brought you the simple sincere Gospel

of salvation for God so loved you that he gave his only begotten son that Jesus died and was buried and rose again to give you salvation and that you need to put your faith and trust in him now understand it's simple to get saved but Salvation is not simple it was not simple for Jesus Christ in Hebrews 12 and veres 1 and 2 it says wherefor seen we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race is set before us looking onto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and sat down at the right hand

of the Throne of God salvation is easy for me because all I have to do is accept Jesus Christ as my savior but Salvation was not easy for God because God had to give his only begotten son Jesus had to die a a terrible death upon the cross and suffer that separation from God because of our sins and and it was not simple it's like it's like your electricity it's simple to go in a house and flip on a light switch and the light comes on but it's very complicated to produce that light that power and to transmit that power and to bring it to your house and to change it into electrical light and all of that is a very complicated process but all you do is you flip the switch and see salvation is

already been provided God has produced salvation through Jesus Christ that's not simple but simply you need to trust him as your savior and these men were foolish enough to Believe In The Simple Plan of Salvation in 1 John 5 and: 12 and 13 it says he that hath the son hath life he that hath not the Son of God hath not life these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the son of God you see salvation is having Jesus Christ you can know that your sins are forgiven you can know that you're going to heaven you can know that you have eternal life because you know that Jesus

Christ is your savior and these simple men These Foolish idiots they knew enough to know I can't save myself but Jesus can save me and do you know enough to know that as well see they not only do the foolishness of of salvation but they also understood the foolishness of obedience back in Acts chapter 4 and verses 19- 20 but Peter and John are answered and said unto them whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye for we cannot but speak the things which we heard we've seen and which we have seen and heard you see they told him stop preaching this gospel and and they said we can't we've got to obey God rather than men we've got to obey the Lord see

any idiot can tell what God has done in your life a lot of times people will tell me Well Pastor um I I'm not real good at at at talking about salvation I don't have all the Bible verses I don't have all those illustrations you do I want you to turn over to First John hold your place in Acts but turn over to first John John chap 1 1 John chapter 1 and verses 1-4 1 John chapter 1 veres 1-4 that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life for the life was manifested we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the father was manifested unto us

that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that you also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and these things write we unto you that your joy may be full you see John said listen we're just telling you what happened to us sometimes people say well I can't witness like the apostles because they were with Jesus listen folks we've got the word of God we've got the complete word of God they don't they didn't have the Bible we have today you if you know enough to be saved you know enough to tell someone else how to be saved and and you don't have anybody telling you you can't witness you can't give the gospel then why

aren't you you see these wi men were foolish enough to believe that they were supposed to tell others about Christ they looked at the evidence standing in front of him back in Acts chapter 4 what had happened is they had healed a man in verse 14 it says and beholding the man which was healed standing with them they could say nothing against it in verse 16 saying what shall we do to these men for that indeed a notable Miracle have been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem we cannot deny it and it goes on in verse 21 and it says again so when they had further threatened them they let them go finding nothing how they might punish them because of the people for all men

glorify God for that which was done you see when your life is changed that's a testimony and that opens the door for you to tell others about who changed your life and that's Jesus Christ and that's exactly what these men did in Acts 5 and: 29 when they were beaten and told not to witness again they said then Peter and the other Apostles answered and said we ought to obey God rather than men you see we need to be out there obeying God and giving the gospel to the world around us inviting people to church giving out tracks telling them our testimony sharing them what Jesus has done in our lives and changed our lives these men were idiots but they were also unsophisticated in 1 Corinthians

chapter 1 verse 26 the word for wise is the word sofos it's also where we get our word sophomore any sophomores in the room raise your hand 10th grader sophomores you know what sophomore means it means educated fool see when you're a freshman you know you're stupid and when you become a senior you realize how much you don't know and they're going to graduate you but when you're a sophomore you think you know everything and so they're educated fools that's the word sofos SOS is a is educated is it means wise and Peter said that these were um Peter said that that we God doesn't use the wise the sophisticated of this world you see God doesn't want to use the sophisticated the in this world

