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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for February 6, 2009
“The Excitement of the New”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Isn’t it exciting to get something new?
Here I am, a middle-aged man, but I feel that little kid buzz when I remember that, “Oh yeah! I have new clothes!” Or it might be a new watch, or for crying out loud, I even get a little excited about having a new saw blade.
And it’s not just new things. I remember feeling that excitement in college at the start of every new semester.
Speaking of college, the girls used to do this thing where, for example, a whole floor from a girl’s dorm would reserve a restaurant for the night, then each of them would get a date for their roommate. See, maybe there was a guy the roommate liked. This was a way to get them together.
I went on a few of those dates, and for the guy they were blind dates. When you walked in that restaurant you had no idea who your date was. Talk about exciting! It was the excitement of limitless possibilities. Anything could happen!
That’s kind of the way I feel when I read about the early days of Jesus’ ministry. Like when he called his first disciples. I picture them all as sunny days! The future was bright, the possibilities endless. It was the start of something new and man, it’s gonna be great!
The Bible doesn’t exactly spell it out in chronological order, but here’s the best I can figure it.
It started in John chapter 1. There was John the Baptist and two of his disciples out by the Jordan River. John saw Jesus walking by and said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
Then those two disciples of John the Baptist walked over to Jesus. One of them was Andrew, and apparently the other was John. And they ended up spending the day with Jesus.
So that’s two disciples now in contact with Jesus – ten more to go. I’m telling you, something new and exciting is starting to unfold!
Well after meeting Jesus, Andrew just could not contain his excitement. The first thing he did was go and tell his brother Simon, “Hey, we have found the Messiah!”
So Andrew brought Simon to Jesus, and Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called…Peter.”
Three down, nine to go.
John 2:43 says, “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, He said to him, “Follow me.”
Wait a minute. Where did Philip come from? Well all I know is that he was from the same town as Andrew and Peter, which was Bethsaida.
Four down, eight to go.
Philip got all excited like Andrew did, and he found Nathanael and told him about Jesus, of Nazareth.
“Nazareth!” said Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
“Come and see,” said Philip.
So he did. And Nathanael was impressed and that makes it…five down, seven to go.
Now you need to know that Nathanael also went by the name Bartholomew. So when you read the lists of disciples in the Bible, just remember that Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same man.
Anyway, there is definitely an excitement in the air as these men are being drawn into Jesus’ circle.
Apparently some time passed after their first encounter with Jesus, because we find Peter and Andrew, plus John and his brother James, back at their fishing job. At this time, however, Jesus gives them a more formal call. He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At that point they left the fishing business to follow Jesus.
That’s two sets of brothers, Peter and Andrew, and now John and James. James makes it six down, six to go. And by the way, John and James (the sons of Zebedee) also got a nickname. Jesus called them the Sons of Thunder.
At some point Jesus saw the tax collector Levi sitting at his tax booth. Jesus said, “Follow me,” and Levi got up and left everything to follow Jesus. And he ended up being called Matthew.
That’s seven down and five to go. And in the Bible we kind of see Matthew paired up with Thomas, but we don’t find the story of how Jesus first called Thomas, or the other four for that matter. They were James the son of Alphaeus, Judas the son of James (who was also called Thaddaeus), Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot. When the twelve are listed, Judas the traitor always comes last, and Peter is first, by the way.
Actually Jesus had a lot of other disciples. He was stirring up a lot of excitement, and a lot of people were drawn to Him.
Then one night He went up on a mountainside and spent the night in prayer. Then in the morning He gathered His disciples and picked out twelve of them to be His apostles.
I just love reading about those early days of Jesus’ ministry, so full of excitement, of possibilities!
But with Jesus, it never does get old. The next thing you know they were in that upper room on the day of Pentecost. The next thing you know the Gospel was turning the world upside down.
And it still is today. I see it in my own life. Following Jesus means a continual supply of new things.
I think God created us to enjoy new things, and I think as we live for Him, He continually brings new and exciting things into our life.
So what are you waiting for? Heed the call to follow Jesus today. Like those first disciples, leave it all to follow Him.
Then watch in amazement as the Lord continually brings into your life the excitement of the new!
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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