“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
Mark 10:21
Too many Christians have given up on the vision of becoming like Jesus. They know they are sinners saved by grace, but they do not see themselves living out a transformed life. They have accepted the lie that the Holy Spirit can’t train them as He did the first century Christians. Before we doubt whether we are the caliber of the first disciples, here is a fact sheet compiled from over 200 New Testament Scriptures concerning those whom Jesus first called.
THE DISCIPLES… came to Christ, believed in Him and followed Him.
They…
dined with Him, often became hungry, often didn’t have time to eat, twice miraculously fed the multitudes with food Jesus multiplied.
They…
received special authority to heal and deliver, became Jesus’ confidants, were often rebuked and corrected, were entrusted with the mysteries of God’s Kingdom.
They…
did what was not lawful on the Sabbath, broke the traditions of the elders, entered the Kingdom of God and walked in God’s power.
They…
were often frightened, fell on their faces, were sometimes afraid, were very astonished, they frequently marveled, they were at times indignant, and they rejoiced exceedingly.
They...
became weary on a number of occasions, grumbled and withdrew, some stopped walking with Jesus; even after the resurrection some still doubted, they wrote the New Testament and died for their faith.
They…
were taught to pray for the Kingdom to come and for laborers for the harvest, yet slept while Jesus prayed; they spent ten days in continuous prayer before Pentecost, and prayed corporately every day afterward at 3:00 p.m..
They…
forgot provisions, made commitments they could not keep, individuals begged them to heal people they could not heal, they attempted to exorcise demons that would not leave, they rebuked parents who brought children to be blessed, they abandoned Jesus in His darkest hour, they were frequently jealous and often ambitious, and they turned the world upside down after the resurrection.
They…
had a tendency to invent doctrines, tried to command fire to fall on the Samaritans, put a limit on how many times to forgive, presumed the apostle John would not die, wanted to build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, became the tabernacle of God on earth after Pentecost.
They…
prepared cities for the arrival of Jesus, prepared the Passover for the last supper, and were prepared by God to represent Christ; ultimately, they were prepared to die for the Lord.
They…
remembered what Jesus taught, received the great commission, faced terrible opposition from principalities and powers, Jews and Gentiles, yet they reached their world with the Gospel of Christ.
Therefore, seeing that God was not limited by the mistakes of Christ’s disciples, let us read the words of Christ as though we were sitting at Jesus’ feet. Let us approach Him with faith, believing all things are possible for God, even the transformation of our hearts.
By Francis Frangipane
Used by Permission
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