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​Scripture of the Week:
​
Psalm 63 

A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
God, You are my God;
I search for You,
my soul thirsts for You,
my body yearns for You,
as a parched and thirsty land that has no water.
I shall behold You in the sanctuary,
and see Your might and glory,
Truly Your faithfulness is better than life;
my lips declare Your praise.
I bless You all my life;
I lift up my hands, invoking Your name.
I am sated as with a rich feast,
I sing praises with joyful lips
when I call You to mind upon my bed,
when I think of You in the watches of the night;
for You are my help,
and in the shadow of Your wings
I shout for joy.
My soul is attached to You;
Your right hand supports me.
May those who seek to destroy my life
enter the depths of the earth.
May they be gutted by the sword;
may they be prey to jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by Him shall exult,
when the mouth of liars is stopped.

















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12/7/2016

Matthew Businessman to Apologist for Christ  

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A wealthy tax collector of Capharnaum (Capernaum) also known as Levi was a public servant and possible brother of James the Less as both were sons of Alphaeus. He was hated by the Jews because he collected taxes for Rome while also pocketing some for his family.  
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. Matthew 9:9 (ESV)
14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose  and followed him. Mark 2:14 (ESV)
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. Luke 5:27-28 (ESV)
He left the tax booth without hesitation. Remember the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and mammon”. Think of the impact on the sinner’s life where Matthew was trying to be a good Jew but at the same time held captive by the need to support his family no matter what. He compromised his principles of godly living to live richly in the world.
Matthew's names mean "a gift of God." Why Jesus would have taken this particular tax collector is not known but as the stories continue we see the transformation of a greedy tax collector turn into one of the first Apologists for Christ.
Since Matthew could write, as he was a publican (civil servant) for Rome, it seems planned that he would be the writer of the first gospel. His writing of the life and teachings of Jesus was brought to the Sanhedrin in his (and Christianity’s) defense. It is his message that would reverberate through the ages. How this man was reformed and blessed through living and learning with Christ is definitely a God thing. But it proves that God has an ultimate plan and can change the lives of whom He chooses to make the Word known.    
So what can we learn from Matthew’s life?
1.       Even the greediest person can be reformed and become a believer. Here we can use the analogy of a Scrooge-like person. All Jesus had to do was come into Matthew’s life. Today it is a little bit harder and may take drastic measures to humble the greedy, but if God ordains it, He will make a way for it to come to pass.
 
2.       Defending the Gospel is a life-long effort. Through heartache, pain, and suffering, Matthew served God and shred the Gospel even and the point of death. We must not fear those who we are serving and sharing the Gospel with because that is our commission in life.     

After the Pentecost and dealing with the Sanhedrin, Matthew preached in Ethiopia where he died a martyr's death by beheading.

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