When we look at Luke 6, we find Jesus “went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” (vs. 12-13).
Note that these men were already disciples of the Lord. A disciple was not only a pupil but was to be an imitator of the teacher: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). So the disciple is a student of learning and in this case, the objective of the learning was that they become like Jesus.
Jesus prayed
The Lord knew these men would have to shoulder many responsibilities later on in their lives. So he consulted the Father before choosing his apostles. This surely teaches us we, too, must consult God before we embark on major decisions. If Christ, who is our Master, did it, should not we do the same?
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) tells us “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” If we thus acknowledge God in all our ways, He will direct our paths (Prov. 3:6).
Apostles not prominent men
There were many wealthy and prominent Jews Jesus could have chosen for the 12. But he did not! Fisherman was the occupation best represented and this was a humble profession. We remember the phrase of scripture: “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isa. 66:2).
For this reason, God has chosen what the world calls foolish to shame the wise, and has chosen the weak things to shame those things that are mighty. He has chosen the low born things of the world “and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Cor. 1:26-29 NKJV).
What type of person do you suppose we would have chosen? Would we have favored the well-dressed, accomplished person, or would we, like Jesus, have chosen the gentle and loving character who is inclined to spiritual things? When we look around our ecclesia, we see different dispositions, different occupations, different backgrounds, but we should all share a common goal in life — the kingdom of God. We meet as a united body week after week, as brothers and sisters with the same hope, to be welded together in the bonds of love and truth.
It took three-and-a-half years for the apostles to fuse with the Lord Jesus. How long have we, with the same goal in mind, taken to gel in the bonds of the Truth with Christ and with one another? Or do we still look at one another as strangers?
Very often we have disagreements with one another and we let this stand as a barrier between us. We should remember each brother and sister has been called to the Truth exactly as we have been and God has seen the potential in each one as He has seen in us. We should remember how Christ developed these men into characters, save Judas, fit for the kingdom. He did it with a kind word, a sympathetic heart, patience and by example.
The apostles had their problems
It should be pointed out that these men were by no means perfect; they lacked faith at times; they sought exaltation over one another; one denied Jesus; they all fled from him and they doubted after his resurrection. But Christ never stopped loving them, for he said, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in my love” (John 15:9).
If we let the spirit of love penetrate our lives as it did the life of the Lord Jesus Christ for his brethren — “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”— then we will have the strongest of all unions life can afford.
The import of love for the brethren
Jesus’ greatest desire for his disciples was that they become united as a powerful witness to the reality of God’s love. When we examine ourselves at the table, love is what it comes down to. Are we helping to unify the body of Christ or are we prone to gossip and causing dissension? Do we build each other up or tear down? Do we work together in humility or are we too proud to admit our weaknesses? Do we give our time and support for the Truth or are we sidetracked by outside influences?
How much we love God can be measured by how well we treat one another. Our love is especially shown when we do something for someone who cannot return the favor and no one knows about it except God. As Jesus said: “And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again” (Lk. 6:33,34).
The work of apostles
Coming back to the 12 apostles, we should note the difference between them and other disciples. The apostles were special ambassadors for Christ sent forth to act as his representatives. He commissioned them to preach the gospel and gave them power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and, later, to forgive sins.
So there were three important purposes which they were to fulfill: they were to be with Christ, preach the gospel and use the special powers invested in them. Doing two of the three would be pretty good for us as we, too, are chosen vessels to Christ.
Our duty in following Christ is clearly spelled out in the Bible. We have no excuse for not knowing we should practice the love that has been extended to us. If we instead choose to follow the way of the world, we put ourselves in the position of hearing, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”
Instructions to the apostles that really apply to us are in this statement taken from 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.” This tells us there will be problems no matter where we go in our journey. But God is always there as our only protection.
Look for Jesus
In the final analysis, we must look in earnest for Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). If we can hold on and be diligent in our walk toward the kingdom, by the grace of God, we will have no fear in hearing the words — “The Lord is come!”
The best feeling of all will be a relief that the days of probation are over and Christ has brought us through. Then, by the grace of God, we shall enter into that glorious reward which will be the lot of all those who have put their trust in him and endured unto the end.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One