The Greater Call Podcast – Bartholomew | Legacy from the Shadows with Isaiah McGlasson

In Episode 27 of The Greater Call, Mark Immelman is joined by Isaiah McGlasson, the creator behind Isaiah 4 God, for a powerful conversation about Bartholomew—also known as Nathaniel—one of the quieter apostles whose life and legacy speak loudly.

Bartholomew is not one of the most talked-about disciples, but his story reveals the strength of steady, honest, behind-the-scenes leadership. Jesus praised him as a true Israelite in whom there was no deceit, and his life became a picture of faithfulness, courage, humility, and conviction.

Through thoughtful biblical reflection, Mark and Isaiah explore what it means to lead without needing attention, to show the gospel through action, and to remain bold in faith even when the cost is great.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

🎙️ Why Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, is a powerful example of quiet leadership
 🎙️ What it means to be a person “in whom there is no deceit”
 🎙️ How honest doubt can become the doorway to deeper faith
 🎙️ Why actions often speak louder than words in leadership and legacy
 🎙️ How Bartholomew moved from skepticism to courageous conviction
 🎙️ What his travels to places like India, Armenia, and modern-day Iraq reveal about his boldness
 🎙️ Why showing the gospel matters as much as sharing the gospel
 🎙️ How God equips people long before He sends them
 🎙️ What Bartholomew’s martyrdom teaches us about humility, courage, and conviction
 🎙️ Why William Tyndale’s legacy still matters for believers today

Key Themes

Leadership From the Shadows

Bartholomew was not always in the spotlight, but he was faithful, consistent, and dependable. His life reminds us that some of the strongest leaders are not the loudest voices in the room.

Honest Doubt, Open Faith

Nathaniel’s first response to Jesus included skepticism, but it was honest skepticism—not hardened unbelief. His openness allowed him to encounter the truth.

Integrity Without Duplicity

Jesus described Nathaniel as a true Israelite in whom there was no deceit. That kind of straight-line honesty is a leadership trait worth pursuing.

Showing the Gospel

Isaiah reminds listeners that believers are called not only to speak the gospel, but to show it through action, humility, kindness, and everyday faithfulness.

Courage of Conviction

Bartholomew carried the gospel into unfamiliar places and cultures. His courage was rooted in conviction, not comfort.

Equipped Before Being Sent

God prepares His people long before they realize what He is preparing them for. Bartholomew had walked with Jesus, watched His ministry, and was ready when the time came to go.

Faithfulness That Outlives You

Though Bartholomew was quiet in the Gospel accounts, his legacy continued through his ministry, his martyrdom, and the generations impacted by his witness.

The Power of God’s Word

The conversation also turns to William Tyndale, whose work translating Scripture helped make the Bible accessible to ordinary people. His legacy reminds us to treasure and search the Word of God.

🔑 Key Verses Mentioned

John 1 — Philip brings Nathaniel to Jesus
 John 1:47 — Jesus describes Nathaniel as a true Israelite in whom there is no   deceit
 Matthew 10 — Bartholomew listed among the twelve apostles
 Mark 3 — Bartholomew listed among the twelve apostles
 Luke 6 — Bartholomew listed among the twelve apostles
 Acts 1 — Bartholomew gathered with the apostles after Jesus’ ascension
 James 5:16 — Confess your sins and walk in accountable community

🔥 Takeaways

 ➡ Quiet faithfulness still leaves a powerful legacy
 ➡ Honest questions can lead to deeper belief when your heart stays open
 ➡ Integrity matters, even when it is misunderstood
 ➡ Leadership is not always about having the spotlight—it is often about steady obedience
 ➡ God equips you before He sends you
 ➡ Show the gospel through your actions, not just your words
 ➡ Courageous conviction can influence people for generations
 ➡ The faithfulness of one person can impact many
 ➡ Accountability and godly community help strengthen your walk
 ➡ Search the Word of God and let it shape your life

🙌 About Isaiah McGlasson

Isaiah McGlasson is a Christian content creator known for sharing engaging, thoughtful, and visually compelling biblical teaching online. Through Isaiah 4 God, he highlights stories from Scripture, the apostles, martyrs, angels, and other biblical themes in a way that helps people learn, reflect, and grow in faith.

You can find Isaiah by searching Isaiah McGlasson or Isaiah 4 God on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and other major social platforms.

📚 Resources Mentioned

 After Acts by Brian Litfin
 Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs
 The story of Bartholomew / Nathaniel in the Gospels and Acts
 The story and legacy of William Tyndale

🎙️ Follow Mark Immelman

 Instagram & YouTube: @MarkImmelman
 Facebook: @markimmelmangolf
 X: @mark_immelman
 LinkedIn: @mark-immelman-87ab46162
 Website: markimmelman.com

Connect with Us:

📲 Follow us on social media: @TheGreaterCall (Instagram & X)
🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: Search ‘The Greater Call Podcast’
📩 DM us for prayer requests, leadership advice, or to share your story!
📺 Watch full episodes on YouTube: The Greater Call Podcast
💌 Send feedback or topic ideas via direct message

Website→ https://markimmelman.com/the-greater-call/

✨ Be full of joy in all things, no matter where you are. Be thankful. Go and be a legend! ✨

Transcript

Isaiah McGlasson

[00:00:00] Welcome to this Greater Call podcast, episode 27. It's entitled Legacy From The Shadows. It may turn into Underneath the Fig Tree, but we'll see about that. My name is Mark. So thankful that you would join us. Remember, the Greater Call is our venture to help you to learn lessons about life, leaving a legacy and leadership from heroes of our faith in the Bible.

