Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.

As Matthew 10 begins, we see Jesus call His 12 disciples together and give them the authority to cast out evil spirits and heal disease and sickness. In verse 2, we begin to see them referred to as apostles instead of disciples. Why the change? 

Disciple means “learner,” a follower or student. Jesus called these 12 men, and they have been following Him. They have listened to Him teach. They have watched Him heal the sick. They have seen Him perform miracles. They have been learning about Him and from Him. But now He is calling them to do more than just learn. He is calling them to be apostles. 

The word apostle means “one who is sent out.” As disciples, they have been following Him and learning from Him, but now He is sending them out to spread the Gospel. They were now responsible for telling others about what they had seen and learned. Can you imagine being given the ability to cast out evil spirits and heal people as you tell them about Jesus? To quote Uncle Ben from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  

If you are a follower of Christ, you are His disciple. You become a student of His Word, spending time reading the Bible and learning from it. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” The more time we spend in His word, learning from it, committing it to memory, the more prepared we will be for what He has called us to do: be an apostle. 

You are a disciple, but He has also called you to be even more: to be an apostle. He has called you to go out and share what you have learned through your relationship with Him with those around you: where you live, where you work, where you go to school. Share how you have experienced His goodness, His grace, His mercy. Share what He has done in your life and what He is continuing to teach you through His word.   

The mission of Venture Church is to lead people to know, love, and follow Jesus. We can’t do that if we don’t take that next step from disciple to apostle! As followers of Christ, we have a huge responsibility. We are called to learn from Jesus and His teachings, but we are also called to tell others about Him. We will always be disciples, learning about Him through His word and the way He works in our lives, but we have to move beyond just learning and put what we have learned into action as apostles of Jesus. 

Another definition of apostle is “a vigorous and pioneering advocate or supporter of a particular policy, idea, or cause.” We have the best cause there is! We get to be apostles of the God of the universe! We get to tell others how much He loves them and show them what life as a Christ follower is like. What an honor and privilege that is! 

“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.