Jesus has chosen His 12 apostles. He sends them out on a mission. At this stage of His ministry, His mission is exclusively in Israel. Jesus sends them to the lost sheep of Israel and He extends His ministry through them. Later, He tells them they will go to the nations; they will stand before kings; and they will bear witness to the Gentiles. He tells them they will be hated and persecuted and encourages them to have no fear. They are to confess Christ before men. And the great promise is that He will confess us before the Father who is in heaven. So, the mission of the apostles is clear--they are to identify with Jesus. What the world does with Jesus, the world will do to them. The apostles are continuing the ministry of Jesus in this world. They were faithful to the end. Now we continue the apostolic testimony. We continue the mission of Jesus. In order to do that, we must faithfully confess Him to the end before the world in which we live. In our day, it will be no less costly. We need to hear the words of Jesus: Have no fear of them. Our Father values us. Our Savior acknowledges us before the Father. Therefore, we are kept secure. He will receive us to Himself. Our permanent home is not here; our future is not measured by our days here; our Savior is in heaven; our Father is in heaven; our bad reception here well reminds us that our home is there. |