And I am thrilled, because I'm a big fan. He's like a rock star on Instagram. He's Isaiah McGlasson. And Isaiah, man, I've been watching you from afar, and I love the stuff you put together. And when you said you would join me, I was like a kid in a candy store, so thank you. Well, I'm honored to be on here.

This is exciting for me too. You're like a hero to me, so. Works out, works out both ways. Well, Mutual Admiration Society. So let's get into the real hero, shall we? Um, and this was someone that, honestly, one of your posts... And they're great, folks. You gotta go and check out [00:01:00] Isaiah 4 God, 4 the number four. Um, the...

You know, you, you go through the Bible and you look in Hebrews and you see the, the list of heroes of the faith, right? But there's so many guys and girls that are heroes that we kinda don't know a lot about, and one of them is Bartholomew, um, also known as Nathaniel Who came to a vicious end, but we'll talk to that.

But this ch- that guy was just like a quiet leader, one of the 12 disciples. So I wanna know first off before we talk about him, what was attractive about him to have you make this post? Because you do it about some of the apostles. Yes. So, um, number one, Bartholomew's pretty, um... He's kinda seen in the background of the gospels, you know?

And he's a- more of a support character if, uh, you're gonna look at it from a narrative perspective. Um, I mean, even we b- majority know him as Bartholomew, but that's actually more s- closer to his last name. Um, [00:02:00] Bartholomew itself actually means Bar-Tolmai, which is meaning, like, the son of Tolmai. So it's more like calling him by his last name.

All right. Um, his first name would be more like Nathaniel if we were to look into, um, the Synoptic Gospels and to look into, um, just who he is as a person. And so I just thought there was something really interesting about, um, this person who kinda sits in the background and then, um, comes to an end that, you know, is very much not a passive thing, you know?

And so I wanted to highlight that to talk about, um, this man of faith who maybe not have been at the very front of everyone's mind, but died as if he was living in the very front of the action, you know? That's a great way of putting it. Uh, you actually gave a couple thumbs there. Uh, I wanna quickly a little bit about the backstory.

You can go and find Bartholomew in, uh, Matthew 10, in Mark 3, in Luke 16, John 1, and in Acts 1 you can find accounts of Nathaniel/Bartholomew. Um, he's one [00:03:00] of Jesus' 12 disciples, um, also known as Nathaniel, who I mentioned. Jesus praised him- For being a true Israelite in whom there is no duplicity, or in other words, uh, just a straight up and down the line always honest.

High praise coming from Jesus, of course. Traveled extensively to share the gospel of, uh, faith. He went to, um, modern-day Iraq, he went to, uh, the, uh, greater Armenia area, and of course to India. And then if- he was martyred towards the end. But the thing as I look at the person, Bartholomew Nathaniel, is this dude was just consistent.

Um, i- i- it's like the bits that I read, he was the strong guy behind the scenes, you said that, who... Like, Jesus, I, I get the feeling that Jesus could, could count on this guy. Like, we've done one on Peter where I can imagine Jesus going, "Oh, Peter, please. Peter, Peter", you know? Uh, [00:04:00] but Bartholomew- ... just that teammate who just gets the business done without any fanfare or, importantly, any trouble, and I think there's something to be learned there.

Yes. I love, um, the perspective of looking at Nathaniel as kind of a backbone to put things in check. Like, he had a level of honest skepticism, um, to the way that he walked about his faith. And, um, I think it's really relatable. We all need that person who can kind of put things in check and to, um, just make sure that things are going on track and keeping accountable, and I think, I think he was one of those people.

You nailed it there because you teed me up for something, an account when he first met Jesus. Because the story goes that Philip, his friend, had met Jesus, became one of the 12 apostles, says to his buddy, um, Nathaniel, "You gotta come with me and check this guy out." And Bartholomew/Nathaniel's like, "Okay, I'm all in."

But [00:05:00] then he meets Jesus under a fig tree. And he's like, "So you're this guy?" And then essentially goes, "Can anything, has anything good ever come from Nazareth?" Where Jesus was born. All of this. Oh. But I can im- I, I couldn't put my- put myself in Jesus' place, but if someone met me and goes... I'll say it to you.

You're M- uh, so, so, um, so Isaiah, "So you're that guy from Tulsa, Oklahoma?" I mean, this, uh, uh, is, is this what I've been expecting? Yet Jesus, full of grace, recognized who Nathaniel was, and the honest qualities he had within because of the way he dealt with things. Right. Yeah. I love how relatable it is. He literally just is like, "This guy actually knows what it's about."

