New Apostle of the Week Series / What is an apostle?

New Apostle of the Week Series

So this week we're going to start a new overview study. So every Sunday, in order to learn more about the Apostles of Christ, we'll be doing an Apostle of the Week segment. So before we start with Peter, he will be first, Lord willing.

What Is an Apostle?

We'll do that next week. But first, let's answer the question, what is an apostle? Well, the Greek word apostolos, translated apostle, means one who is sent. So basically, one who is sent as something like an official messenger, like a delegate or an ambassador.

Jesus, as you may know, had many disciples, much more than just 12. At one point, he sent out 70. But out of that larger group of disciples, Jesus chose 12 to be apostles. So these men, the apostles, followed Jesus full time, and they were given the power to work miracles and speak authoritatively in Jesus' name.

They are, just listing them in order, they are Peter, his brother Andrew, James, his brother John. These were the four fishermen. Then there was Philip, Nathaniel, also called Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, also called Levi.

There is the other James, sometimes referred to as James the Less, Thaddeus. His name was actually Judas, but you know, you didn't really want to go around being called Judas in the Christian church, so they called him Judas, not Iscariot, but Thaddeus was sort of his nickname.

There was Simon, known as Simon the Zealot, and then last, and certainly least, Judas Iscariot, who will always be known as the man who betrayed the Lord. So there were, or these were the original 12 apostles.

The Apostles and the Disciples

And then there's the Apostle Paul, who we'll talk about, who is unique. So if you can remember this, not all of the disciples were apostles, but all the apostles are disciples. And again, Jesus had many followers, and some came and went.

So what is a disciple? A disciple is a follower, one who learns from the teacher. But out of that larger group of disciples, Jesus chose 12 to be official representatives of his New Testament church, and they, the apostles and their close associates, were the ones who wrote the New Testament.

Jesus as the Sent One

Now before we close, there is one other man that the Bible calls an apostle that we don't want to overlook. And some people are unaware of this, but this is very significant. Guess who is called an apostle?

Jesus Christ himself is called an apostle. Well, how is that? Because Jesus was sent into the world by God the Father. So in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 1, our Lord is called an apostle. Why? Because he is the official representative for God.

Jesus speaks for God the Father.