today we think of sophisticated people we think of who rich people movie stars athletes you know all these kind of people that's who we think are the sophisticated people of this world but God says those aren't the kind of people I use I I'm going to use people that are unsophisticated you know back when Peter after Jesus was taken and was going to be crucified remember how Peter was by the fire and um and they recognize him and how did they recognize him as being with Jesus they basically said this if you go read the passage you can look at it later you go read it says hey you're a redneck you're one of those guys with Jesus he he he was identified as being a redneck he was identified being

one of those kind of people there and he was not one of the sophisticated people you see a lot of times we think well I'm not sophisticated enough to serve Christ go over to Mark 7 see the sophisticated people think there's certain things you have to do to be sophisticated in Mark 7: 1-3 they says they came together unto him the Pharisees and and the and certain of the scribes which came from Jerusalem and when they saw some of the disciples eat bread with defile with defile that is with unwashed hands they found fault for the Pharisees all Jews except they wash their hands of eat not holding the tradition of the elders now the Bible's not recommending you don't need to wash your hands when

you go to dinner okay that's not what it's talking about you need to wash your hands before you eat and that's one of my wife's rules you you're not going to eat my good food with dirty hands go wash them but what they're talking about was a ceremonial washing a whole process they went through uh to prove how clean they were and how sophisticated they were and the disciples just they they just washed their hands and that was it did if you look a little further verse number n it says and he said unto them Paul full well you reject the Commandment of God that you may keep your own Traditions look at verse 13 making the word of God in none effect though through your tradition which you

delivered in many such things like you do see they had gotten into tradition today religion is all about tradition not about Christ and we need to be careful not to become the sophisticated people think you got to do certain things and and in order to be used of God God wants us to have Clean Hands in Psalms 24 and verse number four it it talks about who does God use it says he that hath Clean Hands and a pure heart who had not lifted up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully in 1 Timothy chapter two in verse number eight it says I will therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting you know I want somebody who's going to serve me to have clean hands

if I go into the restaurant I remember one time we were traveling across Ross the mainland and we stopped at this restaurant to get something to eat and it was kind of a half fast food half sit down restaurant and so we ordered our breakfast and and uh SO waiting for the breakfast to come I I went in to use the restroom and while I was in the restroom using it one of the one of the employees came in and used the restroom and then walked out the door without washing their hands and then when I got back out to my table that same employee brought me my food I got up and left CU I want us clean hands you know and God wants us to have clean hands and you know 1 John chapter 1 verse number 9 says

if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us all righteousness we don't have to get saved again when we get our hands dirty but we do need to keep our hands clean if we're going to serve the Lord but God also wants Working Hands in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 in verse 11 it says that you study be quiet and do your own business and work with your own hands as we commanded you you know there's some jobs you work where your hands are never really clean uh I was a printer for many years and I'd get printers eek all over my hands and no matter how much you wash you couldn't get it all off and so my hands always looked a little dirty if you're a mechanic is

the same way you can wash your hands but that that grease gets really put in there and worked in there where it's hard to wash it all off uh they got Clean Hands just can't get that all scrubbed out of there and just looks dirty but God wants us to be people that are working that are serving him and getting our hands dirty let me ask you what did you do this week to get your hands dirty for the Lord what did you do this week to get your hands out there and do something for God and service to others so we we want to be people that are clean hands and and clean feet the disciples you remember John Chapter 13 where they came to the last supper and I mentioned this the other week and how that

one of the Traditions that day here we take our shoes off before we go in the house and that day you not only took your shoes off but there was a basin of water and you would wash your feet before going in and if it was one of the upper houses they would have someone there to wash your feet whether the youngest child or the lowest servant would do that and none of the disciples volunteered to wash everybody else's feet so Jesus did it and he washed their feet in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse number three the Bible says give you none offense to anything that the ministry be not blamed you know one of the things about being here in Hawaii taking your shoes off when you go to people's

houses you better make sure you got clean socks you got socks that are not holy socks right you know what I'm talking about uh you want to you want to walk in there you don't want these big toes sticking out the stocks or or you don't want to have uh the dog run away from your shoes at the doorway you know what I'm talking about and you want to have clean feet and we want to keep feet that are clean as we follow the lord and and the Bible challenges Us in Matthew 23:11 be he that but he is greatest among you shall be your servant where to serve in Philippians chap 2 and veres 5 and 6 let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robber to

be equal God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a Ser servant was made in the likeness of men and and was and and and God has called us to be servants like him when when he got done washing the disciples feet he said listen you see what I done I your lord your master I the very God have washed your feet how much more should you serve one another and God has called us to be servants in Romans chap 10:1 15 how shall they preach except they be sent as is written how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring Glad Tidings of good things the best thing your feet can do is take you to neighbors to friends to co-workers and tell them about

