12 Faithful Men

 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20

In perhaps the most daring act in all of history, 11 men (later joined by Paul) set out on a seemingly impossible task: share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.  As scary as we might view evangelism today, take a second and consider how terrifying of a situation the Apostles found themselves in.  The commissioned men were hunted and killed by Jewish leaders, ostracized from their homes, and living in a world ruled by Pagan Romans.  Yet the book of Acts details the incredible journey these men undertake with the power of the Holy Spirit.  How faithful did these men remain?

History shows us the effects of the Apostles’ faith.  There are 2 billion self-proclaiming Christians in the world–quite an accomplishment from starting with 11.  We can argue about the authenticity of the faith of these 2 billion all you want, but that’s not the point.  The point is that 12 men relied solely on God, and mind blowing things happened.  In one day 3,000 believers were added (Acts 2:41).  Three thousand.  There were no fancy sound systems, no complicated dissertations, and no guitars.  What was there?  Believers who allowed themselves to be used as tools of God, who allowed God to work His miracles through them.

Let’s not forget about the 2nd most important event in history, the conversion of Saul.  In addition to providing 13 books of scripture (an interesting number as the 12 disciples + Paul=13, but I digress), the conversion of Paul saw the most zealous and hate-induced opponent of the Gospel bow to Christ.  Paul’s missionary journeys sent the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire, effectively placing the Gospel in every major city along the Mediterranean.  The relationship between Paul and Timothy likewise set a mentor-student example still followed by Christians today.

Even as the most faithful men, none of the Apostles had a happy ending–at least not happy in a worldly sense.  I seriously doubt that any Apostles were surprised by this, given that Jesus says, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first,” (John 15:18).  But that never stopped these believers.  Why should fear stop us?

We have the same power on our side as the Apostles, the power of God Himself.  If you let that power work, then there’s no limit to what God can accomplish through you.