Nikki Humphrey (00:00)
This episode is for you if you've ever thought, why would Jesus choose someone like me? And you need Bible-based proof that he delights in using imperfect, ordinary people to carry his mission out.
Hope Mangiafico (00:16)
Hi, I'm Hope.
Nikki Humphrey (00:17)
Hi, I'm Nikki. Welcome to Equipped Fellowship, where friends become family through Christ. We're two Jesus-loving friends on a mission to share personal stories, resources, and real talk about our triumphs, breakthroughs, struggles, and setbacks. Why? Because we believe you are called to live victoriously, and we are here to equip you with Holy Spirit-led tools and strategies to strengthen your faith, transform your mindset, and walk
boldly in God's promises because here's the truth, you have been given great and precious promises by God. So
Hope Mangiafico (00:54)
.
Nikki Humphrey (00:55)
grab your coffee, lean in and let's grow together. It's time to step into everything God has for you.
Hope Mangiafico (01:04)
Yes, and we can receive that fully and I'm so excited in that regard because everyone knows about the disciples. Everyone thinks the disciples are all great and you might know a couple stories about them, but I cannot wait for today for us to deep dive into actually how Jesus chose these ordinary people.
and we're all gonna learn something new about each character today and help us see that hey, he can use us too, right? Super pumped, so, Nikki, you go ahead and rock and roll with what we're gonna do.
Nikki Humphrey (01:37)
Okay, so we
broke this up in the segments. And our first segment is about ordinary workers. So this first group, the ordinary everyday people, the ones waking up early, going to work and doing the same thing they did day after day after day. Not feeling especially spiritual, not doing anything extraordinary because when Jesus calls his first disciples, they're not teaching in a temple.
Hope Mangiafico (01:45)
Mm-hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (02:07)
They're on a shoreline, hands are probably dirty, probably pretty stinky. They're thinking about their next catch, their income and normal responsibilities. So if your life feels routine, repetitive, and even a little unnoticed, this is for you.
Hope Mangiafico (02:07)
Okay.
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (02:28)
And our first ordinary person we have, my favorite, if you've been listening at all,
is Peter, also known as Simon, and a couple of descriptions for him, impulsive, passionate, and restored. So in Matthew 4.18 through 20, Peter is a fisherman, which means early mornings, like we just said, hard labor, unpredictable income,
physical exhaustion. He's used to controlling what he can, nets, boats, and outcomes. But he also has to be impulsive to make quick decisions because of the weather, opportunities, fishing conditions. So when Jesus calls him, Peter doesn't slowly consider it. He jumps and goes all in with Jesus. That's who he is. In Matthew 14,
Hope Mangiafico (02:59)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (03:26)
He's the only one bold enough to step out of the boat, but also the one who panics as soon as the wind hits his face. He's obedient, he's all in, but then reality hits and he sinks. In Matthew 16, he confidently rebukes Jesus saying, never Lord, this shall never happen to you when Jesus predicts his death. And then Jesus replies to Peter,
Hope Mangiafico (03:49)
Yeah. Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (03:55)
this classic line, get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concepts. And I was like, yikes, Peter. It's like, how many times do you see God
and then doing stuff and then Jesus, shouldn't say God, it was Jesus doing things and then Peter.
sticks his foot in his mouth time after time again. And then even in Luke 22, 61 through 62, this is one that gets me. After denying Jesus three times, and remember, Jesus predicted that he was gonna do it and Peter was like, nope, not gonna happen. The Lord turned and looked straight.
at Peter. I mean, Hope, doesn't that make you uncomfortable?
Hope Mangiafico (04:59)
Yeah,
thinking about that. Yeah, so true.
Nikki Humphrey (05:02)
if you knew the circumstances and you were the bystander and crushing, right? That's so crushing
that Jesus doesn't call you out with words or action, but just a look.
Hope Mangiafico (05:20)
Yeah. Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (05:22)
After that eye contact, realizing what he's done, he probably walked around with such shame, regret, and heartbreak. So again, Peter's all over the place. He's excited,
he's protective, he's impulsive, he goes back on his word and then he gets caught. But Jesus still restores him.
And John 21, feed my sheep. And what's powerful is Jesus always knew who Peter was. Even in Luke 22, 32, before the failure, Jesus says, but I have prayed for you, Simon. Remember that's still Peter. That
Hope Mangiafico (06:02)
Mm.
Nikki Humphrey (06:14)
your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back,
strengthen your brothers. Jesus addresses him at Simon at this point to emphasize his human weakness and impetuous nature just before he falls into temptation and denying Christ. Peter is the one who feels deeply, I can relate, acts quickly, yep, and sometimes regrets it later.
Hope Mangiafico (06:32)
Hmm.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (06:50)
This is for the person who feels like I react before I think I've messed up in big ways. I love God, but I don't always get it right.
And we want you to know that Jesus doesn't cancel you in failures, mistakes, but he restores you and will still call you forward in your purpose. And he will call you close to him.
Hope Mangiafico (07:19)
Amen.
Man, that's some powerful stuff. And I love Peter too, like thinking about how he's such a demonstration how God can forgive sins and strengthen the faith.
of those who love him, because that's what it boiled down at the end of the day, is redirecting that excitement and strengthening it in the right directions. It's so good. Now, Peter's the first one. Then you have Andrew as an ordinary worker being caught at the same time as Peter because they both are Fisher of men, changed to Fisher of people. Fisher of men, didn't come out right. They're Fisher men.
