The 
ight House
Sunday School (The Mission of the Disciples)
The Mission of the Disciples
(Matthew 10:1 - 15)
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Matthew 10:1-4Notice here that Jesus chose his disciples from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. About all they had in common was the fact that none of them were from privileged or of high status backgrounds. This principle of calling the simple and plain into service is accentuated in the following scripture.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31The Lord also calls people into the ministry today from different backgrounds with different personalities, with different ways of preaching and teaching. The fact that Jesus chose his disciples with various traits should tell us that just because two preachers or other servants may teach or preach differently, it does not mean that one is right and the other is wrong. People have different personalities, therefore some will be more likely to respond to one and some more likely to respond to another.
Of these twelve one Judas Iscariot was chosen who would fall from transgression by betraying Jesus. Some believe Paul was the replacement for Judas, but this is not true. The mission of the twelve apostles was focused on the Jews. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. Scripture is very plain that the replacement for Judas was, Matthias. Matthias was chosen by God upon the request of the other disciples who prayed, asking God to choose between two men.
And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen, 25That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. 26And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 2:23-28Jesus does not only call the twelve; He gives them power to do what He has called them to do; the same principle holds true today. God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the called.
The role of the twelve disciples is beyond serving Jesus during the time he lived on Earth as a man and beyond serving him during their own lives after Jesus had ascended to Heaven. The bible teaches us that they will have a place with Christ in judging the tribes of Israel.
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 1928Continuing with the lesson…
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 10:5-6Jesus came unto his own people. The Gentiles had not been yet been grafted into the vine at the time that Jesus gave the disciples this instruction. Later when the Gentiles were grafted in and salvation through Jesus was made available they were given the the Apostle Paul. The gospel is for the Jew first and then to the Gentile.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16
Why did the Jews receive twelve disciples, while the Gentiles received only one? It is through the Jews that the whole world would be blessed.And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Genesis 18:17And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11God's intention was to reach the whole world, but beginning with Israel - there was certainly enough work to do among the lost sheep of the house of Israel to keep the twelve busy, until God directly commanded them to expand their ministry.
Continuing with the lesson…
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Matthew 10:7-8Along with the commission to preach, Jesus gave the apostles the power to heal, raise the dead and cast out devils. Why did Jesus give them these powers? He gave them the ability to perform miracles for the same reason that he performed miracles. He knew that their message would often not be well received or accepted. The ability to perform such miracles would give them credibility, at least in the eyes of some. They would be serving as representatives of Christ and therefore needed to be able to fully represent him in all ways in order to be an extension of Christ. The ability to display the power within these miracles showed that they were truly followers of their master. The twelve would be able to cover more area and reach more people over a longer period of time than Jesus could by himself in the short time that he ministered before his crucifixion.
Continuing with the lesson…Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Matthew 10:9-15The instruction Jesus gave his apostles was to trust God to provide for all their needs. It is also obvious by this passage of scripture that God would provide these needs through the compassion and hospitality of others. God still works through His people. God’s people therefore need to be ready to serve. Being ready to serve means that we should be willing to do whatever God gives us to do. We should also be prepared to serve by being well grounded in His word. God’s word will provide us with the knowledge, the courage, the inspiration, and the strength to accomplish the work we called to do.
Those who do receive these disciples can expect to be blessed (let your peace come upon it); but those cities who refuse them can expect to be treated as Gentiles (shake off the dust from your feet), and are in grave danger of judgment. We need to support those who are doing God’s work. We need to support them through our donations, through our prayers, through our words of encouragement, and in any other way possible. When we support those who are doing God’s work, we ourselves become a part of that work. We are all one body in Christ, each serving its own function yet working together for a common purpose.
Even though the twelve can expect their needs to be met through the people they minister to, they should never require their needs to be met as "payment"; the foundational principle is Freely you have received, freely give.
God Bless you,
Carl
I may not look like much, but I cost a bunch!
