Fishers Of Men Study

I e-mailed this post to everyone in the Bible Study just to make sure everyone got the verse we will studying this next week....

Our Next Bible Study week is June 1st to June 7th and here is the passage we will be dealing with Eph 1:18-20. I want to start by talking about the verses leading up to our text for this coming week.  

Paul says in...

• Eph 1:15-17 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, (16)  Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; (17)  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:d

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I want you to notice the ‘Wherefore” The NASB and NIV has “for this reason” the New JKV has “Therefore” which makes this a term of conclusion. So what is the wherefore there for?

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It goes back to verses 3-14 because of all that Paul reveals concerning how God has blessed with all spiritual blessing in the heavenly, because we have been chosen before the foundation of the earth, because we have been adopted by God through Jesus Christ, because He has made us accepted in the beloved, because we have the forgiveness of sins, because He has made know to us the mystery of His will, because we have an inheritance, but even more specifically because… of what Paul says in the passage we looked at this past week Eph 1:12-14 …. 

Because we are to be to the praise of His glory, because after we heard the word of truth we believed in Him, and because we believed we were sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is the earnest of our inheritance …..  

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Because of all this Paul says….  That he “cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” that is the context. What we will be studying this week is what Paul is praying for. Verse 17 gives the broad picture of Paul’s prayer for these saints at Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus. What is it?

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“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:”

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That is what we will be looking at this week. And this is what my prayer will be, that the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give to you _____________ (put your name here) the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him! 

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Happy Hunting My Fellow Elephant Eaters, Remember You Can Do It, Just Take One Bite At A Time   ... 

Bro. Brian

 

Today I want to talk about the “Daily Essentials For Spiritual Growth a 28 Day Self Evaluation Sheet”.

What is this all about?

Well the idea behind this self evaluation sheet is this… You can not change what you do not see and you can not see if you do not look! If there is something about your relationship with the Lord that you want to change you will have to first see what you want to change which means you will have to first look at your relationship with the Lord.

A Relationship...

A relationship first requires contact or having a connection. That connection is either getting stronger or weaker based on what you experience through that connection. Experience implies time spent in the relationship both in quantity and quality. It is easy to see this in our personal relationships with our wives, children and our friends. But it is also true in our relationship with the Lord.

The 28 Day Self Evlauation Sheet....

The evaluation sheet will first help you to look at your relationship with the Lord by looking at how you are spending time with the Lord. Then it will help you to see areas that you can build and strengthen in that relationship. And then you can use this self evaluation sheet as an accountability tool as you encourage other men to look, see and build their relationship with the Lord. The sheet looks at four area of our relationship with the Lord; devotional time, prayer time, service time and study time. 

The following is a description of what each of these might look like..

• Devotional Time: The word devotion is the key to this time. Very simply this is that quiet one on one time that you devote or dedicate to the Lord. It can look different for each person. For some it may be a short reading in His Word, to another it might be simply talking to Him about your feelings, desires and or worries, still for another it might be quietly listening to some praise music well reflecting on your relationship. The key is that it is time dedicated for your heart and mind to turn towards your relationship with the Lord.

 

• Prayer Time: Again this time will be as unique to each individual. But here are some suggestions of this time might look like. It might be spent praying and reflecting on God’s will and purpose in your life. It might be time that is dedicated to praying for the leading of the Holy Spirit in the study of His word. It could also be about intercessory prayer, hat is praying for the needs of others. I would encourage you to find time to include all of these aspects into your daily prayer life.

 

• Service Time: Again the understanding of this time is in its title, service. This is time spent serving or ministering to the needs of others. The main idea behind this time is showing the love of Jesus to others. Jesus said in John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. And in Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. That is what this time is about. It might be time spent praying specifically for someone as you become aware of a need that they may have, or maybe it is time spent visiting some one in a time of need at the hospital or just someone who may be a little down or depressed. Maybe it is the time you take to call someone because you want to encourage them. Or even better may be it is time that you take to tell someone about how you been spending time building your relationship with the Lord and encourage them to do the same. Ultimately it looks like showing and telling someone about how Jesus Christ died for your sins and arose the third day so you could have relationship with Him now and in the eternal life to come and how they could have this same relationship with Him if they put their faith and trust in Him.

 

• Study Time: This is exactly what this Bible study is all about. Taking the time to learn how to properly study the Word of God for ourselves so that we can learn first hand from the word of God, what His will and purpose is for us as individual men, husbands and fathers. But even more what His will and purpose is for us in eternity to come….  