Nikki Humphrey (08:00)
I that, I was diggin' it.
Hope Mangiafico (08:03)
They were fishermen and they became fishermen. That's confusing, but anyways, they were little teammates, if you will. But unlike Peter, Andrew is what we would call the quiet bringer. He is inquisitive and resourceful. And what's amazing about him is he actually is who brought Peter to Jesus in John 1, 40 through 42.
I think if you sit back and think about that, that's also so powerful if you think about their dynamic because there's this beauty in that too, because that means Peter listened to Andrew in his beautiful balance where God needs all of that in building his kingdom, needs the feisty, fiery, a little hot-tempered, and as his brother, being the inquisitive and resourceful.
So caught at the same time is the one that brought Peter to Jesus. And not only did he bring Peter to Jesus, he also brings the boy who helped feed the 5,000 that had the fish and loaves. And we'll talk about other disciples later since we're covering them all today, but in John 6, 8 through 9, that was a miracle. Like 5,000 people, not actually, like it's calling like the men basically, so we don't know how many children and women.
little basket from this boy and you think about what that means by Andrew's faith. Quiet but strong, observing, having the faith of knowing, man, well I've seen Jesus do a lot of things, maybe this will be sufficient, a resource for him to use to do yet another miracle. And I love that. So with that quietness, observation, being an observer I should say, he's
got a little bit less of a spotlight than Peter. Nikki had a lot to share about Peter and it's because there's so much about him in scripture. You'll notice as we share these different disciples, all of their stories are different and the amount of stories, but they're all relevant and needed for the kingdom of God. And he doesn't preach any sermons, he just brings the people.
And what I noticed, the importance of bringing the people means Andrew was present in the moment. Peter wasn't probably often truly present because he was either jumping to the next thing, right? Or reflecting back on the, uh-oh, I made a mistake kind of thing to regret like Nikki talked about. But Andrew has this presence about him that is so needed.
in everyday life. I mean, I'm working on that. I'm like, man, Lord, to be resourceful and to be present with you is so valuable. And it just shows how Jesus values those who faithfully bring others to him and present on the journey of walking with their savior. And I mean, honestly, you might never stand on a stage, but I can guarantee you that you may be the one who invites the person that
God will utilize. And that means you are just as significant. It's like a basketball team. The person that throws the ball to the person that makes a three pointer. Where'd the ball come from? It had to come from you.
you matter if you're bringing the next person that may then influence a whole other group of people. Every part is so significant. So your quiet faithfulness matters deeply to Jesus.
Nikki Humphrey (11:40)
It sure does. I love that. I love Andrew's character of just like you said, being a connector and calling people forth.
Hope Mangiafico (11:50)
Yeah, a connector, it's good word.
Nikki Humphrey (11:51)
It's
so good. And then next we have James and John. They are intense, ambitious, again, like Peter, though, transformed.
Hope Mangiafico (11:57)
Hehehehe
Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (12:07)
So James and John, they're also fishermen, but they come with strong personalities. Mark 3.17 calls them sons of thunder, which likely means loud, intense, and maybe even a little intimidating. To me, it reminded me like a wrestling duo. It's like coming to the mat, we have sons of thunder. Just intense and ready to do Jesus's work.
Hope Mangiafico (12:26)
You
That's so very appropriate.
Nikki Humphrey (12:36)
In Luke 9 54, they want to call down fire when people who reject Jesus in the Samaritan village, which... Right. Like Jesus, like, it's okay. Like not everybody's going to like me basically. And they're like, down the fire, which tells me they don't handle rejection very well at all. And then they take it.
Hope Mangiafico (12:45)
That's so crazy.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (13:05)
personally, like somehow something they may have did cause Jesus to be rejected, which is not true. And then in Mark 10, 35 through 38, James and John come to Jesus and say, teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. And we could you imagine going to Jesus and being like, we want you to do whatever we ask. Pretty bold, right?
Hope Mangiafico (13:07)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (13:34)
And they ask, let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in glory. They're basically saying, hey, Jesus, when you're in power, we
Hope Mangiafico (13:38)
Thank
Nikki Humphrey (13:45)
want the top spots. And then Jesus responds in verse 38. You don't know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?
Hope Mangiafico (13:47)
Yeah.
Singer.
Nikki Humphrey (14:05)
No. Yeah. James and John came to Jesus and Mark 10 and basically saying,
hey, when you're in your glory, want the top seas, they want the influence, they want the closest, they want the power and they want to matter. But
Jesus said when he said, can you drink the cup I drink? In other words, you're asking for glory, but you don't understand the cost of my glory.
Hope Mangiafico (14:27)
Correct.
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (14:30)
And that hits us too because sometimes we want the calling, the impact, the influence, but we don't always see the surrender, the stretching, the refining, the sacrifice, the heartache it takes to get there. And what I love is Jesus, again, doesn't shame them. He doesn't say you're disqualified. He walks with them and transforms their understanding over time. They wanted the crown.
Hope Mangiafico (14:31)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (15:01)
but Jesus was prepping them for the cross.