He li- how does he say it? He says, uh, "Behold an Israelite indeed-" Yeah ... uh, "whom there is no deceit." He's saying, like, this guy knows, he knows the truth, and he knows that Nazareth isn't [00:06:00] this great place. I love his honesty. But here's the thing too, 'cause if we, we have this podcast and our mission is to introduce these heroes, make them interesting because w- when we talk about his end here in a minute, you couldn't imagine a movie with this grisly an ending.

Okay? Right. 'Cause a lot of these guys, they are like movies in their own right. And girls, of course. Um, but the real thing to take from this guy, if we were looking at his personality, is the fact that he's just straight up and down the line, and he didn't know at the time that Jesus was the Son of God Almighty come in flesh to the Earth to save mankind, to redeem mankind, and he goes, "Really?

I mean, for real?" And, and- Yeah ... there is such an attractive quality in that, especially in this era that we currently find ourselves in, when everything's kind of fake news for social and stuff like that. You could probably- Right ... say that better than [00:07:00] me. Yeah. I mean, I think the, uh, the best way to say it about, um, his belief is that, um, he was more of an honest doubter than a hardened unbeliever.

Mm-hmm. Um, he had a, a mind that was open to receive and to see new perspective, um, but he wasn't in a place to where he was just completely gonna shut down everything and not look into it any further. And I think that that can really speak, um, even to this generation now. I believe that this generation that is being raised up in the name of Jesus, uh, they aren't hardened unbelievers.

They've been open to the Spirit, and they are aware of spirituality, and I really believe that we have a generation of people just like Bartholomew who are honest doubters rather than hardened unbelievers. Mm-hmm. But- And the thing, how about this too? Because this is in one of the notes that I, I'd written down.

That, you know, sometimes leadership, [00:08:00] you know, certain leaders command a following, and then certain leaders through their actions attract a following- Mm ... and they get things done. And by the sounds of it all, like, there's lots of accounts from some of the heroes we've covered on the show in, in the Bible where, like, Peter's at the forefront of the noise.

You know, he's a, he's, he's the guy out with a sword and a spear. He's, he's got something to say all the time. Had to pull back a lot of the stuff he said, where Nathaniel, Bartholomew, um, was that solid, consistent guy in the background whose actions spoke louder than anything else. W- would you agree with that observation?

Absolutely. Absolutely. He is a man of few words, but many actions. Mm. And I love exactly how you said. That's what, very well-worded. He is a guy who, um, fulfills what Peter might be saying with his, with his moves and- Yeah ... that's a good way to put it. Okay. So, so, so here's the thing about it. So [00:09:00] he's part of the apostle, the group of 12 apostles.

Um, they spend time with Jesus. They learn. They're the hands and feet. Jesus goes to the cross, dies, r- is resurrected, ascends to heaven. Now Acts in the Bible comes along, and of the original little board, let's call them the board of disciples, right, who got together in the upper room to organize things, Bartholomew was one of those.

So it speaks to the weight that he carried, okay? Yes. Um, and the role that he possessed. So now their job is to go out and spread the gospel And a lot of the guys kind of went in Jerusalem. Some of the guys went to Samaria. They were all going all over the show basically. So Bartholomew, I, s- uh, correct me if I'm wrong on this one.

Outside of Paul, who came along after these guys- Right ... he's gone off to India, which is a heck of a trip from where they were in Jerusalem. [00:10:00] Yes, just a few steps. Yeah. He's gone to Iraq, which is the same thing. Think about where modern-day Iraq is in relation to Israel. And then he's gone to Armenia at, which is essentially, uh, in the Turkey sort of area, Northern Europe, around the, uh, the, uh, Black Sea there I think it is.

And he's gone to places too like India. He is speaking Aramaic, I'm assuming, going to Indian people who they can't understand each other, but this one's going to spread the gospel. I'm like, "This guy has some courage of his convictions, man." He took upon a big assignment over there. See, and that's the power of tongues though, and that's the power of the Holy Spirit that was, that had fallen upon the apostles.

I think it's so special, um, the way that it says in the build-up to the actual pouring out in Pentecost, uh, it says that they were together and they were in prayer, and they were seeking the Lord in a way [00:11:00] that, um, it wasn't just simply just hanging out and moping around. They were intentional and, um, they pressed in, and the Lord showed up and it changed their ministries forever, so much so that it gave them the supernatural ability to speak to people, not just on a level, um, where they are, but to speak to them in their very own language, and I think that's so special You, it's amazing to me how every single one of these shows I've done, and I can sense the divine inspiration in it, because the guest who's joined me, outside of my pastor, the first few, the more I've listened to them, the more I've seen characteristics of the guest who's speaking about the hero.

Mm-hmm. And, and I see this now because you're speaking to a generation of people in their language via social media. Mm. With quote unfix, you know, you summarize the story beautifully. There's enough action to keep people's attention. There's enough of a hook just to make them wanna learn more. [00:12:00] Like, uh, you attracted a 55-year-old guy by this video to go-

read more about Bartholomew. Um, and so I'm seeing you, like, stepping out of your comfort zone. So I guess I'm getting to a, a question here or a comment or looking for your insight, your inspiration. It takes a certain amount of bravery to take a stand for your convictions, especially when it comes to this.

