It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)
Twelve men responded to the call to be disciples of Jesus. They were Jews, uneducated commoners, and simple men of faith who gave up everything to be followers of Christ. Jesus spent three years training these men to be leaders. Jesus’ plan was to eventually have the disciples take over and carry on the work He had started.
What we know to be true about Jesus is that He chose ordinary and unrefined men to be his apostles. They were the commonest of the common. They were from rural areas, farmers, and fisherman. Christ purposely passed over the elite, aristocratic, and influential men of society and chose mostly the men from the dregs of society. That’s how it has always been in God’s economy. He exalts the humble and lays low those who are proud.
The Names of the 12 Disciples
We find the names of the disciples in the Gospel books of Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19 and Luke 6:13-16.
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. (John 15:16)
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:
- The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and
- Andrew his brother; and
- James the son of Zebedee, and
- John his brother;
- Philip and
- Bartholomew (Nathanael);
- Thomas and
- Matthew the tax collector;
- James the son of Alphaeus (James the Less), and
- Thaddaeus (Judas, son of James);
- Simon the Zealot, and
- Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. (Matthew 10:2-4)
Now that we know the names of the apostles let's take a deeper look into the life story of each man.
Although the disciples were all different, when the Early Church began, they were known for their unwavering faith. Need to strengthen your faith in this season? Download our FREE 30-day guide to grow your faith today.
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