Title: Selection of Disciples of the Lord
Contents
Youth unemployment is serious. Prepare and take exams to get a job. But companies say they don't have the right talent. It's a job shortage and job hunting. Take the exam and hire people who meet certain qualifications. But the Lord calls His workers. Because people don't know people, they will take tests and interviews, but the Lord doesn't need that. They just want to call and hang out together. stay together He calls and trains disciples for the ministry that will be delivered in the future. The Lord called 12 out of the multitude. Let's see these called disciples
He called those he wanted.
Those who have been called by the Lord are ordinary people. I didn't call it because of my looks, I didn't call it because I had knowledge, I didn't call it because I had talent. Jesus knew well that the disciples were lacking. However, when we realize the spiritual principle that the Lord has chosen those who are lacking, we can become disciples who meet the standards the Lord requires. No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem worthy of the call. But the Lord thinks differently. Not because I deserve to be called, but because the Lord has given me value. He believed that he could learn and dedicate himself as a disciple of the Lord and work as a servant of the Lord. Be who the Lord wants you to be. You just have to come out when called. There is no excuse or reason to procrastinate when the Lord is calling you. Today the Lord has called me to be a servant of the Lord. It's not that I have any conditions. just follow Then the Lord will train you and use you as His servants.
Look at the disciples.
Occupations, backgrounds and personalities are diverse. Someone did some very interesting research. The 12 disciples of Jesus submitted their resumes to a management consulting company and were judged as qualified. Here is the result:
“Dear Jesus, the son of the Nazarene Carpenters! We reviewed the resumes of the twelve people you commissioned, gathered data from psychological tests and job aptitude tests, and put them into a computer to draw the results. In general, they are not suitable as executives for the new organization you are planning. Overall, he is unsuitable as a business manager due to his low academic background, inability to work in groups, and a weak spirit of cooperation. Simon Peter lacks mental stability and has an extreme personality. Andre is, in a word, incompetent. I am not a good person to guide others. The sons of Zebedee, James and John, were in a hurry to take care of their own interests, putting aside the interests of the company. Thomas is negative about everything and asks a lot of questions, but he's not the kind of person to work with the momentum. Matthew is a great man who can do anything for his own benefit.
The two sons of Alphaeus, James and Thaddeus, are radicals seeking social revolution. You are not worthy of the moderate enterprise you are going to build by being infected with the idea of uneasiness. Of the twelve people you recommended, only one person could get a positive answer: Judas Iscariot. He is capable and knowledgeable about society. They have a sense of management and have the courtesy and dignity to interact with upper-class people. Therefore, this business counseling center recommends only one Judas and recommends that the rest be found again.” Although many and diverse people gathered like this, they were trained by the Lord and became His servants.
Disciples trained to be sent
Disciple, or apostle in other words, means “one who is sent,” but in fact, it is “one who has been trained to be sent.” The Lord trained and sent His disciples to evangelize. He gave the power to cast out demons. The disciples also lacked faith. Bread was needed to feed the hungry people in the wilderness. Philip thought it was impossible because he had no money. However, through the power of the Lord, I saw a miracle that 5,000 people could eat with 5 bottles and 2 words. Thomas did not believe in the resurrection of the Lord. However, after seeing the resurrected Lord, his faith became bolder, and after Pentecost, he went to India to preach the gospel and was martyred. Although lacking in many ways, by meeting the Lord, he was changed and his values were renewed, and he became a servant of the Lord who can do great things.
Little Jesus who changed the world
When the disciples met the Lord, they experienced tremendous changes and reversals in their lives. Their death speaks volumes about how beautiful and great their life was. In the history of the early church, Peter tried to escape from Rome to escape persecution, but after hearing the voice of the Lord, he went back and was hung upside down on a cross and was martyred. James was beheaded. Andrew was martyred by hanging on an X-shaped cross in Madrea, Greece. John was thrown into a boiling furnace, but did not die and was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation. Some say that Philip was hanged and stoned to death in Asia Minor. Bartholomew was beheaded in Armania for being skinned. Matthew was slain with a sword in Ethiopia, Thomas was speared to death in India, and Thaddeus was killed by a bow in Mesopotamia. It is said that James the Little was beaten with stones and clubs in Jerusalem, but survived and was sawed to death. Simon was killed in a mob raid in Persia. Only Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide.
Ordinary people became disciples of Jesus and lived a life that transcends death as glorious martyrs. This is possible because we have been trained to see from the Lord's point of view.
The Lord has called us. He wants to be used as a disciple beyond the simple step of believing in Jesus and being saved. We have to choose between the two. Will we manage to live within the boundaries of our present life, or will we live as a ‘person of faith’ who becomes a disciple of Jesus, embraces His will, and expands the kingdom of heaven?
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 “Man ought to consider us workers of Christ and entrusters of the mysteries of God. And of those who are entrusted with it, it is fidelity.”