In today’s Bible Study, we are going to study about the:
12 Apostles
Let us begin by defining the Title of Apostle:
( The Greek Word for Apostle, is: apostolos, “person sent”)
Apostle
In the New Testament originally was, the official name of those twelve of the disciples whom Jesus chose to send forth first to preach the gospel and to be with him during the course of his ministry on earth.
The word also appears to have been used in a non-official sense to designate a much wider circle of Christian messengers and teachers See (2 Corinthians 8:23; Philemon 2:25)
It is only those who were officially designated apostles that we treat in the article.
Their names are given in (Matthew 10:2-4) and Christ's charge to them in the rest of the chapter.
The office and qualifications of an Apostle
(1) The original qualification of an apostle, as stated by St. Peter on the occasion of electing a successor to the traitor Judas, was that he should have been personally acquainted with the whole ministerial course of our Lord from his baptism by John till the day when he was taken up into heaven.
(2) They were chosen by Christ himself
(3) They had the power of working miracles.
(4) They were inspired. (John 16:13)
(5) Their world seems to have been pre-eminently that of founding the churches and upholding them by supernatural power specially bestowed for that purpose.
(6) The office ceased, as a matter of course, with its first holders-all continuation of it, from the very condition of its existence (cf. (1 Corinthians 9:1)), being impossible.
Early history and training
The apostles were from the lower ranks of life, simple and uneducated; some of them were related to Jesus according to the flesh; some had previously been disciples of John the Baptist.
Our Lord chose them early in his public career.
They seem to have been all on an equality, both during and after the ministry of Christ on earth.
Early in our Lord's ministry he sent them out two and two to preach repentance and to perform miracles in his name Matt 10; Luke 9.
They accompanied him in his journey, saw his wonderful works, heard his discourses addressed to the people, and made inquiries of him on religious matters.
They recognized him as the Christ of God, (Matthew 16:16; Luke 9:20) and described to him supernatural power (Luke 9:54) but in the recognition of the spiritual teaching and mission of Christ they made very low progress, held back as they were by weakness of apprehension and by national prejudices.
Even at the removal of our Lord from the earth they were yet weak in their knowledge, (Luke 24:21; John 16:12) though he had for so long been carefully preparing and instructing them.
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