The 12 apostles

The 12 Apostles

I picked three of them to just give a few facts about them

Matthew-  meaning gift of God. His chief object is to show that Jesus is the Messiah of whom the prophets spoke.

Philip- means lover of horses, a 12 apostle.

Peter- means rock. He was one of the three disciples present on several important occasions.

Defining what an apostle is- The word means “one sent forth.” It was the title Jesus gave to the Twelve whom He chose and ordained  to be His closest disciples during His ministry on earth and whom He sent forth to represent Him after His Ascension into heaven. They can also be described as special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world. (Bible dictionary)

The difference between a disciple and an apostle. Many of us are disciples of Christ but there are only 12 apostles. “Discipleship is general; any follower of a man or devotee to a principle may be called a disciple. The apostleship is an individual bestowal, and as such is conferred only through ordination.” Christ's apostles were called upon by Christ himself.

The privilege of being called upon by Jesus Christ in his own words ‘Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you,—that whatsoever ye should ask the Father in my name He may give it you.’ (John 15:16)

Wow! What a privilege.

How did the Lord prepare His apostles?

He gave them warnings of what they were up against and gave them power to overcome evil and gave them council on how they should react.

 Matthew 10:16 'Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.' 

He tells them they will be hated and persecuted in His name but if they endure to the end they will be saved. 

He tells them what they should be preaching to help the people.  

Matthew 10: 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

What can the responses of the Apostle's show us today?

The way that Peter, James, and John, as well as the others, respond to Christ proves their loyalty and willingness to do as he asks without questioning Him. We should be the same, no matter what it is. 

There are things that sometimes I just feel like I want to do, like going the full three hours of church services, at times I’d rather go home and be lazy, or visiting teaching every month, but I should be less selfish and be more willing to follow Christ’s example. He was always in the service of others, as were his apostles, who didn’t complain against Him or what he asked of them.

I like this pictured because you can feel the love they have for him.