The Apostles

The twelve men Jesus chose. It is not politically correct but Jesus did not choose any women. They were all males. All early church leadership were males, no females. Was the decision a cultural condition that would change with time or is it still the preference of God?

Peter, Andrew, James and John.

Matthew, Thaddaeus, Thomas, Bartholomew,

Philip, Simon the Canaanite

James the son of Alphaeus, Judas Iscariot, these twelve Jesus chose.

They were fishermen, tax collectors, radicals and zealots. They were common men and not highly educated. This collection of men would probably never be found again under any circumstances in man’s sojourn on planet earth. They were a unique assortment. Yet they followed Jesus for over three years. Jesus saw something in them that He approved of. Jesus saw something He could use.

Jesus saw beyond their craft, beyond their abilities in the world market place. Jesus saw beyond their past successes and failures in all walks of life. He saw past their deficiencies and limitations. Jesus did not see their liabilities. He saw potential not perfection, or personality. Jesus saw future glory, not past failure. He saw leaders in the rough. He saw disciples in the raw clay of humanity. They were unformed and unfinished, yet still, Jesus saw what no one else would ever have seen.

Jesus still does this, and has done it in all of our lives. He sees what we cannot see. He is in the business of transformation. The defects do not disqualify those whom Jesus works on. Jesus has never been limited by someone’s past failures. The road ahead is paved with signs of success when Jesus takes the wheel of your life. He proved it in the lives of twelve ordinary men.

There was nothing extraordinary in these lives. They would have died unheralded and unrecorded, except they met Jesus, and followed Him. That one decision changed their life, and by extension our lives, and all of eternity.

They did not lose their uniqueness when they fell in behind Jesus. They were not marginalized and homogenized into a clone. They were twelve individuals and maintained their own particular idiosyncrasies. Their pasts were not changed, only their futures.

They were not perfect,even after being with Jesus for years. They were living examples of how Jesus joins a life and never pirates a life vessel. Jesus joins our life when He is wanted and invited. These men wanted Jesus in their life and Jesus took them as they were and worked with all they were, warts and all.

Each of them in his own moment of decision decided to follow and obey Jesus. Each of them could have become obfuscated and left the group, and eventually one did. One decision changed their life forever. The decision to follow Jesus.

The genesis of that decision did not reveal where it would lead. The next few years of their life would present many vistas of conflict, fear, rejection, uncertainty, and ultimately reward. They would experience moments of absolute certainty they made the right choice. This would be followed by the moment when all seemed lost at the cross. And then, the moment when they realized their simple choice of following Jesus was the ultimate choice any human could make.

That choice was the envy of angels, and the chagrin of demons.

Jesus is still enlisting disciples for his kingdom. He does not ask you to change occupations as a rule. He does not ask you to change your personality and become a stamped image of Christianity. All Jesus has ever asked of any potential follower is to follow. Forget your past, look to your future. Your liabilities are never His limitations.

What you become will never be based on what you have been.

Follow Jesus…

F O L L O W

F- follow wherever the path leads, the final destination will be worth it.

O- obey and trust, never allow the circumstance to impinge or darken the goal.

L- lead, let Jesus lead you, not philosophy or men’s ideologies.

L- learn, we must learn new ways, the ways of Christ.

O- only Jesus, no one else, no other voices.

W- ways, only His ways work, all else leads to conflict, and failure.

Give Jesus your mess, and let Him turn it into a mess-age of life. That is the story of twelve men; The Apostles.

The voice you listen to will determine the life and future you live.

Follow Jesus.

Thanks for reading today….