AY Honors/Disciples and Apostles/Answer Key
a. A definition of an apostle and a disciple from reputable Christian literary sources.
Disciple - Someone who is called by God. “During Jesus' earthly ministry, and during the days of the early church, the term that was used most frequently to designate one of Jesus' followers was "disciple" (mathetes) 262 times.” “Called to a Relationship with God. The roots of biblical discipleship go deep into the fertile soil of God's calling. That calling is expressed in the pattern of divine initiative and human response that constitutes the heart of the biblical concept of covenant, manifested in the recurrent promise, "I will be your God, and you shall be my people." That call from Yahweh is reiterated in the call of Jesus, when he said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" ( Matt 11:28 ). God has called his people to represent him on the earth, to be with him in every circumstance of life, to be transformed in personal character to be like him. That calling is at the heart of biblical discipleship, both in the Old and New Testaments.” – Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
Apostle - Someone who is sent out with a message. Pre-Christian use of the Greek term apostolos as one who is sent or a messenger is rare, more commonly it was referring to an ambassador or emissary. However the post-Christian use of the term is one sent to the churches by an authority with a message. The use of the word as a noun was found seventy-nine times in the New Testament (10 in the gospels, 28 times in Acts, 38 times in the Epistles, and three times in Revelation). Only once (Heb 3:1) is it used to refer directly to Christ. – Paraphrased from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
b. The names of the original 12 apostles.
This is a quick and creative way to learn the names of the 12 disciples (and Matthias...and Paul).
Tune of "Jesus Loves Me"
Jesus called them one by one,
Peter, Andrew, James and John,
Next, came Philip, Thomas too,
Matthew and Bartholomew.
Chorus- Yes, Jesus called them,
Yes, Jesus called them,
Yes, Jesus called them,
He called them one by one.
James the one they called the less,
Simon, also Thaddeus,
Twelfth apostle Judas made,
Jesus was by him betrayed.
Repeat Chorus.
Matthias then took Judas' place,
To preach to men of every race,
Paul three preaching trips did make,
And went to Rome for Jesus' sake.
c. The names of some of the Old Testament disciples.
Abram (Gen 12:1), Moses (Ex 3:10), Elisha (1 Kings 19:19), there are so many more.
d. Some similarities and differences between disciples and apostles.
Similarity – Called to spread the gospel of Jesus. They are followers of Christ.
Difference – The biblical apostles were chosen from the disciples and were commissioned by Jesus. Later apostles were appointed, like Paul, Andronicus, and Junias
e. Stories that illustrate how three of the apostles fulfilled their apostolic role.
Paul – A very effective evangelist who made a serious impact wherever he went. Peter – A very passionate individual who performed miracles as he testified of the goodness of the Lord. Philip – Called spirits out of possessed people who also had four daughters who prophesied.
2. State the Great Commission, as outlined in Matthew 28:19-20.
The Great Commission is the concluding statement of Jesus to his disciples and gives a command to his disciples. Biblegateway.com has over 200 versions and thus a variety of ways to read this text. The link shares three common versions - NKJV (Pathfinder Bible), NIV (normal read for many people in North America), and CSB (a new version copyrighted 2017)
Biblegateway.com Great Commission
a. List three specific roles this text defines as part of discipleship.
The verbs show us the roles we must take in this part of discipleship. GO MAKE DISCIPLES BAPTIZE
Put another way --
- Go forth
- Teach, educate
- Baptize in the name of the Lord
b. Brainstorm a list of New Testament stories that illustrate the different parts of the Great Commission.
Brainstorm means to let your Pathfinders do most of the thinking with the Pathfinder leader GUIDING the discussion to keep it "within boundaries."
Some possibilities include:
- Philip baptizes the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8)
- Peter is called, responds to, preaches to, and baptizes Cornelius the Roman centurion (Acts 10)
- Paul travels throughout Asia Minor (Acts 13 to 26 various stories)
- Paul is imprisoned, there is an earthquake, and as a result the jailer is baptized (Acts 16)
c. Evaluate and list ways in which modern Christians in your area can put to practice the Great Commission.
This question is wide open. The important elements are that it means stepping outside our comfort zone and sharing Jesus with people outside of our current faith community. This does NOT mean "give and run" random "booklet evangelism" but rather methods that involve all three portions of the Great Commission.