So how do I use the 28 Day Self Evaluation Shett...

 It is very simple, so simple that if you will just download the sheet at http://boystomenministry.org/WeeklyBibleStudy.html  along with the information I have posted here you can figure it out for your selves.

I hope each of you will use this evaluation sheet i believe it will truly help you in your desire to draw closer in your relationship with the Lord.

 Bro. Brian 

 

Tonight we will be lokking at Eph 1:14

 

Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 

 

I want you to take a look at this....

 

The 5W's

• Who is the “our“ in this verse referring to?
• Who is the “his“ in this verse referring to?

 

Key Words

Define these words: earnest, inheritance, redemption, purchased possession

 

Then look up the following verse and study how these words are used be sure to look at the definition as you read these verse: Earnest, 2Cor 1:22, 2Cor 5:5, Eph1:14; Inheritance, Act20:32, Heb 9:15 1Peter 1:4; Redemption, Rom3:24, Eph1:7, Eph 4:30; Possession (Special Note each of these verse the Greek word translated ‘Possession” in Eph 1:14 is translated by a different English word I have listed that word before each verse, try reading the verse with the main understanding of the word, a purchased possession) obtain 1Thes5:9  obtaining 2Thes2:14  peculiar 1Peter2:9

 

I hope you are are enjoying the time you are spending with the Lord in His Word!

Bro. Brian

Tonight as we continue to work on eating The Elephant I want us to look at ......... Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  

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• Here is what I want you to look at….

 

• The 5W’s:

1. Who is the “whom“ in this verse referring to?
2. Who is the “ye “in this verse referring to?
3. What is the “gospel” referring to?  (Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) 

 

• Key Words: define-  Salvation, Believed; Sealed; and Promise

 

• Look up the following verse and study how these words are used Salvation Act16:17, Rom 1:16, & Believed Rom 10:8-9, Rom 10:14 & Sealed 2 Cor 1:22, Eph4:30 & Promise 2 Pe3:4, 2 Pe3:9, 1John 2:25

 

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Remember Just One Bite At A Time …   Happy Hunting Elephant Eaters!   Remember to pray one for another Bro. Brian   

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This morning I sent all of you an e-mail talking about eating The Elephant… Breaking down large daunting task into small more manageable task….   

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So this week we are focusing on just three verse Eph 1:12-13 and tonight I want to deal with just one verse Eph 1:12 and what we are going to do simply focus on the observation step in the Inductive Bible Study (IBS) process  

• Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

 

1. Here is what I want you to look at….

 

• The 5W’s: Who is the “we “in this verse referring to?

 

• Key Words: define- praise, glory and first trusted: Then I want you to look the folowing verse and see how these words are used....…

 

• Praise - Rom 2:29; Philippians 4:8; 1Peter1:7,

 

• Glory - 1Peter 1:7; 1Peter1:21 1Ptere5:10-11 2Peter3:17-18 Revelation 1:6, Revelation 4:9, Revelation 5:11-13

 

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Spend time looking at these verse and the words praise and glory think about their definitions and then try to get a better understanding based on how they are used. 

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Remember our game plan for Eating The Elephant   I am praying for each of you   Bro. Brian   

I want to start tonight by letting you know how thankful I am for each of you, for your desire to learn more about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I really enjoyed the conference call last night it was encouraging to me, thank you. One of the things that is very apparent to me is that the enemy is going to use time as the primary method of attack! The Bible says in James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  

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I want you to look at two very simple (not easy but simple) steps to take so that the devil will flee. First Submit yourselves to God- this has the idea of be subject to God; to give up what you want to do and replace it with what God wants you to do it implies obeying God. Second Resist the devil -  to set your self against, to withstand, resist, oppose; literally do not give in! And what is the result he will flee!  

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What we talked about last night really tells me that the enemy is hard at work. I can tell you that God commands us to study His word. It says so in 2Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. I want you to know that this is not a suggestion it is a command – therefore humble yourself to God and obey- resist the temptation to do other things; that focuses on you or your wants. If you do so out of a sincere desire to please God because you love Him, if you obey God and resist the enemy the enemy will flee!  

