2/24/26

Disciples, Apostles, Saints, and Missionaries

 DISCIPLES (Learners/Followers)

Definitional Passages

  • Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (broadest use - all learners)
  • Luke 14:26-27 - "If anyone comes to me and does not hate...cannot be my disciple" (defines discipleship requirements)
  • John 8:31 - "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples"
  • Acts 6:1-7 - "The number of disciples multiplied greatly" (broad community of learners)

The Twelve as Disciples

  • Mark 3:13-19 - Jesus "appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles)" - they were disciples first
  • Matthew 10:1 - "He called to him his twelve disciples"
  • John 6:66-69 - "Many of his disciples turned back...But the twelve stayed" (showing broader group)

Broader Discipleship Beyond the Twelve

  • Luke 10:1 - Jesus sent out seventy-two other disciples
  • John 4:1 - Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
  • Acts 9:36 - Tabitha "a disciple" (showing term applied to individual believers)
  • Acts 21:16 - "Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us" (widespread followers)

APOSTLES (Sent Ones with Authority)

The Twelve Apostles - Specific Calling

Primary Commissioning:

  • Mark 3:14 - "He appointed twelve...to be with him and to be sent out"
  • Luke 6:13 - "He chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles"
  • Matthew 10:2-4 - Lists "the names of the twelve apostles"

Authority Given:

  • Matthew 10:1 - "He gave them authority over unclean spirits"
  • Matthew 18:18 - "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven"
  • John 20:21-23 - "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you" (apostolic commission)

Foundational Role:

  • Ephesians 2:20 - "Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone"
  • Revelation 21:14 - "The wall of the city had twelve foundations...names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb"

Matthias - Replacement Apostle

  • Acts 1:21-26 - Specific criteria: must have been with Jesus from baptism to ascension, must be a witness to the resurrection. "He was numbered with the eleven apostles"

Paul - Apostle by Special Appointment

Called Directly by Christ:

  • Acts 9:15 - "He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name"
  • Galatians 1:1 - "Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ"
  • 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 - "Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?"
  • 1 Corinthians 15:8-9 - "Last of all...he appeared also to me...I am the least of the apostles"

Apostolic Authority:

  • 2 Corinthians 12:12 - "The signs of a true apostle were performed among you"
  • Galatians 2:8 - "He who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry...worked through me also"

Other Apostles Beyond the Twelve

Barnabas:

  • Acts 14:14 - "When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it" (explicitly called apostle)

James, the Lord's Brother:

  • Galatians 1:19 - "I saw...James the Lord's brother" (in context of "the apostles")
  • 1 Corinthians 15:7 - "Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles"

Andronicus and Junia:

  • Romans 16:7 - "Greet Andronicus and Junia...They are well known to the apostles" (or "outstanding among the apostles" - textual debate)

Silas and Timothy:

  • 1 Thessalonians 2:6 - "We could have made demands as apostles of Christ" (Paul, Silas, and Timothy as authors)

Apostolic Criteria and Distinction

  • 1 Corinthians 4:9 - "God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death" (special suffering/calling)
  • 2 Corinthians 11:13 - "False apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves" (showing the title could be claimed falsely)
  • Revelation 2:2 - "You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not"

SAINTS (Holy Ones/Believers)

General Use for All Believers

Paul's Letters - Standard Greeting:

  • Romans 1:7 - "To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints"
  • 1 Corinthians 1:2 - "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord"
  • Ephesians 1:1 - "To the saints who are in Ephesus"
  • Philippians 1:1 - "To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi"
  • Colossians 1:2 - "To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae"

Saints as Community of Believers:

  • Acts 9:13 - "I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem"
  • Acts 26:10 - "I not only locked up many of the saints in prison...but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them"
  • Romans 8:27 - "He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints"
  • Romans 15:25-26 - "At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints"

Saints' Identity and Calling:

  • Romans 12:13 - "Contribute to the needs of the saints"
  • 2 Corinthians 1:1 - "To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia"
  • Ephesians 3:8 - "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given"
  • Colossians 1:12 - "Giving thanks to the Father...who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light"

Old Testament Saints

  • Psalm 16:3 - "As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones"
  • Psalm 30:4 - "Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints"
  • Daniel 7:18, 22, 27 - "The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom" (eschatological reference)

Saints in Glory

  • 1 Thessalonians 3:13 - "At the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints"
  • Jude 14 - "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones [saints]"
  • Revelation 5:8 - "The golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints"
  • Revelation 8:3-4 - "Another angel...was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints"

