The twelve apostles included "Bartholomew [Nathanael]” (Matt 10:3). 

Despite Nathanael's prejudice, Jesus knew he was an honest, sincere Jewish believer in whom there was no religious hypocrisy or deceit (John 1:47). He truly sought after God and looked forward to the Messiah's coming. Most of the Jewish people of Jesus' day believed that every circumcised descendant of Abraham was a true Jew and a beneficiary of the Abrahamic Covenant. But in Romans 2:28-29, Paul explains that salvation is an issue of the heart, not of national origin: "He is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart." Nathanael was such a man. 

He was shocked when Jesus described him as "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (John 1:47) because they had never met before. He was equally shocked when Jesus said He saw him under a fig tree because Jesus was nowhere near that tree. Nathanael immediately realized that Jesus was omniscient-He knew everything! That’s why he exclaimed, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel" (v. 49). He had found the Messiah for whom he had searched so long! 

The Lord's mention of the fig tree is significant. In that region fig trees were commonly used as a source of shade and outdoor shelter. Many of the houses in Palestine had only one room, so fig trees became a place to be alone for prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. Quite possibly Nathanael was under the fig tree searching the Scriptures and communing with God when Jesus saw his open heart and his desire to find the Messiah. Jesus personally answered Nathanael's prayer. 

When Jesus looks into your heart, does He see a true believer in whom there is no hypocrisy? Nathanael wasn't perfect, but he loved God and was a diligent student of the Word. And the Lord did great things through him. I pray that is true of you as well. 
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The twelve apostles included "Bartholomew [Nathanael]” (Matt 10:3). 

Prejudice is an uncalled-for generalization based on feelings of superiority. It is an ugly sin that has fueled hatred and conflicts for centuries, dividing entire nations and bringing untold misery. But prejudice is most damning when it blinds people to God's Word. The prophet Jonah was so prejudiced against the Assyrians, he refused to go to Nineveh to preach to them. Even after God convinced him to obey, he wanted to die because the people of Nineveh had repented and God had spared them. 

Prejudice also reared its ugly head in Nathanael, whose last name was Bartholomew (meaning "son of Tolmai"). John 1:45-46 says, "Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found Him, of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' And Nathanael said to him, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?'" Nathanael was a student of the Word and was looking for the Messiah, but he couldn't understand how the Messiah could come from Nazareth. 

Nazareth lay on the fringes of the Jewish world—the last stop before Gentile territory. Perhaps the people of Cana, Nathanael's hometown, were more refined and educated than the people of Nazareth. Whatever the cause, Nathanael's perspective seemed to be that nothing but trouble could come out of Nazareth. 

Prejudice has blinded many people to the gospel. The Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus because He didn't fit their idea of a Messiah, wasn't from Jerusalem, and wasn't trained in their synagogues. Fortunately, Nathanael's desire for truth overpowered his prejudice, and he came to Jesus. 

Perhaps you have family or friends who are resisting the gospel because of prejudice. If so, don't be discouraged, and don't give up! Jesus broke through Nathanael's prejudice and redeemed him, and He has done the same for millions of others. 
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The twelve apostles included "John " (Matt. 10:2). 

Some people picture John as overly sentimental and egotistical, lying with his head on Jesus' shoulder and constantly referring to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." But that's not an accurate characterization of this "Son of thunder"! He loved Jesus deeply and was amazed that Jesus loved him-especially after he wanted to burn up the Samaritans and then secure a prominent place for himself in Christ's Kingdom. Calling himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (e.g., John 21:20) was simply his way of marveling over God's grace in his life. 

As much as he loved Jesus, John never allowed his love to deteriorate into mere sentimentalism. In fact, the proper balance between truth and love is the Hallmark of his ministry. In his writings we find the word love more than eighty times and witness nearly seventy times. His profound love for Christ compelled him to be a teacher of love and a witness to the truth. To him, obedience to the truth was the highest expression of love. As 1 John 2:5 says, "Whoever keeps [God's] word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected." 

John's greatest joy was to know that his spiritual children were "walking in the truth” (3 John 4). He firmly denounced anyone who attempted to divert them from that goal by denying or distorting God's Word. 

Today media talk shows and other influences have blurred the lines between opinion and truth. One man's opinion is purported to be as good as the next, and mere's little talk about what's right or wrong. 

Truth suffers even within the church, because many Christians are willing to compromise it to avoid upsetting people. They forget that true love flourishes only in the atmosphere of Biblical truth (Phil. 1:9). 

 Amid such confusion, God calls you to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). The world doesn't need another opinion—it needs God's absolute and authoritative Word!  
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The twelve apostles included "Philip" (Matt. 10:3).

Philip was probably a fisherman who was acquainted with Peter, Andrew, James, John, Nathanael, and Thomas prior to them all becoming disciples. We first meet him in John 1:43-46, which says, "The next day [after Jesus encountered Peter and Andrew], He purposed to go forth into Galilee, and He found Philip, and Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him, of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.... Come and see.'" 