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Tonight all I want to do is encourage you to take the 30 minutes we talked about last night and spend that time studying the Word. Here is a suggestion, take a piece of paper and write on it "9:00pm Study God’s Word"  or what ever time you decide just decide on a specific time and then write it down. Make as many copies as you need and place them in those areas through out your home where you will see them. Tape it right in the middle of the bathroom mirror , tape it on your computer screen, tape it on the door to your bedroom tape it to the PS2 game where ever you need it to be in order to remind you of what you desire to do, please God and obey His word. Put it where you need it to remind you to resist the devil and then go and do it! Study God’s word, He will bless you! 

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Tomorrow I will get back to posting some more Bible study tips for now I want you to know that I am praying that, each of you will submit yourselves to God, resist the devil so that he will flee and that you will be in the God’s word!  I am also praying for your families, that God would keep His hand of protection upon them, because once you begin to grow stronger, and submit yourself to God, resisting the devil and he flees from you, the devil will try to get to you by attacking your family. But be of good courage the Bible says in 1 John 4:4 … because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. So I am praying to the One who is greater! May God bless you and your family richly…   Bro. Brian   

• I want to start today by pointing out that there are so many things competing for our time and attention. For me the challenge is not allowing there to be a competition for my time and attention between the Lord and my family. My time with the Lord is important to the overall well being of my family, my time with my family is one of the things that the Lord has taught me is part of His will and purpose for me in my life. So the issue is one of balance! Pray for me because business is one of the ways that the enemy attacks me. That being said I did not get the opportunity to post a daily tip let alone more than one like I wanted. But I did want to look at one thing before the call tomorrow. Using the same format as in the tip on 5-23-08 I want to look at verse 3- 4      

 

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 INTERPRETATION Context Is Crucial: Looking at what we already discussed we see in verse 1-2 that…    

• In verse 1 we see that Paul an Apostle (one sent forth with orders) of Jesus Christ by the will (purpose commands, choice and pleasure) of God is speaking (in an epistle or letter) to the saints (those who are consecrated, devoted, set apart to God) at Ephesus and the faithful (those who trusts in God’s promise of eternal life and forgiveness of sins having  believed and trusted in Jesus, who has been raised from the dead, who is the Messiah and author of salvation ) in Christ Jesus.  In verse 2 and the cross references in Rom 1:7; 2 Cor 1:2 and Gal 1:3 we see that Paul says that Grace and Peace come from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.   

 

• We were able to come to this understanding in these two verse by looking at the key words (their meaning) and cross-referencing other scripture. Now lets do the same with verse 3-5…  

 

• Keeping it in context- 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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• Verse 3 (a) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath (b) blessed us with all spiritual (c) blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

 

• Key Word (3a) Blessed – simply means praised or blessed; now I want you to notice that the English words blessed and blessing are used in this verse also there is a distinction. Here in (3a) the Greek word is an adjective, describing the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father is the one to who is praised He is the one to whom all praise is due.      

 

• Cross-reference Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 2Co 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

 

• Note:  Notice that in each of the verses there is some thing identified as the reason to bless (praise) God. What is that reason in Eph 1:3?
• Here are some suggestions for the rest of this verse look at the key words blessed and blessing. Cross-reference heavenly places in Christ, look at these verse (Eph 1:20, Eph 2:6, Eph 3:10, Eph 6:12 )  

 

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• Verse 4  (a) According as he hath (b) chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be (c) holy and without blame (d) before him in love:

 

• Key Word: According this word is a compound word in the Greek and carries the idea of Just as or Even as, which makes it a Term Of Comparison. It is comparing something said to something about to be said. What was said in verse 3? Verse 3 is talking about God being worthy of praise because He has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now that is being compared to what is about to be said in verse 4. This comparison makes what is about to be said equal to or in the same way or having the characteristics as what was said in verse 3. “He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world." The fact that God chose us before the laying of the foundation of the world is JUST AS or is one of the spiritual blessing He has blessed us with in the heavenly places in Christ therefore it is something that warrants our praise being given to God. Now the rest of verse 4 goes on to talk about some of the characteristics, purpose and nature of that choice. Answering the question For what reason or what purpose did God choose us?
• Cross references: The same cross references (Eph 1:20, Eph 2:6, Eph 3:10, Eph 6:12 ) deal with the idea of God blessing us in Christ and why He is worthy of our praise.    

 

• Note: Finish this process with the rest of the verse.               

