2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29 ESV, Luke 6:12-38 ESV, Psalm 67:1-7 ESV, Proverbs 11:27 ESV
Daily Verse: “And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:” (Luke 6:13 ESV)
APOSTOLOS (652): “An ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ. ‘One sent forth’ The word is used of the Lord Jesus to describe His relation to God. The twelve disciples chosen by the Lord for special training were so called. Paul though he had seen the Lord Jesus, had not ‘companied with’ the Twelve ‘all the time’ of His earthly ministry, and hence was not eligible for a place among them, according to Peter’s description of the necessary qualifications.”[i]
God’s ambassador.
When Jesus chose the twelve disciples, He named them apostles, ambassadors of the Gospel. Each of the men walked with Christ during His earthly ministry. From their journey, the Gospel story began to spread. Commissioned by Christ to spread the good news, thousands of years later, the story continues.
Peter defines an apostle as walking with Christ physically while on earth; therefore, Paul doesn’t qualify. Paul, however, wrote most of the New Testament after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. Once you encounter Jesus, you can’t help but join the mission.
Commissioned by Christ.
None of us meet Peter’s standards, but we all share the same mission.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 ESV)
Christ gave us the Great Commission; go and make disciples. Each of us God placed perfectly to do His work. God created you with purpose, possessing unique talents and gifts. When we use our blessings to bless others and draw them into a relationship with God, we fulfill Christ’s commission for our lives.
Introduce people to Jesus wherever you go. Love like Jesus loved in the pages of scriptures, entirely and unconditionally. As Jesus walked through His days on earth, the masses followed Him. Jesus turned the world upside down, one act of love at a time. We can do the same when we follow Jesus.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 39) Thomas Nelson
