True Gospel with SAVIOUS-PARKER KWINIKA
True Gospel with SAVIOUS-PARKER KWINIKA
IT is not my intention to ruffle feathers, but, this week’s True Gospel will definitely stir a hornet’s nest.
Those that will be offended or otherwise, please pardon me in advance.
I know well the truth always hurts. It has been resisted since time immemorial.
Even Jesus Christ ended up being killed for preaching the truth.
This week, Jehovah God gave me a unique but controversial topic to discuss.
I strongly feel this will not go unchallenged by critics, mainly feminists.
Let me beg you, people of God not to shoot the messenger. I am merely an envoy of the gospel.
I start this True Gospel with a critical and important question.
Why is it that our Lord Jesus Christ did not have a female disciple among his 12 apostles?
All his apostles were male. These comprised Simon Peter, Andrew, James (the son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (the son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot.
Matthew 10:1-4 of the New Living Translation confirms the True Gospel I’m preaching in this platform.
“Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James’s brother), Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot) AND Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).”
No single woman whatsoever!
Yet, Jesus valued the importance of women in life.
Jesus never bothered himself about equality, impartiality or so-called women’s rights in his assignment. He was only concerned about the chief task at hand – accomplishing the heavenly mission.
Jesus understood women would always chicken out of the task when it mattered most.
I know very well theology scholars, academics and bible fundis will come up with different theories, opinions and other school of thoughts but my question stands as to why all 12 disciples of Jesus were men.
Although on several occasions women like Joanna, Mary Magdalene and Susanna accompanied him in his ministry, Jesus never made them disciples.
While the significance of the 12 apostles from the Jewish men symbolised the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel, Jesus knew well when the going got tough, he would require people with spiritual shock-absorbers like himself – the men of substance to help him accomplish the heavenly mission, which was to take the gospel of Jehovah God to the entire world.
If one takes a closer look at the background of these men (apostles), one sees there was nothing special or spectacular about them.
They were ordinary working men but Jesus Christ formed them into the backbone of the church. He gave them the most extraordinary task imaginable, which is to call the entire world, including the mightiest empire of the time ever known (Roman Empire), to repentance and faith in the risen Jesus Christ.
Ask yourself this! Who among the elite educated theology scholars, academics or religious experts of the first-century Roman would ever imagined or predicted that within three centuries to come the Christian faith would be the official faith of the empire and entire world?
All these theology and religious scholars and academics would have laughed their lungs out at any prediction that within three centuries,the Christianity faith would be the official faith of the world.
At that period Jesus embarked on his mission, no woman whatsoever would have withstood persecution, harassment, victimisation, torture, harassment, punishment and even death for another person, here being Jesus Christ.
During that time evangelism or spiritual expedition always required people of steel, hence Jesus’ spiritual telescopic view about only choosing men.
Jesus knew all these challenges ahead of him hence he chose a trailblazing lionhearted, brave, indomitable and venturesome all-male team of disciples to ensure his heavenly mission became a success.
Preaching the gospel during that time came with a heavy price, the harshest being death.
There were beatings, arrests and retribution. One doubts that a woman would have endured.
Jesus’ disciples suffered greatly for their faith. They met violent deaths on account of their bold witness.
Apart from the betrayer Judas Iscariot, who hanged himself, and John, all others were executed for preaching the gospel.
Peter and Paul were the first apostles to be executed in Rome about 66 AD (after death) of Jesus Christ. The two were killed during the persecution under Emperor Nero.
Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified, upside down at his request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord – Jesus Christ.
The others died as in the chronology below.
Another who died a painful death was Andrew, who preached to the “land of the man-eaters”, today called Russia (ex-Soviet Union).
Christians there claim he was first to bring the gospel to their land.
Andrew also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and in Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.
Thomas was speared to death. He was probably very active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder.
Philip possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul.
In retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.
Matthew the tax collector and writer of a Gospel, ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some reports state he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.
Bartholomew’s widespread missionary took to him to India with Thomas, back to Armenia, and also to Ethiopia and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.
James the son of Alpheus, who is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament, was stoned and then clubbed to death.
He is reckoned to have ministered in Syria.
Simon the Zealot, who preached in Persia, was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
Matthais, who was the apostle chosen to replace Judas, was burned. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew.
John died a natural death from old age. He was the leader of the church in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle 90’s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos.
The 12th disciple to die was James the son of Zebedee, who was executed by Herod about 44 AD.
No woman whatsoever would want to be executed. Think of petty, trivial, fiddling, piffling, flimsy, frivolous and sometimes silly things women always argue about or become jealousy to each other?
They (women) would be waiting for the opportune time to advocate for equal rights, non-discrimination, entitlement, equality, fairness, justice and equal opportunities without enduring the pain. By nature, somethings are just too hard to stomach, but that is the truth Jehovah God’s begotten son – Jesus Christ took into consideration ahead of his gospel expedition.
Spiritually determined, Jesus Christ factored all these into the challenges that lay ahead of his mission, thus he chose only men.
Jesus thus would only settle for males as opposed to women because these tasks and missions demanded those deemed to be bold as steel, both in flesh and spirit.
Now, we have false prophets always prophesying money and fake pastors preaching the gospel of giving from sunrise and until sunset as well as greedy church founders who want to be hero worshipped and glorified in the place of Jesus.
They enjoy all these satanic practices because they know well about followers’ naivety, stupidity, foolishness, ignorance, gullibility, silliness, idiocy and madness.
I will never preach the gospel that put humans ahead of Jehovah God.
True Gospel is about evangelising, sermonising and proclaiming the True Gospel of the cross, salvation and repentance.
Remember, this gospel of repentance and salvation came with Jesus Christ assuring those who believe in him about a lifeline, redemption and deliverance.
Jesus also assured us the True Gospel comes with harm, punishment, retribution, beating, humiliation, insults and sometimes being snubbed by friends and relatives.
John 15:18 of the English Standard Version confirms this.
It reads, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
Those who believe in this True Gospel, say amen!
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