They Came To Him

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Mark 3:13-19

Have you ever wondered exactly what Jesus did with His disciples to get them into the shape they would need to be in order to really be His disciples? Jesus instructed them along the way, and stayed with them. They modeled what Jesus did.

When Jesus called those men to follow Him, He wanted them to be with Him and to teach the good news of the kingdom of God. Their first job was to be under the immediate supervision of Jesus, learning His words and interpretation of the Scriptures, and watching His behavior. For the second task, Jesus sent them out to preach – saying what He said and doing what He did. As they carried out these tasks, they were to be dependent on Jesus.

Today, Jesus is still calling us to be His disciples. He calls us as followers to this simple but powerful process of discipleship – being with Him, following His instructions, and living His example. Are you one who is dependent on Him as you’re following Him today?

Discipleship is relational and experiential.

Our Daily Bread – October 1, 2010