 

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I am praying for you all please pray for me. I am look forward to talking to you all tomorrow.  Bro. Brian 

Tonight I want to begin dealing with the second step in the Inductive Bible Study process, Interpretation. Before we do I want to encourage you to go at your own pace. Much of what I have posted has been brief examples of the Observation step and then only dealing with the first few verses. But I want you to know that everything hinges on diligent and proper observation. What you invest in observation will pay off in interpretation and application. That being said lets begin….  

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INTERPRETATION Context Is Crucial: Context is the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning. So what is the general context to the book of Ephesians?  

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We start by looking at the 5 W’s and key words.     

• Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:    

• Paul an Apostle (one sent forth with orders) of Jesus Christ by the will (purpose of God, commands, precepts, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure) of God is speaking (in an epistle or letter) to the saints (consecrated, devoted, set apart to God) at Ephesus and the faithful (one who trusts in God’s promises, convinced that Jesus has been raised from the dead, convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and author of salvation in Christ Jesus. 

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Then we consider & compare Scripture: This is where a good cross reference study Bible can be useful or a tool like the Treasure of Scripture Knowledge (TSK) found in some of the online Bible study tools like Blue Letter Bible or soft ware like e-Sword. Both of which you can access by going to ( http://boystomenministry.org/WeeklyBibleStudy.html )       

• Eph 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ 

 

• Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 2Co 1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Gal 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 

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We can see very clearly in Eph 1:2 and the cross references that grace and peace come from God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ  That’s all for tonight I will post a few more thoughts tomorrow throughout the day, remember God looks at the heart !    Bro. Brian 

So far in the observation step of the Inductive Bible Study process we have dealt with answering the 5 W’s and marking Key Words. Tonight I want to follow up on the 5W’s and then talk about looking for terms of Contrast, Comparison, Conclusion and Expressions of Time.  

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It is important to answer as many of the 5 W’s as possible from the very beginning of a book study because in doing so it will help you to understand the context of the over all teachings found in the book. As we noted in the Daily Tip on 5-20-08 in dealing with the passage for this week we were only able to answer 1 of the five questions, who is specking and who is he speaking to. In order to answer all of these questions you may have to look through the entire book. That is why reading (or listening) through the entire book several times is so important.   

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 We have already answered; Who is speaking in this passage? Paul (Eph1:1) To whom is he speaking to? The Saints at Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:1)   So let’s see if we can answer any more of these questions.     

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• What is he speaking about?  Generally speaking this is probably the most difficult question to answer, in terms of a book study. The reason being is that what he is speaking about covers pretty much the whole book, so what we need to do is look for the main theme or themes of the book. The answer to this question might look like a summery of the various chapter themes or it can be a single overall theme. The bottom line is that answering this question will be an on going process through the entire study. We will try to develop chapter themes as we go.

    

• When is he speaking? Some time when he was imprisoned Eph 3:1, 4:1 & 6:19-20

 

• For the next question it is important to note that some times you may not be able to answer the question directly from the book or passage you are studying but you may be able to answer the question from another passage of scripture.

 

• Where is he speaking? Paul was in prison (in custody) in different locations at different times. He was arrested in Jerusalem – Acts 21: 27 - 22: 30 He was imprisoned in Caesarea Acts 23:23 - 26:32 He was imprisoned in Rome – Acts 28:16-31. Most Bible scholars point to Rome as the place that Paul was in prison at the time this epistle (letter) was written 

 

•  Why is he speaking?  As with ‘What is he speaking about?” the ‘Why” follows the same logic. The why will be reveled as we discover the ‘What” associated with the various chapters and over all book themes.

  

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       Looking at Terms:  I will use the following color code to identify and mark these various terms in our text.   

• Contrast: (but, rather, however, in spite of, nevertheless, on the other hand and yet.)

 

• Comparison: (like, like unto, as, even as, just as, so is, so as, [according as, see note on prepositions]) Also see the Figures of Speech document at    http://boystomenministry.org/WeeklyBibleStudy.html     

 

• Time: (after, afterward(s), as soon as, at that time, later, now, soon, then, until and when) 

 

• Conclusion: (therefore, wherefore, for, so, because, so that, so then, for this reason, for this cause, and consequently [according to, see note on prepositions])

 

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Eph 1:1-14 1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, * according to the good pleasure of his will, 6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, * according to the riches of his grace; 8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,*according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated * according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.  