Those brief verses reveal two things about Philip. First he had a seeking heart. Apparently he and Nathanael had studied the Scriptures in anticipation of the Messiah's coming. When Jesus said, "Follow Me," Philip was ready. Jeremiah 29:13 describes such a person: "You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Second, he had the heart of an evangelist. The first thing he did after his own conversion was to lead Nathanael to Christ. Imagine his joy as he told his friend about the One for whom they had searched so long! I believe friendships usually provide the best context for evangelism because you're introducing Christ into an already established relationship of love, trust, and mutual respect. After all, it's only natural to share the joy of your salvation with someone you love. 

I pray that your joy overflows to those around you and that they are drawn to Christ because of your testimony.  
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The twelve apostles included "Philip" (Matt. 10:3). 

It’s been said that an optimist sees a glass half full, while a pessimist sees it half empty. An optimist sees opportunities; a pessimist sees obstacles. In one sense Philip was an optimist. He recognized Jesus as the Messiah and immediately saw an opportunity to share his discovery with Nathanael. In another sense, Philip was a pessimist because on occasions he failed to see what Christ could accomplish despite the apparent obstacles. 

 On one such occasion Jesus had just finished teaching and healing a crowd of thousands of people. Night was falling, and the people were beginning to get hungry. Apparently Philip was responsible for the food, so Jesus asked him, "Where are we to buy bread that they may eat?" (John 6:5). Philip said, Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for every one to receive a little" (v. 7). In other words, "We don't have enough resources in our whole savings account to buy enough food for a group this size!" Philip's calculating, pragmatic pessimistic mind could reach only one conclusion: this is an utter impossibility. 

 Jesus knew all along how He was going to solve the problem, but He wanted to test Philip's faith (v. 6). Philip should have passed the test because he had already seen Jesus create wine from water at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). Despite Philip's failure, Jesus didn't give up on him. Instead, from five barley loaves and two fish He created enough food to feed the entire crowd, thus replacing Philip's pessimism with a reaffirmation of divine sufficiency. 

There's a little of Philip in each of us. We've experienced God's saving power and have seen Him answer prayer, and yet there are times when we let pessimism rob us of the joy of seeing Him work through obstacles in our lives. Don't let that happen to you. Keep your eyes on Christ, and trust in His sufficiency. He will never fail you! 
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The twelve apostles included "James the son of Zebedee" (Matt. 10:2). 

There's the story of a Norwegian pastor whose motto was "All or nothing!" His life and preaching were stern, strong, powerful, uncompromising, and utterly insensitive. Reportedly the people in his church didn't care much for him because he didn't care much for them. In his zeal and ambition to advance the Kingdom and uphold God's standard, he neglected everything else-including his own family. One day his little daughter became so ill, the doctor warned him that if he didn't move her out of the cold Norwegian air to a warmer climate she would die. He refused, telling the doctor, "All or nothing!" Soon his little girl died. His wife was so grief-stricken she would sit for hours holding her daughter's garments close to her heart trying somehow to ease her pain. 

When the pastor saw what his wife was doing, he gave the clothes to a poor woman in the street. All that remained was a little bonnet, which his wife had hidden so she would have some reminder of her precious daughter. When the pastor found it, he gave that away too, lecturing his wife on giving "all or nothing." Within a few months she too died—of grief. Now that's an extreme example of insensitive zeal, and yet there are many pastors, evangelists, and other Christian workers who are so zealous for the Lord and so task-oriented, they don't see the pain their own families and congregations are suffering. 

James could have been like that if he hadn't yielded his life to Christ. He began as a zealous and insensitive disciple, but God refined his character and used him in a marvelous way. Examine your own ministries and motives. Are you sensitive to your family and the people with whom you serve? Zeal can be a wonderful quality, but it must be tempered with love and sensitivity. 
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

The twelve apostles included "James the son of Zebedee" (Matt. 10:2). 

Like Peter and Andrew, James and John were fishermen. One day as Jesus walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He saw them in a boat with their father Zebedee and some hired servants. When Jesus called them to follow Him, they immediately left the boat and went with Him (Mark 1:19-20). 

 James and John were zealous and ambitious men—so much so that Jesus nicknamed them "Boanerges," which means, "Sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). At times their great zeal got the better of them. In Luke 9:54, for example, after a Samaritan village had rejected some of the disciples, James and John asked Jesus for permission to call down fire from Heaven to incinerate the whole village! On another occasion they sent their mother to ask Jesus to give them the most prominent places in His Kingdom (Matt 20:20-28). They wanted power, prestige, and honor, but Jesus promised them suffering and, in James's case, a martyr's grave. 

 James was probably the eldest of the two brothers. His name is listed first whenever their names appear together in Scripture. Perhaps he was also the most zealous and passionate of the two, since he was the first apostle to be martyred. When King Herod decided to persecute the early church, he had James put to death with a sword (Acts 12:2). When he saw how much that pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested but didn't kill him. Apparently James was a bigger threat than Peter. That tells us something about the powerful ministry he must have had. 

Like James and John, some Christians have a zeal that prompts them to run ahead of the Holy Spirit. If that’s true of you, be thankful for your zeal, but also be careful to allow the Spirit to govern what you do and say. However, if you've slipped into spiritual complacency and your life isn’t much of a threat to Satan's kingdom, you need to repent and become more zealous for the Lord! 
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,