Yes. Yes? Help me. Yeah. Absolutely. I think, you know, the Lord is a, a good God, and the way that He works in His people is that He gives us the tools long before we actually need to use them. Mm-hmm. And I've seen, in my own personal life, but we can look at Nathaniel, um, for the sake of relevance. Um, you know, he sat under Jesus and was active in the ministry.

He was one of his... Like, Jesus was his rabbi, and in that Jewish culture, the rabbi, what you do as the disciple of a [00:13:00] rabbi is you are ultimately trying to become just like them. You're trying to practice and copy the way that they talk, how they walk. Mm-hmm. The same mannerisms, everything. And so he watched him do all of these beautiful miracles, and he watched him go out and to reach these, um, totally unexpected people.

Yeah. And so for him to watch and to have hands-on experience all the way back then before the pouring out of Pentecost and before the mobilization of his own ministry, he walks out in full confidence. Why? It's because he had already been equipped to do it, and he had already gotten some practice. Mm. And so when he goes out, it's a little unfamiliar, but the Lord had already established in him the same mobilization that he already needed.

Oh, beautiful. Yes. Hey, you've stirred my, my insides here a little bit. And I will say to you also, and I want your take That you get certain leaders whose goal it is to become better than [00:14:00] the master. Mm. And I feel like the true leaders never become better than the master. They've l- they learn to read, uh, l- lead in their own right.

Um, yet they have these characteristics to these guys, to you, that you've learned from the master. Now, I feel like there's something we can mine, because nowadays it's everyone climbing to the top of the pile. But to your very, um, intelligent observation, we're all encoded differently Right. And- Right

Bartholomew was different to Philip, who was different to Thomas, who was different to Andrew. And, and all... Gideon, all these other guys in the Bible as well. But in their own right, they did their thing according to their purpose, but they never got greater than the master, especially when we talk about how, um, Bartholomew was martyred in the end.

Right. Well, just before we move on to that wh- 'cause this is gonna be great. But, um, this little [00:15:00] point that I just think is so interesting, it's a, it's an illustration of exactly what you just said. Um, notice how the apostles and their ministries, they branched out in different places, very different, um, locations and different things like that.

And I think it's an exact testament and a literal representation of what you just said. No one was trying to be Jesus. Yeah. You know? Everyone went out and in their own way shared the gospel to an entire new people group and an entire new direction. They went out to spread the gospel in variety rather than in concentration in one place.

Yeah. And yes, of course, the Lord had called people like James and people like, um, Peter to stay around in that area, in that central place, and to work on the, the actual, uh, Jewish and Hebrew sects and everything. But, um, for the most part they went out and they met new [00:16:00] people, and it is exactly what you're saying.

God mobilizes his people to be exactly equipped in their unique ways to reach new people. Okay. How about I say this? Let's l- let's take that very same principle, because I feel like everything in the world is rooted in this, even if it was secular, right? And we're talking to a guy who's in a business or maybe the Christian who's in business, whoever it is.

Is it as simple as part of leadership just bringing light and joy and something like that to some person's day? 'Cause you've heard the cliche, and a lot of cliches, I believe, are rooted in fact, where, you know, everyone's living lives of quiet desperation. Mm. And to me, a great leadership role is to be that person who goes to the team, who, who just changes the mood, who goes to the office and everyone's stuck in their 9:00 to 5:00 grind, who, who brings a little levity and a light to the situation.

I- is, is, is that it? Do, [00:17:00] do you think I'm on track with that observation? Yeah, I agree. I think, um, I- before I moved over here to Tulsa, I used to be a youth pastor. And, um, one of the things that I used to tell my kids consistently was, um, to not just share the gospel, but to show the gospel. Mm. Show it to the people around you so that way people can see.

Because God does live in us. We ask Jesus to live within us whenever we get saved and we pray that sinner's prayer. And so God's presence is represented in our actions. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. And so to go out and to share the gospel by how we act and what we harbor when we walk in places, um, is exactly what you're talking about Very well worded.

It, it, thank you. Uh, but you've come on the back end of it so well, because it kinda makes me... I get this weird feeling of happy inside. You know where most times when you're in business or go- so I'm in golf, in [00:18:00] sport or whatever, most times you're getting let down more often than not. But you say that, and you talk about being the hands and feet of God.

Well, first off, we've gotta get by our own inhibitions, and like I use the term courage of convictions. Mm. That's what I see about all these people that were evangelistic, where they go out into places where the belief system and the culture is completely different to what they are. Yes. They can't go in there antagonistic and like-

b- Bible bashing and stuff like that. Yeah. Or whatever it, whatever. We'll call it whatever. They've gotta go in there and almost like Paul said, "When I'm with the Romans, I talk like a Roman. When I'm with the Greeks, I think like a Greek." So he's like, "Wherever I'm going in this leadership role, I'm assimilating.