Jesus they were fools idiots and morons in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse number 27 the word foolish uh if you'll turn back over there real quick and look at verse 27 but God had chosen the foolish things of the world to conf confound the wise and God had chosen the weak things of the world to confound those things which are Mighty and the word foolish here is is the word moras it means dull stupid slow in James 1119 it says wherefore my beloved Brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak and slow to wrath you know we need to be slow um the problem is a lot of us we slow to hear in Romans 10:17 it says so so then Faith come by hearing and hearing by the word of God you come to

church every week but do you truly listen do you truly hear the word of God and let it speak to your heart back in Matthew Chapter 13 Jesus was talking to the disciples he sharing Parables and discip say we don't understand he says well you you you're not listening you're not paying attention I he said I I I know why the onset people don't understand but you should understand you should hear with your ears and and we need to be not slow to hear but quick to hear and we need to be so often what we are is we're Swift to speak the Bible says be slow to speak but we're Swift to speak in in Matthew chapter 16 you remember the story how Jesus asked disciples who do people say that I am and and

they and they said well some say you're John the Baptist or you're Elijah and he said well who do you say that I am and Peter spoke up and said you're the Christ the son of the Living God and what an amazing statement Jesus said upon this statement I will build my church the fact that I am the Christ the son of the Living God that's what I'm going to build my church upon and he praised Peter and patted him on the back and said great job Peter and then not a couple verses later Jesus was telling him how he was going to have to die and be crucified and Peter grabs hold of Jesus says no Lord you can't die because he wasn't listening and he was Swift to speak one moment he's being praised by

Jesus Jesus this moment Jesus said get thee behind me atan and so often that's the way we are we react instead of listening to God we speak before we think maybe you've had that problem in your marriage maybe you've had that trouble with your kids or your parents maybe you got that that problem at work because we're our problem is we're slow to hear and Swift to speak but God says you need to be swift to hear and slow to speak and our third problem is we're quick to wrath we're too quick to get upset and angry you you think of Moses you know great man of God a Meek man of God and yet he got mad at the people and struck the Rock and yelled at him and because of that he couldn't go into the

promised land you think of others like Peter Lo uh losing his temper and cutting off the ear and in James chap 1 vers 20 it says for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God and we've got to realize that it's not our anger you know we live in a world today where Christians seem angry at everything and and I understand this world is a mess and some of the things that are being done in our politics and some of the things that be done in our country are are terrible and wicked things and and we ought to be angry about it but the Bible says be angry and sin not and the problem with a lot of us is we get angry but we and we sin because we're slow to listen we're quick Swift to speak

and we're fast to react in Anger rather than in the spirit of God so what kind of people does God use the the first kind of people that God uses are people that are the foolish people in this world not the wise not the sophisticated the uneducated morons those are the people God uses because they're just dumb enough to believe in God and not believe in themselves then in 1 Corinthians 1:26 this talks about for you see your calling brother how that not many wise men at F the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called and and so we we we look for those that are Mighty or weak in Zechariah 4: 6 it says not by might nor by power but by my spirit sayith the Lord of hosts you see the people

God uses are not people that are strong In the Flesh there are people that are strong in the spirit we cannot do it in the flesh we will fail every time on Wednesday night we're talking about the gifts of spirit how to know what your gift is and one of the things we look at is one way you know what your gift is when you're using it wrongly because if you're using your gift in the flesh you're going to do it all wrong but if you use your gift in the spirit you're going to do it right and we got to realize that the people God uses are are Mighty in the spirit and weak in the flesh but the world thinks you got to be Mighty In the Flesh see a lot of us our problem is we're weak in faith in