Hope Mangiafico (15:05)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (15:05)
But here's what's powerful. Jesus doesn't reject the ambition, just like with Peter being erratic and spontaneous, he redirects it. And John, one of those fiery men, became known as the disciple of love, writing, let us love one another in 1 John 4.7. Wanting to destroy people, from wanting to destroy people to teaching deep
Hope Mangiafico (15:06)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (15:34)
Sacrificial love like won't he do it? Hope like
Hope Mangiafico (15:35)
It's incredible to think
about. Yeah. Wow.
Nikki Humphrey (15:45)
So this is for the one who feels like I'm too intense. I feel things strongly. I want to matter maybe more than I should. Jesus doesn't reject your passion. If you allow him, he will transform it into something beautiful.
Hope Mangiafico (15:55)
Hmm.
And I was thinking about this group while you're speaking. Gosh, I know every listener is like, man, Nikki is such a good storyteller. I'm like locked in on all of your, the way you presented. So good. I know I'm like, why I'm just here to listen. You do such a good job of putting us in those shoes and seeing ourselves through that lens. as I'm listening to you and thinking through all three again, it's like,
Nikki Humphrey (16:14)
20 years of teaching kindergarten.
Hope Mangiafico (16:28)
how amazing that Jesus wanted them all and simultaneously he had so much work to do because these ordinary workers, Nikki painted the picture of what it would be like to be a fisherman, but it probably explains why they were just so like, passionate. When you think about having to make an income based off your production of fish, for example, you've gotta be intense. You've gotta push, push, push. I don't know, all of a sudden I felt that intensity of like,
why they were the way that they were. And he unders... Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (17:00)
You gotta get the best spot. Like you gotta dock
your position.
Hope Mangiafico (17:05)
And he understood that and was like, it makes sense. Like he sees what the world will do to you to survive right under the curse. And he's like, I'm gonna clean it up. And I think that's just really powerful because so often we think about we had to do X, Y, and Z. So it developed these bad habits and he's like, I see it, it's part of your story and it matters. Let me use it for glory.
Nikki Humphrey (17:32)
He will use anything and everything.
Hope Mangiafico (17:33)
And I have...
I just I feel that to my core and even Andrew, you know, he was nothing like his stories are nothing here to Peter and James and John But he was so quiet and Jesus used him but I bet Jesus still pulled out the and maybe thanks to Peter pulled out the more like umph in him like to bring out that balance so he can be used in different situations Anyways, I just I start really put myself in those shoes of him having to help reform
reshape our thinking due to survival.
Nikki Humphrey (18:07)
Yes.
That's good.
Hope Mangiafico (18:09)
Yeah, it's really good. It was really cool. Man, so are we moving on to segment two? Okay, so those are the ordinary workers. Now we have the outcast and the skeptics. I'm really excited about this one because we're starting with Matthew and he is known as the despised tax collector because ain't, speaking of Peter and the fisherman, ain't nobody want to work with a tax collector. Stressful.
Nikki Humphrey (18:15)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (18:39)
⁓ dreading when he comes knocking, asking for the money and the, what's the word I'm looking for? The dichotomy? Is that the right word? Of Matthew versus Peter and James and John, right? Like that's a mix. That's a storm. That's thunder.
Nikki Humphrey (18:58)
Right. Put together,
analytical, serious, like focused, and they're just sons of thunder. and Andrea.
Hope Mangiafico (19:03)
Ugh.
Yeah, and you think about
it's incredible because if you think about how Jesus called the ordinary workers to come, he did the same thing with Matthew. He called him to to be a disciple. He called him in Matthew 9, 9 through 13. And this is beauty because he was more or less despised from everyone else because he was working with the Romans doing the tax collecting.
Jesus stepped into Matthew's world.
which is like almost blasphemous from a human perspective. And not only did he step in his world saying, I want you, will you come follow me? He then has dinner with these people, with the sinners. So it's not only like, hey, come follow me from a distance. It's like, let me get all up in that and show immediately people that I am so different and how I love and who I call. I think that's incredible.
Because tax collectors were seen as traitors and cheaters, is often how that perspective was. And Jesus' response through all of that in Matthew 9.13 is, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
And you know, it's like Jesus also said, this is just coming to mind now. I don't have it written down where he's like, the sick are the people I came for. Healthy people don't need hospitals. Healthy people don't need a doctor. I came for the sick, the lowly, the people that are in need. He's like, these are my people. This is my tribe. And I just love that because so often we're pursuing thinking we need to pursue righteousness for him to then say like, you're good enough.
This is a story that's like completely dismantles that mentality. And Jesus may have chosen him because his meticulousness was a skill that would benefit us as future generations because his gospel is one of the most thorough gospels out of all four of them. The detail, which again comes from that background.
of numbers and have it cosh. Can you imagine actually had to keep up with all the tax? Sounds terrible. Can't even do my own.
So he was like, he knew that Matthew would be able to get all these details that today we would be consuming and wanting to know more, being able to be like Nikki telling the stories with richness. That was Matthew. And he also called him to demonstrate the heart of his mission, which like I mentioned was reaching the spiritually sick, which we can all relate to. We got stories for days. Gosh, it's unbelievable. I literally feel like the Lord did something to my heart yesterday.