I'm fitting in. I'm not going in there all high and mighty, you know, guns blazing, robes flowing, and stuff like that. I'm going to fit in, and I'm going to make a difference in whatever small way by making people feel good." [00:19:00] Yes. Yeah. That's great. That's great. I have no extra comments. That is, that is so good.

Let's change gears, because this is how you caught me, folks. Um, the post is on, um, Isaiah's Instagram channel. I'm looking at it right here on this monitor. It's called Isaiah 4, the number for God, G-O-D. And if you look in the buckets, there's apostles, there's angels, there's Yahweh, there's the ark, and there's a lot of buckets of lessons and videos he's done.

And the algorithm obviously found me, and I found one of his. It was early one morning, and it was about the way Bartholomew, Nathaniel, died. He... So I researched further. When he was in Armenia, he converted the king of the area's brother to Christianity. All right? So the king and these folks don't believe in Jesus at the time [00:20:00] as the being the way.

He converts the king's brother. The king takes massive offense to this and calls for the execution of Bartholomew. Okay? I'm gonna let you have the rest, 'cause you did a beautiful... You, the way you described it was beautiful. So, so, so talk about how he was martyred, please. Yes. So, um, the, the story goes, it's...

This has become a lot clearer, um, with the stories that we've been telling through tradition. Um, but it basically goes that these pagan priests had become very hostile, um, not just to him, but also his message. Mm-hmm. And what happened was essentially that, um... Sorry, I'm just trying to pull up my spot here.

Um, there's different accounts, but for the most part, we can agree that he was flayed by skinning him alive, and they, they went strip by strip, which is unfortunate. Let's stop that- Go ahead ... for a minute, okay. [00:21:00] I, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna reiterate what Isaiah just said, and I'm not stealing the limelight, 'cause this is gruesome.

So you, your beliefs are so strong, and this is what you said, that the people are skinning him alive. And if you tear off a person's skin, they're not gonna die immediately. He is enduring. And if, just for a minute, that's why I say if you really think, if you don't just read the Bible like I used to where you, like, skim read the thing and you get half the story, where you-

honestly live it and you put yourself in there, this is gruesome. Yet this Bartholomew, this solid, consistent character, leader for Jesus, remains completely resolute throughout this entire ordeal. Mm. Go. That's so good. He...

They didn't do it in a fast, one swift motion, you know? It would be [00:22:00] by portion, you know? So whether it be a hand or a forearm or up the arm or from the feet up, um, details aren't quite clear, but we understand something, that they would take off a strip and they'd say, "Okay, where's your God now? What, do you still believe in this God?"

And he would boldly proclaim the gospel. Some accounts say that he was preaching while this was happening. Yeah. A lot of the martyrs that we read about, they're still preaching while they are actively being martyred, and that is so powerful. But the fact that he went through all of that, and on top of that, which I might be jumping the gun a little bit here, but on top of that, after they had fully flayed him, he was still not denying Christ, and so they beheaded him as well.

They had, they had to chop off his head to shut him up eventually. Y- that's right. That's right. We need more people in the world who are so proud and bold for the gospel that you're gonna have to fully take off our heads in order [00:23:00] to stop us from sharing. Okay, help me then, 'cause, 'cause it's incredible. If you honestly just take a minute.

Uh, of- oftentimes in Proverbs you see the word Selah, which means meditate on this. Yes. If you honestly meditate on this for a minute, so they peel off this man's skin strip by strip, giving them a chance to denounce his leader, Jesus, and he doesn't, the entire time. So here he is skinless in what must be the agony I cannot imagine, and still he remains courageous, brave, and solid in his belief.

Yes. Isaiah. I wanna be like Jesus. I wanna know Jesus like that. 'Cause- Yes ... because think about all of us people nowadays when things get just a little hard, then you're like, "Oh, gosh, where," you know, "Where are you, God?" But are you getting where I'm going here? Because- Yes, I understand ... I, this hit me so hard when you did this video, [00:24:00] man.

I was thinking of myself being, I am such a flaky, vanilla, um, nothing believer. 'Cause I get nervous to profess Jesus to people, and here's a guy getting his skin ripped off, yet he's still doing it. Right. God. I just- Jesus ... what I feel, what I feel is that there is such a grace that we live under that, um, though majority of us probably aren't gonna experience anything like this- Yeah

we have the, um, reference to be convicted in our own rights and have those strong feelings within us to be inspired to step forward and to live in a, a greater way because of the stories and the inspiration, um, that this, this one martyr has had in our lives. Mm-hmm. You know? I think that it's so powerful how, um, if you look at depictions of Bartholomew, [00:25:00] even today, the very things that are, um, hung up or the statues that are up in different, um, chapels and different places, they always have him as a, a bald man who is a little bit...

He's got a little... Uh, I'm, what's the word I'm looking for here? He's a little skinnier than usual, and he- Yeah ... around him is draped this, this, it looks like fabric. Mm-hmm. And he's holding this fabric almost as a sash around him. Yes. But if you look closer, it's his skin. And I think it's so powerful because it portrays Bartholomew in his final moments in the very same ways that God has called us to live, not as a people who are, um, arrogant and loud and just bashing our way through different things, but it portrays Bartholomew as a man who is humble.

