A greeting

Galatians 1:1-2

What a greeting to the church at Galatia; “Paul, an apostle – not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead – and all the brothers who are with me.”  It seems to me that in Paul’s introduction he is establishing that God has set him apart and given him a title and position that is different from the brothers who are with him. 

This question came into my mind, how does an apostle differ from a disciple of Christ, and what are the qualifications of an apostle, and how does that vary from a disciple?  First, we might find agreement that an apostle is a divine call, the commissioning by Christ.  It is also a given, that an apostle was a witness of the resurrection, and that Paul encountered the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus, set him apart as one called to this office.  Apostles were set apart as those who had been with Christ and were His witnesses, they had been intimate with Christ in knowledge and experiences. 

It seems clear to me that we no longer have apostle living in 2010 but what about a disciple?  Is a disciple someone who follows another?  John the Baptist had disciples (Matthew 9:14), the Pharisees had disciples (Mark 2:18), and if we bring it into 2010, the Yankees have disciples and so do the Dallas Cowboys.   We can say that a disciple is anyone who does the following: they follow after something or someone, or they are students of a teacher or philosophy.

Does Jesus give any guidelines for his disciples, or a better question is do I understand the qualifications of being a follower of Christ?  I asked two questions, and the first is a strong yes; self-denial and cross-bearing found in Matthew 16:24, the abandonment of any person or thing that you value more than Christ, found in Luke 14:26, and the ability   to leave all your goals and desires and to put Christ as number one priority is found in Luke 14:33. 

Jesus says, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)  The second part of the question is do I understand the qualifications of being a disciple of Christ?  Often my life exposes the truth, I do not care to be a follower in regards to the requirements of Jesus or I let the desires of my heart be stolen by the cares of the world and the enemy of my soul.   In 2010, we have many who are disciples of many things, and I believe it has always been that way, but unlike the Dallas Cowboys, who promise their disciples little, but ask for them to keep following after so many disappointments.   Jesus Christ offers life to His disciples, and not just for eternity but He offers abundant life now.  This is my conclusion on being a disciple of Christ; it is impossible for anyone full of himself or herself to be a follower of Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice