Thought of Today
1 Kings 17:24 So the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth."
Proverbs 13:17 A bad messenger brings trouble, but a faithful envoy, healing.
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
2 Timothy 1:11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,
Yesterday, my Lenten mind and thoughts were on disciples and discipleship. In scripture, the Greek word we usually translate as disciple is μαθητὴς (mathatais). My lexicon tells me its basic meaning is “one who directs his mind to something, learner, disciple, pupil.” My Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (WDTT) tells me a disciple is, “(Lat. discipulus, ‘learner’) One who follows and learns from another as a pupil.” I believe Lent and Easter are times for us all to give careful consideration to our identity as disciples of Jesus, the Christ.
When I was a youth, there was another English word I often used synonymously with disciple, apostle. That same dictionary tells me an apostle is “One sent to act on the authority of another.” As I became older, I tended to use ‘disciple’ to indicate a general follower of Jesus, and ‘apostle’ more restrictively to specifically refer to the 12 called by Jesus and to Paul.
Today, I’m thinking about apostles. The Greek word for apostle is ἀπόστολος (ahpostolos). As is usually the case, that noun is derived from a Greek verb, ἀπόστλλέω (ahpostello). My lexicon offers this definition of that verb, “to send forth a messenger, agent, message or command.” An apostle is an envoy of God, a messenger of God’s word, God’s agent.
“How, you’ll ask me, does this have anything to do with Lent, Easter or me? Well, I’ll tell you it most definitely does apply to you, me and to everyone in Christendom who believes. Lent is “The period of forty weekdays prior to Easter, beginning with Ash Wednesday. It was originally a time to prepare candidates for baptism and became a period of penitence for those who have been baptized.” (WDTT) Today, for all believers, Lent is a time to reflect on and to consider what our confession of faith, our claim to believe in Jesus actually means.
One of my own, personal themes in what I think, write and preach is that it is not enough for Christians to merely say, “I believe.” If our alleged Christianity stops there, we are not truly Christian. I frequently mention and cite the Epistle of James and the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Both strongly influence my own understanding of Christian faith. Both address the false dichotomy of faith versus works.
I believe we are all called, just like Paul, to be apostles. An integral part of being Christian is to serve as an envoy of God, a messenger of God’s word, God’s agent. Christians are called to spread the gospel, the good news of God’s love and our salvation.
I suspect few of us ever think of ourselves as apostles. Maybe we don’t even use the word disciples to refer to our Christianity. Yet, that is exactly what we are when we confess our faith in Jesus as the Christ. Jesus told the 12, "Luke 4:43 I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose." If I believe Jesus, and I do, and if I publicly profess that belief, and I do, then I too am compelled to proclaim that same good news of the kingdom of God; I too am sent for this purpose.
Does this mean that all Christians must become ordained clergy? Of course, not. Our world would quickly collapse were everyone to take on the same job, profession or occupation. But, all Christians are called to profess and witness our faith in everything we think, say and do. We need to live out the words of that favorite hymn, They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. We need to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God in the lives we live. We need to be God’s apostles.
Stay safe, proclaim the good news, trust God,
Pastor Ray