Dear Explorer,
Read Mark 3:13-19
And
Read Luke 6:12-16
Let's start with a definition. What is a disciple?
A disciple is someone who is a student or apprentice to another person. Today, we would probably call it a mentorship where you are being mentored by someone or an internship.
Now, Jesus collected a large group of disciples – both men and women who traveled with Him and learned everything they could from Him. There were probably 100-150 disciples in this large group that traveled with Jesus during these 3 years of ministry. We are told that it fluctuated in size.
But then from this large group, Jesus chose 12 to be His apostles – the men He would devote His life to teaching and training in order for them to carry on the earthly work of Jesus through the church. So, the 12 apostles were a subset of the group of disciples.
Just for your information, the definition of apostle is “one who is sent out from”, an emissary or representative of someone else.
The Apostles were 12 men that Jesus trained to represent Himself and to send out to change the world!
In Luke 6:12 we see an interesting statement about what happened the night before Jesus chose these 12 men. What does Luke tell us happened?
Jesus prayed all night before deciding on these 12 men. I believe that this was a very serious decision and each individual man was chosen for a purpose. I believe that Jesus spent the night discussing each disciple with God and letting God guide Him to just the right group.
I want you to know that God wants you to come to Him when you have a decision to make. He loves to help His kids and remember: He knows the future.
In His service, dale
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