I like, that was a sick place. We all need it. And he still loves me. And to show that someone with a compromised reputation can be trusted with important kingdom work, such as writing the gospel, like I said before, for us as future generations. And another good example of that is Paul. We're not talking about him because he's not a disciple, but I mean, we got multiple stories of these people with terrible reputations in the past. And it's like,
Nikki Humphrey (22:22)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (22:26)
Jesus is like, I trust you! Go! You know? Like, it's all good. It doesn't define you. And so, if your past choices make you feel spiritually unclean or unwelcome, let Matthew be your mirror. Jesus is not afraid of your past. He'll even come sit and dine with you with all your yucks.
Nikki Humphrey (22:30)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (22:52)
You know, if you had names for all the different yucky words like bitterness, envy, victim mindset, boom boom boom, he says plop right in the midst of it. He ain't afraid. Right? Yeah. He stares them down with love and gets them out of you. So let him be your mirror that there is no such thing as too dirty for Jesus.
Nikki Humphrey (23:13)
That is right. Then we have Nathaniel. Honestly, before this, I didn't know much about my guy Nathaniel here, but some words to describe him, honest, skeptical, and fully seen. And then I was like, okay, I can get behind him. I feel that way sometimes. So Nathaniel's story starts with honesty. In John 1.46,
Hope Mangiafico (23:33)
Right?
Right. Mm-hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (23:41)
When he first hears about Jesus, he says, can anything good come out of Nazareth? He's not trying to be disrespectful. He's just being real. Like that wasn't the hot spot where all these religious people were coming from. So he's like, Nazareth, like this podunk town, like, can anything good come from there?
Nazareth was that small overlooked place.
Hope Mangiafico (24:09)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (24:10)
So in his mind,
he's thinking really, that's where the Messiah would come from. And I think some of us can really relate to that. Those moments when something doesn't fully make sense. And instead of pretending, we're just honest. How many times do we like, don't, when something doesn't make sense, we don't say anything, we shove it down and we just pretend like, ⁓ okay. And then you try to go home and you like research to like try to figure it out.
Nathaniel's just being honest, but what I love, Jesus, again, is not put off by that. He doesn't correct them right away. He sees Nathaniel's heart. In John 1.47, Jesus says, truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. In other words, he's not fake. What you see is
Hope Mangiafico (24:48)
Yes. Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (25:05)
what you get with my boy, Nathaniel.
Hope Mangiafico (25:09)
you .
Nikki Humphrey (25:09)
And then Jesus says something that shifts everything. In John 1.48, I saw you
while you were still under the fig tree, talking about Nathaniel. And we don't exactly know what Nathaniel was doing there under the fig tree, but most often if somebody was reflecting in a place like that, they might've been praying or thinking or studying a place of quiet personal moments with God.
And what hits me is this, Jesus saw him before anyone else did. In a moment that was private, unseen, not impressive. And suddenly
Hope Mangiafico (25:53)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (25:55)
this isn't just information anymore. It's personal. It's like, could you imagine just me being up in my Jesus chair and whatever I'm doing? And Jesus was like, I saw you.
I saw you, Nikki, reading that Bible and studying and like, I mean, how would that make you feel inside? Like my insides would get that like little explosion of like, ⁓ he saw that. Like I was just like learning all about him and he saw that. And I bet that's not how Nathaniel felt seen, validated, cared for, even though he didn't know who Jesus Wells was, he still felt cared for and cherished.
Hope Mangiafico (26:17)
You
Nikki Humphrey (26:39)
So Nathaniel responds in John 1.49, Rabbi, you are the son of God. You are the King of Israel. He moves from skepticism to full belief. And Jesus tells him in verse 50, you will see greater things than that. Like this moment, this realization, it's just the beginning. Nathaniel is the kind of person who doesn't pretend.
Hope Mangiafico (26:52)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (27:08)
ask real questions and wants something genuine in relationships and with people. So this is the one who feels like, don't want to fake faith. I have options. I need it to be real because Nathaniel shows us honest questions don't disqualify you. They can actually position you for real encounters with Jesus. And maybe the most powerful part
Hope Mangiafico (27:16)
Hmm Hmm
Nikki Humphrey (27:38)
is this, before Nathaniel fully saw Jesus, Jesus already saw him and Jesus sees you, me, hope and everyone too.
Hope Mangiafico (27:53)
And that proves that he's the son of God because again, this is coming to my mind now I don't know what scripture it is, but I have it somewhere actually in the other room that we
are the apple of God's eye.
This is proof of that. And it's speaking about our Heavenly Father. But Jesus, as He declared in Nathaniel, Son of God
Nikki Humphrey (28:16)
Mm-hmm. Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (28:17)
The proof
is there and he probably, again, I feel like some of it might be in Old Testament, but I might be wrong. But the apple of God's eye, he already knew probably that truth. And then he had that wonderful encounter. that was just like, it feels like a warm hug, right? A little blanket wrapped around you. It's so powerful. And I think Nathaniel's story is really cool too, because we know that we're supposed to test all things with scripture. And the questioning.
Nikki Humphrey (28:31)
once.
Hope Mangiafico (28:42)
actually empowers you to be testing, to make sure you're not following anything false. He wants the question. We talk about asking why all the time. He invites that. He doesn't see it as bad skepticism. He sees it as come find the truth. It sets you free, as scripture says.
Nikki Humphrey (29:01)
And you learn so much more. Like that's like I'm digging into nothing. I'm like, I don't really know anything about him. And I'm asking questions and looking for information. It makes it's such a richer experience, a more well-rounded experience.
