Behind The Scenes (Part 2) Series

BEHIND THE SCENES

Part 2

Acts 1:15-26

The Bible gives us a wealth of information about the Apostles Peter & John. Often mentioned with them is John’s brother, James (the first Apostle to be martyred for his service to Christ). There are a certain passages that briefly mention Matthew, Andrew & Thomas. We are given a detailed description of the deceptive acts of Judas Iscariot. Interestingly, we are not given much specific information about James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, Bartholomew, or Philip. However, I would submit to you that though they may not be as well-known as the others, their service to the Lord and their impact on the Kingdom is no less important.

Along with the Lord’s chosen Apostles were many other men and women who traveled with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. Many of these individuals were rarely mentioned, some of their names are even not recorded, but they are important nonetheless.

We do not know how many followers of Christ were part of the general assembly of disciples. We do know that on one occasion He sent 70 of them out to minister in His name. (Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.) These 70 followers of Christ went out into the cities with great power and were active and fruitful in the work of the ministry. When their mission was complete, they returned to Jesus filled with joy and enthusiasm. (Luke 10:17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.") We are not given their names, but this group of Saints had a tremendous impact on the Kingdom.

Some of the greatest servants of God are unknown to most of the world. Throughout Church history, there have been many Christians who faithfully work behind the scenes. Our selected text features two such men; their names are Justus & Matthias. (It is possible that these men were among those 70 disciples that Christ sent out to minister in Luke 10, we do not know for sure). However, we do know that the Apostles would choose one of these two men to replace Judas Iscariot and become an Apostle of Christ.

At this point, the Lord’s followers are gathered in the upper room, praying together and waiting for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Peter stood up and addressed this assembly and referenced the dastardly acts of Judas Iscariot. Using scripture he proposed that they select someone to fill the position of Apostle. They selected two men who fit the qualifications. These men had been present throughout the ministry of Jesus; they had seen Him after His resurrection and were present for His ascension. After narrowing the search down to two, the Church prayed and asked God to reveal who He would have to serve as an Apostle.

Like the original 12, Justus and Matthias had surrendered all and followed Jesus. They were men who possessed a personal relationship with the Savior. They had: walked with Him, talked with Him and learned from Him. Both Justus and Matthias were men who had participated in Jesus’ earthly ministry. They were men who were witnesses of Jesus, they walked with Jesus and they were men who worked for Jesus.

- I would like to pick back up where we left off last week and continue to learn about those servants of God who work “Behind The Scenes”. So far we have seen that “There Are Some People Behind The Scenes Who Walk With Jesus”, and “There Are Some People Behind The Scenes Who Are Witnesses Of Jesus” As we move further we will see that:

III. THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES

WHO WORK FOR JESUS

We don’t know much about Matthias’ story before he became an Apostle; in fact we are not told much about his life after being selected to replace Judas. But it is clear that this man spent time with Jesus and he shared Him with others. Jesus had commanded His Disciples to be His witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and even to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

Matthias was just as involved in the Great Commission as Peter, James and John. In fact, history tells us that this man served Jesus to the point of martyrdom. According to historical sources Matthias lived till 80 A.D. and spread the gospel on the shores of the Caspian and Cappadocia. It is believed that he died for his faith either by being crucified or by being chopped apart.

Like Matthias and the rest of the Apostles, there are people in the church who have spent considerable time with Jesus and they consistently share Him with others. This should be the case for every born again believer. We should all abide in Christ and we should tell the world about Him.