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 Note: A preposition is the part of speech that denotes the relation of an object to an action or thing: so called because usually it is placed before its object." Understanding the correct relation is very important to gaining the true original intent of the user. The Greek language uses prepositions that have more than one meaning in the English language. The point I want to make is that the same Greek preposition can be used to show different kinds of relationship of an object to an action or thing. These prepositions are directional in nature but they can also be used to show a form of a contrast, comparison or conclusion as well as other relationships between words. Always be sure you are looking at the context to determine the way the Greek preposition is being used. In the verse above the word * according to is the Greek preposition (Kata) which generally means down from (that’s the directional nature of this Greek preposition) But it can also be used to show a relationship of standards. The idea of in accordance to a standard or corresponding to a standard and that is how it is being used in these verses. The action before the “according to” is being related to some standard after the “according to” notice the highlighted words before and after “according” to in the verse above.     

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As far as the terms in this passage I did not notice any terms of contrast. The term of comparison in Eph 1:4 is the English word “according” but I want you to notice the word “as” The Greek word being translated here literally means “just as” or “even as” So what is being compared here? (We will look at that tomorrow as we begin to look at the next step, Interpretation) I did not notice any terms of conclusion and I found five expressions time.  

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I hope this has been helpful, again I am praying daily for you all, that the Lord would keep you and guide you and protect you and your families from the enemy and that you would grow spiritully through this Bible study.  Bro. Brian           

The following is an example of marking key words and then looking up their meanings in the original Greek languages in either the Thayer Greek Lexicon, the Strong’s Concordance or the Vines Dictionary. All of which you can access using the online study tools and or the e-Sword program. I am using both the KJV and NIV in the example so you can see some of the similarities, differences and ultimately to point out the need for accurate resource material such as the Strong’s Concordance in reference to your Bible translation. g   

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• Eph 1:1-4 KJV(1)  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at (2)  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: (3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4)  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:  

• Eph 1:1-4 NIV (1) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: (2)  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  (4) For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love   

 

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Note:

1. Each Key Word I marked in verse 1 & 2 are translated by the same English word by both the KJV and the NIV, so I can look the meaning of these words in the original Greek language by using one of the online study tools like Blue Letter Bible or a computer program like e-Sword. In verses 3 & 4 the blue represent different English words used in the NIV from the KJV to translate the same Greek word.    
2. What is important about this is this; if the English word is the same in the NIV and the KJV I can use the online study tools to look up the word. If the NIV has a different English word I can not look up that word using the online tools. As a matter of fact even the way I matched these words up I can not be 100 % sure that the English word in the NIV is the same word in the KJV because I do not know what the Greek word is, but if I am able to identify the Strong’s reference number associated with the English word I am looking up I can then look it up by that number using the online study tools. 
3. So the point I am trying to make is this, Use the KJV to study because you have more tools available to you to do so. If not then go out and buy the Strong’s NIV Concordance so you can know what word to look up in the original Greek language. 

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The following is a list of definitions for the Key words I marked in Eph 1:1. The blue underlines portion represents the portion of the definition I believe correlates to the use of the word in the verse based on the context of the passage and overall message of the Book of Ephesians 

• Apostle - Thayer Definition: 1) a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders1a) specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ 
• Will - Thayer Definition: 1) what one wishes or has determined shall be done 1a) of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ 1b) of what God wishes to be done by us 1b1) commands, precepts 2) will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure 
• Saints - 1) most holy thing, a saint Strong’s Concordance : sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated): - (most) holy (one, thing), saint. Vines Dictionary: It is used of men and things in so far as they are devoted to God. Indeed the quality, as attributed to God, is often presented in a way which involves Divine demands upon the conduct of believers. These are called hagioi, "saints," i.e., "sanctified" or "holy" ones. This sainthood is not an attainment, it is a state into which God in grace calls men; yet believers are called to sanctify themselves cleansing themselves from all defilement, forsaking sin, living a "holy" manner of life,  and experiencing fellowship with God in His holiness. "It is evident that the word (hagios) saints and its kindred words ... express something more and higher than, sacred, outwardly associated with God; ... something more than, worthy, honorable; something more than, pure, free from defilement. The word is ... more comprehensive ... It is characteristically godlikness" 
• Faithful - Thayer Definition: 2) easily persuaded 2a) believing, confiding, trusting 2b) in the NT one who trusts in God’s promises 2b1) one who is convinced that Jesus has been raised from the dead 2b2) one who has become convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and author of salvation  

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Well I hope this has been helpful. Remember to be praying one for another during this time. The enemy is not happy about each of you desiring to please God through the study of His word.   

- Bro. Brian