Hope Mangiafico (29:05)
series.
No joke, and you bring us, I've said it a million times, that you bring us right into that richness. I love that word. It's so good. And that leads us into Thomas, which is such an interesting one, because everyone calls him Doubting Thomas, and I have always disliked that, because it's calling him by what we would deem as failure. But in truth, yes, maybe it was a doubt, which we're gonna talk about his story. But when you doubt,
It actually shows courage to even plant that seed of doubt to be honest, transparent, and vulnerable. And it reveals faithfulness once that doubt can be completely dismantled, which it can by the Son of God and Word of God and Spirit of God.
So Thomas is known as an honest doubter, yet he was invited closer because that's how it works because faithfulness is the fruit of that. And so basically he missed the first resurrection appearance and he refuses to believe without seeing and touching Jesus's wounds. And this is in John 20, 24 through 29. And I mean, can we blame him? This is a
crazy story. mean, yeah, if I miss someone being resurrected and I wasn't there for that appearance, how the crap am I just supposed to out of the gate believe that? I just think it's so goofy that as a whole we call him Doubting Thomas. So I'm Doubting Hope. You're Doubting Nikki. Like, we don't want those titles.
Nikki Humphrey (30:52)
I thought too,
he was feeling that way because it was a heart wound. Like, why wasn't I there when Jesus was there? What is wrong with me that I wasn't there?
Hope Mangiafico (30:59)
Mmm. Ssss, good point.
That's a great point. Again, you're bringing us right into that richness of the feelings. That's so good. And that makes you think further. Thank you for chiming in. This helps me so much. That then by refusing to believe it without seeing and touching Jesus' wounds, that's an intimate thing. It's not just like, me see Jesus. I had thought about that, Nikki. Good point. It's like, I wanna touch that spot. most, ooh, the most intimate spot.
of his body. Nikki, that's a great point. that's so good. And not only did he want that, Jesus loved it. And Jesus said, come and invite Thomas to touch and believe. He didn't say, nope, I'm gonna go disappear over here. Sucks for you. He loved that. And we know, because Nikki and I have shared this on so many episodes.
The heart wounds is what he's after. We say he's after the heart, not only your heart posture, but after the healing of your heart. Oh, that's such a good point you brought up. So Jesus comes and invites Thomas to touch and believe. And Thomas responds with one of the strongest confessions in the New Testament. And when I read this, I was like, oh, it's such a rich encounter. John 20, 28, my Lord.
my god.
Doubting Thomas had a personal encounter that was his. That's why Nikki and I will say our savior, my savior, my God, my Lord, because he has healed our hearts through our doubts. Once we became honest with him, he said, come on in, daughters. Ooh, that's so good.
Nikki Humphrey (33:10)
It's like you didn't miss
it. You didn't miss it, Thomas. I was saving something special for you.
Hope Mangiafico (33:14)
That'll preach, my gosh. Holy crap.
That is so good. And what I love about this too is like.
Jesus also met Thomas at the exact point of struggle. So, Nikki talking about, hey, Jesus talking to Thomas, I mean, like, you didn't miss it. Jesus knows that like little, in today's terms, FOMO, or thinking like, oh, we missed the blessing, we missed the opportunity. He knew that heart wound and he met him right in that struggle. And I know we're kind of repeating that, but I feel Thomas so weightily today and I didn't expect that.
And if you've ever said, God, I want to believe, but I'm struggling, Thomas shows you that Jesus doesn't shame you. As we said, he invites you closer and there is no shame in the doubt. There's also, there's no shame in the heart wounds. I think I have personally carried a lot of shame in my life from the heart wounds because I was embarrassed by them. Praise God for Thomas being a demonstration that there is no shame.
and vocalizing honestly the doubt. And he not only doesn't shame him and invites him closer, but it like puts this courage in him. Put this courage in Thomas. Put courage in, I know Nikki and I in our life and built our faithfulness. So good, So that's, he's the last one of those outcast and skeptical folks. What do we got next?
Nikki Humphrey (34:45)
Ooh, segment three, thinkers, zealots, and the quiet faithful. So we're looking at a group that shows just how diverse Jesus's team really is. The planners, the passionate, and the ones who quietly stay faithful, because Jesus doesn't just use one type of personality, he uses them.
Hope Mangiafico (35:09)
Mm-hmm. No.
Nikki Humphrey (35:11)
So first we have Philip. I didn't know much about Philip either.
So I got a crash course on Philip. And he's described as thoughtful, relational, and stretch into faith. Philip is someone who thinks things through. It's not impulsive like Peter. He's a processor.
Hope Mangiafico (35:25)
Okay.
Nikki Humphrey (35:39)
So I can respect a processor because I like to process quite a lot. And we see that right away in John 1.43, when Jesus simply says, follow me. And Philip does. But what's beautiful, he doesn't just stop there. In John 1.45, it says, Philip found Nathaniel, we just talked about. So he's not just following Jesus. He's bringing people with him. So he's another connector.
Hope Mangiafico (35:59)
Mm-hmm .
Nikki Humphrey (36:08)
Philip is the kind of person who says, I think I found something real and I want you to see it too. And I think that's relatable because some of us don't just experience things alone. We want the people we care about to experience it too. And hope even we even do that with each other. Like, look what I found. Did you see this? Like, we're so excited that we're both like, like so good.