Matthew chapter 17 G there were Jesus asked disciples go and pray with him and they fell asleep and he woke him up says can you not stay awake and pray with me and then he fell asleep again and finally he just kind of gave up on him he said this the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and I don't know about you but I struggle with that flesh all the time I can't tell how many times I fallen asleep while praying or reading my Bible I can't tell how many times that I've gotten lazy instead of going out and visiting somebody I just stayed home and watched the news because the flesh is weak but we we forget to have faith in God do we forget to trust in him you remember the disciples in John

chapter 6 is the feeding of the 5,000 and and and they were all like how are we going to feed this many people but it's interesting in Matthew chapter 15 turn over if you would please Matthew chapter 15 and look at verse number 33 Matthew chapter 15 and verse number 33 then Jesus called his disciples onto him and said I have compassion in the multitude because they they continue continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way so he said we're going to feed them and the disciples say unto him when should we have much bread in the wilderness is to fill so great a multitude how are we going to feed so many people but you

know what the sad thing is in Matthew chapter 14 they just fed more people they fed 5,000 in Matthew chapter 14 then they get 15 it's only 4,000 people and said how are we going to do this it's like where's your faith you saw what God did where's your faith the storms in Matthew chapter 6 take a look at that in verse number 51 Matthew chapter 6 and and uh I'm sorry Mark Mark chapter 6 and verse number 51 says and he went up unto the them in the into the ship and the and the wind ceased and they were sore amazed themselves beyond measure and wonder they had gone AC cross the water and a storm had come up and Jesus came and calmed the storm and they were just amazed which again makes you

wonder because if you go back to ma Mark chap 4 and look at verses 39-41 and he arose and rebuked the wind and said on the sea peace be still and the wind ceased and there was great calm and he said unto them why are you so fearful how is that you have no faith and they feared exceedingly said one to another what manner of man is this that even the wind and the Sea obey him now now maybe the first time I can understand why they didn't have much Faith but this was the second time and some of you the same thing happens to your life a problem comes up and you get all excited and worried when you forget that God solved the last problem and God took care of you before he'll take care of you again

but we forget just two chapters later and they've forgotten all about it they they they didn't have the faith that they need to have in God and God wants people that are not weak in the faith but are strong in the faith you remember doubting Thomas doubting Thomas wouldn't believe until he had actually touched him but these guys have been told over and over again what Jesus was going to happen that he was going to die and be buried and rose again and they didn't believe him they didn't have faith Mark 14 and verse number 50 it says the all forsook him and fled they were so weak they they took off running Peter cursed him and denied him three times even after the resurrection they locked

themselves in an upper room and Jesus appeared onto them and what did they do the next day they went out fishing 1 Corinthians 16:13 says watch ye Stand Fast in the faith quit you like men be strong we need to be strong in the Lord we're weak in the flesh but we can be strong in the Lord and learn to trust him Romans 7:18 and 19 for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for the will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not for the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do why does God use the foolish things of this world because he wants people that realize I'm weak and it's only through the power of God that I can

be strong I can't do it in flesh then in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 it talks about Noble and base and verse number 26 for you see your calling brother how that not many wise not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called down in verse number 28 and the and base things of the world of things which are despised as God chosen the word noble comes to the word eugenius where we get our word genes from you ever heard some somebody say well that guy's got good genes he was well born was born with athletic ability or intelligence or good looks or whatever else it might be the word base means a genes comes from that Greek word means without genes see God's not looking for

somebody who was born in the right family or born with all the right talents and all the right abilities God is looking for people that are the base things of the world that he can use to glorify himself you look at these disciples and over the next few weeks is what we're going to do is look at the lives of these disciples deciples and learned from them each of them had different personalities there was Peter also known as Simon the name Simon means hearer to listen to hear Peter was not a good listener the name Peter means Rock Peter was a Brash know- itall and was proud and God couldn't use him until he humbled him then you have Andrew the name Andrew means manly he was a strong silent

type you only hear from him three times in the Bible the first time when he brought his brother second time when he bought brought the boy with lunch and the third time when he brought the Greeks that would see Jesus give me a church of Andrews they don't have to say a lot but they're always bringing people to Jesus then you've got James and John the sons of thunder you know what that tells me they were emotional they were loud they were irritating they were touchy people probably had to walk on eggshells around them not to get them upset John thought he was the teacher's pet at least everybody thought he thought that remember John always said the disciple that Jesus loved that was referring