That is humility personified. He is completely open, ri- literally completely open. But it portrays [00:26:00] humility, and it portrays human frailty to show us that it's not about what we can do. It's not about, about anything that we've done. It's what God has done through us to bring us to the places where we are.

It's what God did through Bartholomew to get him to India, to get him to Armenia, and to get him to all these different places, and he did it in complete humility and submission unto God. And that's where we need to find ourselves. The boldness will come. Mm. But it first starts with knowing God and being mobilized to do what He's equipped you to do in the way that He's called you to do it.

The irony is not the word, 'cause we're gonna get to a few observations and lessons or summary maybe of this story, which is incredible. Um, it's ironic to me that the original Bartholomew, not the guy who met Jesus and like for real is this you, but the guy who was a [00:27:00] strong man with a strong, silent voice in the apostles.

These, these martyrdoms, these crucifixions and stuff where, where I think the lion's share of the apostles were condemned and sentenced to death because of their belief system, where all of a sudden... 'Cause none of these things were done in private. They were public spectacles to prove something to followers of the current regime, wherever they were.

Where people must have been looking at this guy going, "Okay, this is gruesome, but I'm so fascinated with this man's belief system and how he is just so courageous for what..." It's not like it's head knowledge. It's knowledge inside of you here, and there's a life lesson to that, too. Not that I'm saying to you, "Hey, folks, when you go to the office tomorrow, go and pull off your skin for someone."

But, but just- ... but just allow me to exist. But, but go there and you have this [00:28:00] conviction that's attractive to people. Huh? Are, are, are you with me? Yes. Yes. That's exactly right, and you're, you're hitting the nail right on the head with that. It is exactly the calling of the Christian in today's world to go out and to show the world, not in your own strength but through what God has done through you, to say, "I don't know what's different about that person, but I want it."

Mm-hmm. Guaranteed. That... Yes. In, in irony, there were a whole bunch of Christians real fast. In fact, get this, uh, not that he knew it at the time, but, uh, Nathaniel Bartholomew became the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Wow. After all of that, right? That's beautiful. That's beautiful. Yes. So the legacy le- think of the legacy left by these actions that, that sadly were being done to him because think about this, right, how often we've had days at work or school or what, just insert whatever you want over there, [00:29:00] where we're feeling a little hard done by and sorry for ourselves, and you know, life sucks kind of mentality, because we don't know what the future holds.

Everything we're sowing is a seed. I mean, think about this horrid seed that was sown by what this guy, first of how he was evangelizing and ministering, but then how he died, how that must have impacted people for good. And apparently it has if he's the, um, patron saint and spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Right. Right. I, uh, I love the fact that this man, who was so quiet- Yeah ... you know, in the Gospels, is so outspoken in his death, that so much so today that we're talking about him hundreds and hundreds of years later. Yeah. You know? And it's, it says something to us, you know? We don't have to have all the words immediately.

Sometimes the action that we do can influence a [00:30:00] people. It can influence a person. It can influence, um, a business. It can do a lot more for, um, the eternal life of something than just having the magic right words. Yeah. The actions speak a lot louder sometimes, and that's the testimony of Bartholomew I could stop the podcast right there.

Maybe I should. But I'm not going to because I want your... That was beautiful, man. I, I want your take on this. So lessons to be taken because look, this, we- we've covered so many things already, but I wanna do like you pastors do and sort of summarize, you know? Bullet point. First off, honesty is always the best policy, and this guy was completely honest.

I mean, if Jesus is saying to you, uh, "There's no deceit in you," then you know- ... this guy's not harboring anything inside there. And- Right ... I'm gonna challenge not just the people listening and watching, but myself to be like [00:31:00] this individual, where there's no duplicity, which means, like, no, you know, speak from one side of your mouth and in the other, or not knowing what the right hand's doing from the left.

Th- th- this guy was just, like, straight up and down honest, sometimes at the risk of being, I don't know, misunderstood or maybe ostracized, whatever the case might be, but he was just, like, dead straight. Yes. I love this, um, I don't remember who said this, but it stuck with me since I heard it. It said, um, this person said, "God isn't calling us to be anything but kind."

Yeah. Okay. He's not calling us to be nice. He's calling us to be kind. Mm-hmm. And so whate- whenever I hear that, I don't think about it being like, "Oh, that doesn't mean, like, be nice to people." What it means is we're called to be kind people. That means that ultimately at the end of the day, we do what's good and we do what's righteous.

And so being kind versus being nice, being nice might mean, um, letting things slide by- [00:32:00] Mm-hmm ... being a little extra gracious where you m- may not need to be, but being kind is ultimately standing for what's the best, what's good, you know? And I think that how you said that was perfect to tie into that. Um, being kind means standing for what's right- Yes

and being straightforward, always knowing this is what I stand for, and this is what I will walk with, just like how you said it. And you know, I say it often as like a turn of a phrase, you know. I'm like, "I'm, I'm willi- willing to die on this hill." Bartholomew literally died on this hill. Okay. Are you sure?