MISSIONARIES (Sent Cross-Cultural Messengers)

Old Testament Precedent

Jonah:

  • Jonah 1:1-2 - "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it" (cross-cultural sending)
  • Jonah 3:1-4 - Preached to Gentile city resulting in mass repentance

Isaiah's Vision:

  • Isaiah 6:8 - "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me"

Jesus' Missionary Commands

The Great Commission:

  • Matthew 28:18-20 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (explicitly cross-cultural)
  • Mark 16:15 - "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation"
  • Luke 24:47 - "Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem"
  • Acts 1:8 - "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (geographic expansion)

Early Missionary Examples

Philip - First Cross-Cultural Evangelist:

  • Acts 8:5 - "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them" (crossing Jewish-Samaritan boundary)
  • Acts 8:26-40 - Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (crossing to Africa)

Peter - Sent to Gentiles:

  • Acts 10:1-48 - Peter sent to Cornelius (Roman centurion), breaking Jewish-Gentile barrier
  • Acts 10:34-35 - "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him...is acceptable to him"

Barnabas and Paul - First Missionary Journey:

  • Acts 13:2-3 - "The Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them'" (formal missionary sending)
  • Acts 13:4 - "Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia"
  • Acts 13-14 - Cyprus, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe (crossing multiple cultural boundaries)

Paul's Missionary Journeys:

  • Acts 15:36-18:22 - Second journey (Macedonia, Achaia - entering Europe)
  • Acts 18:23-21:17 - Third journey (Ephesus, returning to Jerusalem)
  • Acts 16:9-10 - "A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia...saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us'" (divine guidance across cultural boundaries)

Timothy and Titus - Sent Missionaries:

  • 1 Corinthians 4:17 - "That is why I sent you Timothy...to remind you of my ways in Christ"
  • 2 Corinthians 8:23 - "As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit"
  • Titus 1:5 - "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order"

Priscilla and Aquila - Missionary Couple:

  • Acts 18:2, 18, 26 - Traveled with Paul, taught Apollos, risked their lives for the gospel
  • Romans 16:3-4 - "Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus...to whom...all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks"

Missionary Theology and Practice

Paul's Missionary Self-Understanding:

  • Romans 1:5 - "Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations"
  • Romans 15:16 - "To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God"
  • Romans 15:18-21 - "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience...from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel"
  • 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 - "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (missionary contextualization)

Church Sending and Support:

  • Acts 11:22 - "The report about them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch"
  • Acts 13:1-3 - Church at Antioch fasted, prayed, laid hands on, and sent Barnabas and Saul
  • Philippians 4:15-16 - "In the beginning of the gospel...no church entered into partnership with me...except you only"
  • 3 John 5-8 - "You are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the brothers...we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth"

Missionary Suffering:

  • 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 - Paul's extensive list of missionary hardships
  • Acts 14:19-22 - "They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead...strengthening the souls of the disciples"

KEY DISTINCTION PASSAGES

Disciple vs. Apostle

  • John 13:16 - "A servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger [apostolos] greater than the one who sent him" (disciples are servants; apostles are sent messengers)
  • Luke 6:13 - "When day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles" (subset relationship)

Apostle vs. Missionary

  • Ephesians 4:11-13 - "He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints" (apostles as foundational; evangelists/missionaries as ongoing)
  • 2 Corinthians 11:5, 13 - "Super-apostles" and "false apostles" (apostolic title was unique and contested; missionary work was broader)

All Are Saints

  • Philippians 4:21-22 - "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus...All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household" (universal designation)
  • 1 Corinthians 14:33 - "As in all the churches of the saints" (standard designation for all Christian communities)
  • Hebrews 13:24 - "Greet all your leaders and all the saints"

SUMMARY WITH BIBLICAL SUPPORT

Disciples = Broad category (all followers): Acts 6:1-2, 7; Acts 9:1, 26; Acts 11:26 ("disciples were first called Christians")

Apostles = Specific, authoritative foundation: 1 Corinthians 12:28 ("First apostles..."), Ephesians 2:20, 2 Peter 3:2

Saints = All believers: Consistently used throughout epistles as standard designation (50+ NT occurrences)

Missionaries = Sent cross-culturally: Acts 13:2-4 (formal sending), Romans 10:14-15 ("How beautiful...feet of those who preach"), 2 Corinthians 5:20 ("We are ambassadors for Christ")

Overlap: Paul was disciple (learned from Christ), apostle (uniquely called), saint (believer), and missionary (sent cross-culturally) - Acts 9:15, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 3:8, Acts 13:2

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