Hope Mangiafico (36:14)
Yeah. Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (36:38)
But Philip also has this other side, a very practical side.
In John 6, 5 to 7, when Jesus is about to feed the 5,000, we already talked about this a little bit, he asked Philip, where shall we buy the bread for these people to eat? And Philip immediately goes to the numbers. It would take more than a half year's wages. Philip's calculating, he's assessing what they have, looking at what's realistic.
Hope Mangiafico (36:44)
Okay. Mm hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (37:07)
And I think some of us live here too. We see the need, but we also see the limitations. And what's interesting is Jesus already knew what he was going to do, verse six. So this wasn't about information. It was about an invitation. An invitation for Philip to see beyond what made sense right in front of his face.
Hope Mangiafico (37:14)
Hmm. Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (37:36)
And later in John 12, 21, people came to Philip and say, sir, we would like to see Jesus. And I love that detail because something about Philip felt approachable. He wasn't intimidating. He wasn't distant. People felt like I can go to him and he'll help me get to Jesus, which is so cool.
Hope Mangiafico (37:49)
Hmm Hmm
Nikki Humphrey (38:05)
And then in John 14, eight, Philip says, Lord, show us the father and that will be enough for us. And you can hear it, that desire for clarity, like just make it clear, Jesus, just help me fully understand. And Jesus responds, anyone who has seen me has seen the father, which tells us something
Hope Mangiafico (38:15)
Mm.
Nikki Humphrey (38:35)
powerful. Philip wasn't lacking faith. He was longing for deeper understanding. Philip is the kind of person who thinks deeply, brings others along, and wants things to make sense, and is learning to trust beyond what he can calculate. So this is for you if it feels like
Hope Mangiafico (38:37)
Okay.
Nikki Humphrey (39:01)
I'm trying to understand, I'm trying to make progress, but I'm only seeing the limitations.
But here's the truth. Philip reminds us, Jesus doesn't reject your questions or logic, like we've been saying. He meets you there and gently stretches you beyond it.
Hope Mangiafico (39:19)
It sets you free because I know for me, I've always thought faith and practicality were enemies. And this is proof that it's not. I mean, I honestly, my husband is so practical.
Nikki Humphrey (39:26)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (39:32)
I'm just pretty much faithful, know, not faithful but like pursuing that instead of practicality and that makes them enemies and it's like you can bring them together and there's freedom in that that I think someone needs to hear today which is amazing. ⁓ Good old Philip, I needed to learn on him for this too and then we have Simon the Zealot. Good old Zealots were known for being patriotic.
and whatever they needed to to be loyal, which is a good thing. And they are passionate and truly the definition of sacrificial. It's like you have Jesus given the most sacrifice and then you got the zealots.
They don't play. And so what I love that happened with Simon is that that passion, Jesus used it just like everything else and flipped it for a new allegiance, no more for fighting for, as we would say our country, right, today, like war and stuff, but for the kingdom of God, which I love.
And it's interesting, because zealots would be defined as potentially even revolutionary.
And that is like, the word that comes to mind is like trend setting.
power behind that to take someone with that fiery passion, loyalty. It changed the trajectory of so many people's lives. And it's wild too because again, Nikki had a few of the disciples that have a lot of mentions in the Bible, a lot of story talking points. Really, he was simply known as the zealot. And the biggest thing that's crazy about that is
him and Matthew would have absolutely been enemies because Matthew was a tax collector for Rome as we mentioned before. Azele is trying to say ain't no Romans coming in this in this house.
so funny and now these two people that would be considered enemies in the natural are following the same savior.
And we kind of, we've talked about that on the previous episode in regard to like the people that received miracles. Like it's the people you would define as enemies, right? That don't agree with you politically. This is literally that in scripture as well, real time being chosen by Jesus. And mind you, ⁓ I realized that I did not highlight this earlier because I got so excited to jump into this. But as we're talking about the disciples,
John 15, 16 says that Jesus said, did not choose me, but I choose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. So as we're talking about this, we've been highlighting it, but as I'm talking about two enemies in the natural, remember Jesus chose them.
It's a really big deal. And there was something about Jesus that was strong enough to lure them both in. It's that approachability like you said about Philip, I'm sure. And they're like, all right. He says, Simon is out, he's like, I'm gonna have a new allegiance. And so this shows that Jesus' kingdom brings together people from opposite backgrounds and ideologies and to redirect intense political or ideological zeal to the gospel. And I felt this to my core.
And today's day and age is so evident that people are so loyal to one side of politics or even to ideologies, beliefs about end times, mean, whatever it may be and have this zeal, but the zeal is Jesus Christ. That's where we all need to come back together on and stand on and that's it. This other stuff is noise and that's what Jesus shows in this process. It was all noise. So if you,
have ever been consumed with things that are not purely Jesus centered. We are now post this, we know who Jesus is, we have the history, the knowledge, they didn't have that real time. They'd be trying to figure this out, like who is this man making me sit and have dinner beside my enemy? We have the stories, we don't have to have that question, because we have all the proof in the scriptures. So if you've ever been consumed with like,
separation, that's what the divisions and thinking there's a certain way to be zealous for right and wrong. Let Simon the zealots present among the twelve say Jesus wants your passion, your excitement for life, your loyalty to be under his lordship for him to direct that passion because the cross unites people that would otherwise be divided.