Yeah. Easy to say, another thing to live, but that's that duplicity thing. But moving along. There's only growth in a, in an individual when we open to new things. I, I feel like nowadays people can get caught in ruts a little bit, even in your job or whatever you might be doing. Yet, here's this guy who his buddy Philip comes to him [00:33:00] and says, "I've met this guy Jesus, and you're gonna meet him."

And Bartholomew was like, "Sure, let's do it," you know, because he was open- ... to something new as opposed to going, "Man, whatever, I've got something better to do." And, and there's even though that's just an interaction, it's how the mind is framed and how the person is framed to say, "Sure, I'll go and try that with you," because you never really know where the next, I don't know, chapter of one's life is crafted or originates from.

Think about if he didn't listen to Philip. We would not be talking about Bartholomew in the way we are right now. Right. Right. Even in that one person's, um, faithfulness- Mm-hmm ... got us to... It, it moved Bartholomew in a way. His friend's faithfulness moved him to the place to where now we're talking not about Philip, which we could.

Yeah. There's a video about Philip on my page. Philip has an inspirational life [00:34:00] and martyr as well, but Philip's faithfulness was passed along in action to Bartholomew, which got him to where he was, that brought us to where we are today. Mm-hmm. And I think it's so beautiful. The faithfulness of one is the faithfulness to many.

Yeah. Folks, we're gonna have to get Isaiah on. We've done, uh, uh, Philip on the show. Go and search for it wherever you get yours. The title was, um, The Faithful Evangelist or something to that effect, 'cause he was- Mm ... known as Philip the Eva- Evangelist. And he was such a great believer that even his children became e- evangelists, and that's gotta let you know something, parent.

I've got two girls. Um, let me tell you, Philip must've been a legend in what he, n- not just what he said, but what he did. Um, here's another one. Clearly, 'cause this is a key to life is oftentimes having someone alongside. Um, going it alone is not a just a tireless road. It's sometimes a challenging road [00:35:00] because like God said about marriage, like two is better than one, and three is incredible if I'm involved, like that three stranded cord that you'll, when you say your marriage vows.

Um- Philip and Bartholomew weren't joined at the hip, but they did a lot of stuff together, and they were kind of this two-headed prong that went out sometimes together, sometimes not. So what I'm saying really is there's a lesson in life and leadership where, you know, come alongside someone of, uh, a similar nature and of similar mindset and of similar spirit.

The chances of, um, for lack of a bird's word, better word, success, um, honestly multiplied when you do that. Right. Right. It's how the word says, to be equally yoked. Yes. You know? It's, it's carrying the workload in a way to where both can pursue in the same way and be going the same direction, you know? It is so good to have, um, a person beside [00:36:00] you who is faithful, who is accountable, who is responsible, and can push you along.

Like how it says in the word, it says, confi- "Confess your sins to a brother." Confess your sins. Be open with somebody, and have that relationship to where you can have somebody to spur you along, but to also do the same to, or you can do the same to them. Edification of the body of Christ. That's what it is.

Well, I'm hoping you become that guy to me. Okay, last one. Then we're gonna talk briefly about William Tyndale. Um- This man, we talked about where he went, into gentile countries. Um, so clearly he was open to reaching across cultural and diverse lines. And that is a life lesson for everyone, for children, um, for leaders, uh, if you wanna leave a legacy.

[00:37:00] Because the more exposed you are and the more welcoming you are of different people's cultures, the more you're gonna grow as a human being and develop a better understanding of what life actually represents. And I feel like in a certain way, take it from me, I'm South African who is an American now, who lives over here in the States, um, I'm a better person for it.

So the fact that Bartholomew reached across these, these racial, cultural, whatever sort of lines you wanna call them, that is a key in my opinion, Isaiah, to just growth as an individual, and certainly to leaving a legacy as well. Yes. Yes. That's so good. I, I don't even know what to say. That is just perfectly worded.

That is so good. Okay. Well, you're very kind. Thank you. Let's do this. So that's Bartholomew. If folks have any questions, um, again, go check him out in the Bible. Um, or go to, um, Isaiah's page, or shoot us a message on our YouTube page. [00:38:00] The handle is- Actually, just a second. Let me pull up. I have two books- All right

that, um, would be great. Just one of them

So these two books that I'm fixing to put on screen here. Mm-hmm. Um, these books are where I found most of my studies. This is simply just called After Acts, and it's an exploring the lives of the legends and the apostles. So it basically, you go through and you learn. It's an amazing book. Um, but it tells you about what happened to the apostles and what happened to the notable people that you read about in the gospels, and- The author of that.

The author is Brian Lifton. Okay. After Acts by Brian Lifton. Okay. Um, and then the second one is Foxe'svoi- Voices of the Martyrs. Um, this book goes through, like how I said with the apostles, but it also goes through and tells you, um, about different martyrs like Richard Cameron, and different people [00:39:00] who have also died for the faith, and tells you their story, and tells you a little bit of background about them so that way you can learn, um, there too.

These are both very good sources. Um, I don't like to pull my sources from, you know, questionable places, and I like to find these things. And you can find, uh, these two books, probably this one more likely, um, in any major bookstore. But these would be great sources if you're interested in any kind of, um, topics about the, the martyrs or the apostles or different things like that.