to him it's like I'm the one he really loves now I don't believe it was that I believe John said that because he realized God loves me it was amazing to him that God would love him but the rest of them I think thought John thought he was the teacher's pet then you got Phillip the name Phillip means fond of horses Philip was a soul winner he was always bringing people to Jesus but he wasn't good at taking tests in John chapter 6 people said how do I how do we feed all these people and Philip says I don't know in John chapter 14 he wanted to know who Jesus was so he said show he wanted to know the father was show us the Father and Jesus said well you've seen me you've seen the father he just

wasn't really good at taking tests Bartholomew his name means rigid he's also goes by Nathaniel which means gift from God he's the one that said can any good thing come out of Nazareth when he first heard about Jesus he was a Daydreamer when Jesus saw him he was sitting under the tree daydreaming he was a thinker he was a fault finder when you see him in in the the Bible um he wasn't very subtle his man with no gu which means wasn't subtle he would just tell it like it is he didn't worry about how you felt he'd just tell you exactly what he thought then you've got Matthew the name Matthew means to war to quarrel or dispute Matthew was the tax collector you would have thought Matthew would

have been chosen as the treasurer of the group because he was a guy understood finances but Matthew gave them a bad name because nobody liked Tax Collectors then you got Thomas and Thomas means twin and he may have been Awin when we don't know that for sure but he was the the doubter the pessimist in John 11:16 then said Thomas which is called dimus unto his fellow disciples let us also go that we may die with him he's the Eeyore all right let's follow Jesus we're all going to die but that's okay that's Thomas in John chapter 14:5 Thomas said un the Lord we know not whether thou goest and how can we know the way he said in John chapter 20 said show me Jesus I won't I won't believe until I

see the nail scars in his hands he's just an eeor and you got James the less because there's two jameses and that's what he was called James the less maybe he was small in size like Pastor Andy you know kind of the short guy maybe some other reason but it seems like James the less was kind of dominated by James the more well-known it's kind of like having a big brother that's more well when I was in school my Big Brother's 5 years older than me and everywhere I went in high school I was never known as Wayne I was known as Danny's brother I was the less he was identified as the son of Mary or alus was another name given him brother was Matthew he might even been a tag along I kind of get the

feeling that Matthew became one of disciples and he said well I got to bring Andrew I got to bring James with me he was was a little brother had to go along then you've got Judas who's also known as labus or Thaddius he's basically Judas no not that one he was the other Judas he kept using different names because I think he was worried about what people would think about him because they think he was the Judas betrayed Jesus he asked one question in the New Testament John 14:22 Judas sayith unto him not es scariot Lord how is it thou will manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world Jesus ignored his question he went on and and said If any man love me he will keep my words he he just

didn't even answer judas's question then you got Simon the Zealot he had Zeal he was excited he was enthusiastic Romans chapter 10 verse two says for I bear them record that they have a Zeal of God but not according to knowledge sometimes is overzealous and Zeal is good man I wish I could get some of you guys excited about things some of you just sit there in church like oh yeah that sounds fun Pastor that sounds good that's not the way that Simon was he was excited about everything but sometimes he needed a little more knowledge then there was Judas a scariot he was the thief liar traitor yet Jesus kept around for three years no one suspected him when Jesus said they're going to betray me

everybody else says Lord is it I is it I is it I and the only only one and and then he gets up and does exactly what Jesus says and leaves and nobody stopped him nobody saw that he was not saved he was not a Believer and he was going to betray Jesus you know what there may be one of you in this room the same way maybe you're not truly saved and that's where you need to start and get saved Peter tried comparing himself with John and Jesus stopped at me he says you're not John because each one of these guys was different in Acts chapter 17: 11 it says that these were more noble than those in thessalonica see the world says noble people are people that are born in the right family noble people

are people are born with the right genes athletic talented beautiful singers whatever but God says those that are noble are those that receive receive the word with alest mind Swift to hear and search the Scriptures Daily what those things are so I want to close with just two verses Acts chapter 4 and verse number 13 says now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus when your neighbors look at you as a family when your co-workers see you at the the other desk over there when the people in the store interact with you when your friends come over your home what do

they see do they see Jesus and how he's changed your life do you you you don't have to be the smartest the best The Talented most person to be used of God but you do need to be someone who's willing to let God change their life Mark 3:14 says he ordained 12 that they should be with him that he might send them forth to preach and God has ordained you and I to go forth as well