Nikki Humphrey (44:25)
Amen.
right, next we have James and Thaddeus, known by Jesus, faithful without the spotlight. So when we talk about not much written, there is not much written about these. Ophius.
And Thaddeus, our two disciples, we hear the least about. They are listed by name when the disciples are called. Matthew 10, three, Mark 3, 18, Luke 16, five, I mean, Luke six, 15 through 16. And then scripture gets quiet. No big moments, no dramatic stories, no recorded miracles tied directly to them.
And if we're honest, that might feel a little uncomfortable because we tend to measure impact by visibility,
Hope Mangiafico (45:23)
Ew.
Nikki Humphrey (45:26)
by platform, by recognition, by being known. But what stands out is this, Jesus still shows them intentionally. Out of everyone, He called their names and they said yes.
Now there's one small moment with Thaddeus, also called Judas, not Ascariot, that gives us a glimpse into his heart. In John 14 22, he asks, Jesus, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? I love this question because it shows he's thinking the bigger picture. Like, why isn't everyone seeing this?
Hope Mangiafico (45:55)
Okay.
Nikki Humphrey (46:16)
Why isn't this more visible? There's a desire there for others to know Jesus too. And
Hope Mangiafico (46:20)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (46:23)
Jesus responds by pointing back to relationship and obedience. He reveals himself to those who love him, which tells us something important. Thaddeus wasn't disconnected. He was engaged, curious, processing and wanting understanding.
Hope Mangiafico (46:39)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (46:45)
just like so many other of the disciples. And James, even though we don't hear his words, his presence speaks. He stayed, he followed. He was part of the group that continued after Jesus's resurrection in Acts 1.13. No spotlight, but still faithful. And I think that matters more than we realize, because not everyone is called to be a Peter, not
Hope Mangiafico (46:49)
Hmm you
Nikki Humphrey (47:14)
Everyone is called to be front and center. Some are called to be steady, consistent, present, faithful over time. James and Thaddeus are those kinds of people. They don't need recognition to remain committed. They show up when no one's watching and they stay close without needing attention.
So this one's for the ones who feel like no one sees what I'm doing. My faith feels quiet. My impact feels small. Because these disciples remind us being known by Jesus matters more than ever being known by people. And just because your story isn't loud doesn't mean it's not significant. Jesus still caused us by.
Hope Mangiafico (47:40)
Okay.
Nikki Humphrey (48:09)
name
and build this kingdom with the people that are willing to stay.
Hope Mangiafico (48:15)
And that is a beautiful segue into the very last disciple who we absolutely know by name. Nikki has already clarified when she was quoting scripture that it was not this Judas.
Man, so we've looked at 11 men with different personalities, stories, weaknesses, strengths even, how Jesus kind of reshaped those. And now this last one is sobering and important. And honestly, it's very deep. You could study Judas the, and scary it for a very long time and probably get new revelation on this character daily. But it's important for us to take it today as
a warning that you can be close, you can be in the church settings, the small groups. We've talked about this a little bit before, but not surrendered. The heart taken out on a handed over to Jesus fully. That, like we talked about Simon the Zealot, like being completely transformed to be a new loyalty. There's like a split loyalty happening with Judas. And the loyalty of Judas was partially Jesus, partially money.
So that said, there's a few key passages. He was, yes, listed among the 12, despite his stories not being good. And when I say his stories aren't good, there's like a story in John 12, four through six, he, Jesus knowing all, trusted this man with money. He keeps the bag of money. He's like the treasurer of the disciples.
Jesus knew what was going to happen.
So he keeps it and then he is stealing from it.
Ain't no way Jesus didn't know that there was pieces of silver missing. Are you kidding me? We talked about the women with the, or excuse me, we talked about, yeah, the women that Jesus chose. He could feel the power coming out of that woman by her touching his robe. You better believe he knew what was going on. And then not only that, the first kind of like serving mammon that was happening there.
He is the disciple that betrays Jesus and most of us know this story. It's in Matthew 26, 14 through 16 is the beginning and then Matthew 26, 47 through 50. And basically for 30 pieces of silver, he's willing to be like, hey, the man that I kissed, that's the one that you need to get.
And this is a very heavy story as we talked about, let it be a sobering warning to be careful being close but not surrendered. And we think this is so radical, but we actually on a daily basis betray Jesus, including myself.
And there's actually a new song that just came out called Judas by Josiah Queen. And he said it's the most convicting song he's ever written. At this time it's Pretty it's talking about, who this song wrecked me when I heard it, that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and I did it for free.
Nikki Humphrey (51:27)
Mmm. Ooh!
conviction.
Hope Mangiafico (51:30)
It's an incredible song if people want to listen to that. It's very new, like a week old as of today's recording, close to it at least. And we see him as the betrayer, but there's something that I really want to mention about that. Again, very deep, complex character because he did all these things, but in John 13, 18, Acts 1, 16, and Psalm 41 through 9, it shows that
Judas was the one that was used to fulfill scripture through the betrayals. Now talk about complexity that is like, can make your brain hurt. That's for individual study time.