I would highly recommend these two. All right. Okay, awesome. Well, along those lines, um, when Isaiah got back to us, he said, "I'd love to talk about William Tyndale as well," who for folks who don't know, was an Englishman, lived in like the late 1400s, early 1500s, and he was a biblical scholar, Englishman, um, and essentially translated the Bible into English.

Um- Yes ... [00:40:00] turns out in the end he was martyred for his actions and beliefs as well. So I'm curious uh, what, what your take is that you can share from this guy, because I don't know enough. I know just enough to be dangerous, so I'm gonna let you have the, the, the answer. I will summarize it real quick for you for the sake of time, but my favorite quote from William Tyndale, he said, "If God spares my life, I will cause a boy that drives the plow to know more about the scriptures than you."

And what that means- Say that again. Say that again, please ... if God spares my life, I will cause a boy that drives the plow to know more about the scriptures than you. Wow. And what that was, was him basically saying that he wants everyone to have the opportunity to know the Bible and to know it in complexity and know it in depth.

He wanted people, the commoner as much as the priest, to know. Yes. And so he began this mission that I truly believe was God ordained, because we wouldn't, we probably wouldn't be having this [00:41:00] conversation the way that we are without William Tyndale. Mm-hmm. Um, but he was just simply, like how you said, he was an English scholar.

He was a linguist and, um, he was a priest at the time. He... And his main heart was that he just wanted ordinary people to know the scripture, to know God, and, um, the Latin Bible had dominated Europe, Western Europe. Um, it was the commonplace. And so ordinary people who weren't trained to read Latin couldn't.

Yeah. You know? And so, um, not in a, an oppressive way or to speak against in any kind of way, but, um, the opportunity for the common folk to hear the word of God could become very sparse. Mm-hmm. People had to only, um, receive it through the church, and so there became some issues with that, you know? Um, whether it be different situations or maybe the church is burned down or, um, there isn't a priest anymore.

Whatever the case might be, um, [00:42:00] the resources for the Bible were incredibly limited. And so Tyndale began this process of wanting to, um, translate the Bible using his platform- Mm-hmm ... which was his education, to reach out and to, um, basically broaden the horizon for all people to be able to read the Bible.

Kind of like how we were talking about with Bartholomew. He took his tools that he had already priorly had and was mobilized in a way that he was able to share the gospel. This, that's exactly what William Tyndale did. He took his tools that he had already priorly had and he was mobilized and he did what, well, what we know now is that he had translated the Bible.

Um- And- Do you have anything... Yeah ... yeah, and I read here it says he leveraged the printing press to make pocket sized Bibles accessive, uh, uh, accessible to common people. And here's what I want to say about that. I'm, I'm gonna invoke the wisdom of my mother right now. [00:43:00] She says to me more often than not, probably once a week, she goes, "Basically search the word of God."

There's a Bible verse that says something to that, 'cause the words are basically life to the bones when you find them. So instead of going on ChatGPT or whatever with love, get yourself a good Bible. It is the sword of the spirit. Amen. And thanks to William Tyndale, I'm holding one of these things, and I'm sure you've got a selection in your bookcase there behind you.

Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I have about- Isaiah- Oh, Lord, I don't even know how many I have. You're a superstar, and I can see the future here. I'm gonna prophesy. I'm probably gonna sit under your leadership in one of the church, uh, in the next 10 years. I can see this coming. You ooze, um- Not charisma, but charm, but the Holy Spirit comes out of you.

Mm. Not just out in your words, but in your manner and your eyes, [00:44:00] and when I look at you on social media, you were s- super attractive, and I'm thrilled that you would join me on the show. So f- with- now that I've given you that glowing report, would you please share with folks where they can find more of your work, please?

Yes, so I'm on virtually every social media platform. Um, it's a little harder to find me on places like YouTube or TikTok, but if you look up Isaiah McLason or Isaiah 4 God, my name will always show up. Um, I'm more prominent on places like Facebook and Instagram. Um, if you just look up Isaiah 4 God, I'll show up there.

And so, um, I'm looking to kind of spread my content onto YouTube and doing some longer form videos. But right now, um, you can find all of my shorts, all of my reels, different things like that on those major platforms. You're honestly doing God's work, my boy. I'm so very proud of you. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that.

Mm. And to all of you- It's a blessing to hear that ... and, and to all of you who joined us for the show, thank you for joining us. We, I love you very [00:45:00] much. I'm, I'm, I'm so in love with this project. If you're watching on YouTube, you'll see behind me I've got a bunch of golf stuff, and when I do golf shows, I have to

I don't have to research very much for those, and that sounds arrogant, but I don't. But doing this, after I do these shows, I come away exhilarated. M- so much more than golf, and it's a thrill to be able to dive into these people's lives. Please interact with us. Um, we are here for you. The handles on social are @thegreatercall.

Search, subscribe on YouTube, follow us on social media. Follow Isaiah. And I, I guess, like I always say, the call to arms is go out there and be a legend. You can.