But the power of that is remembering all that is used for the kingdom and for the glory. And the crazy part that I really want to set Judas free, even though he's gone to glory doing his thing, I don't even know what he's doing. But us that actually have betrayed Jesus for free is that scripture states that before he actually betrayed Jesus, Satan entered him.
I don't hear that part of scripture very often taught in church. I don't understand it fully, full honesty, but what I will tell you is that comes from a heart that's not fully surrendered to our savior because you have open doors. We can't take lightly the victim mentality that Nikki says, the bitterness.
that we hold to people of our past, to ourselves, self-rejection, all the hate like we've talked about, envy, jealousy, we can't be passive about that. It will still bring forth fruit in the kingdom because somehow through God's sovereignty, he can work all things for good. And I don't know how he does that. Ain't for me to figure out today. That's fulfilling the scriptures. But we need to be mindful of these things. And so it really shows that
how divided his heart was and that Jesus' love is so rich too that even knowing all of these things in John 13 Jesus still washed his feet when he was washing all the disciples feet. Let that be an encouragement to you as you press in to say okay I want to fully surrender my heart to my Savior that he says man you're worthy of it all even though I know
all the things that you betrayed me for free on a daily basis, broke my heart. I mean, really guys, when you think about it, he should be in shambles and in so much pain because of us, yet he stoops down and thinks we're still worthy in our junk to clean us up. That's unbelievable.
So this just shows us that being around Jesus in ministry is not the same as truly following Him. And we just want this to be an example, and I've already kind of mentioned this, but to really invite us to examine our hearts and ask ourselves, are we truly surrendered to Jesus? And if we feel like the answer is no, we have to figure out the parts that are not surrendered and they're serving another master. It could be mam and it could be money. That's scripture, that's straight up from the Bible. But we have idols left and right.
If I had 10 minutes, I probably could still fill up a page, unfortunately. We need to do a heart check with that. And the goal here isn't fear. It's like Nikki said about other disciples, it's being honest.
of just like, we need to look at this. Like Thomas, doubting Thomas, right? If he didn't admit that he had doubt, there wouldn't have been freedom. And so we have to do that and remember that Jesus wants our heart, not just our activity, not just going through the motions, being nearby. He wants the full loyalty. And know that if you're going to church, staying in small groups, doing all the things, the check boxes that Nikki and I talk about, be careful.
Be careful, those are the most dangerous places to be. So, all that said, all these lives tell us something today about Jesus and ourselves. And we gotta pull it together and piece it together for us so we can actually practically walk this out today, right?
Nikki Humphrey (55:37)
That's right.
So what do we see in all this? 1 Corinthians 127 says, God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things, to shame the strong. Jesus chooses on purpose. He knows your weakness and calls you anyway. He sees who you can become through him. Ordinary people, emotional people, questioning people, passionate people, quiet people.
Hope Mangiafico (56:08)
Yes. Okay.
Nikki Humphrey (56:08)
So wherever you find yourself, there's a disciple that reflects you. And sometimes it's even more than one. After going through this deep study, I'm like, I'm a little piece of this, I'm a little piece of that. And that's good to notice what is inside of you. So if you feel ordinary, remember the fisherman. If your past feels messy, remember Matthew. If
you're intense,
Remember James and John. If you have questions, remember Thomas and Nathaniel. If you feel unseen, remember the quiet ones. If you failed, remember Peter. Because wherever you land, that's exactly the kind of person Jesus keeps choosing over and over again. And just
Hope Mangiafico (56:57)
Okay.
Nikki Humphrey (57:01)
like he used the disciple, I promise you he will use you too.
Hope Mangiafico (57:09)
And I would love to close this out in a prayer as we reflect on this in the time to come even afterwards. Father, thank you for our Savior Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for calling the imperfect people like ourselves, for seeing us fully and still choosing us.
For any of the listeners that feel like a Peter, who feel disqualified by failure, help them hear your voice calling them to say, follow me. For those with the messy past like Nikki mentioned, like the Matthews, let them hear your statement of follow me. Those with doubts and questions like Thomas, may they hear you say, I want you, I choose you. Those who feel unseen, like James and Thaddeus,
May they hear you say, well done, good and faithful servant, come on, I want you. And for those with passions that need some redirecting, like James, John, and Simon, may they hear your fiery passion for the kingdom and be redirected to that fiery passion about the kingdom of God as well, and hear your invitation of linking arms with that passion.
Give them courage to obey even when they feel unqualified. And the most beautiful thing, remind the listener that their character is shaped over time as they walk with you. So it is a journey to restoration, to overcoming, to fruitfulness, but may they enjoy that journey. We welcome in your hand holding as we move forward today. We love you Lord and say.
this prayer in your beautiful son's name in which we trust. ⁓
Love to encourage the listeners to go read one of the Gospels because all of these are in the Gospels, whether that's Matthew, Mark, Luke, and just sit with the question of who am I in this? Who do I relate to most right now? And what are you saying to me? And share this episode with someone who you think might feel disqualified. They're kind of down in the dumps due to a decision they've made, right? Something that's happened in their life. And subscribe.
If this talk to you touched a part of your heart, helped you see Jesus in a deeper way, because the same Jesus who calls fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and doubters is still calling people like you today, and you have never been disqualified. It was never the foundation. It's Him.
Nikki Humphrey (59:46)
Bye.
Hope Mangiafico (59:47)
We'll see you the overflow.
