October 16, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, October 16.
One Christmas I received a gift that just kept on giving. It was a “Word-A-Day” calendar - 365 words, with definitions. I really expanded my vocabulary that year. And every morning, with a sense of anticipation, I would tear off yesterday’s sheet to discover today’s word. Well, the word for October 16 . . . is “apostle”.
The early Christians were sometimes called believers or followers of Christ. But, often, they were known as His disciples. That term, in the original Greek, means student, or literally, “one who learns”. At first, Jesus referred to The Twelve using that name. But there came a time, late in His three-year ministry, when he sent His disciples, in pairs, to minister on their own. In that moment, Jesus gave them a new name. He called them apostles.
The word apostle means “one who is sent out”. English synonyms include words like messenger, envoy, emissary, and ambassador. Under that definition, each one of us could be called apostles, since Christ commanded us to “go ye, therefore, and make disciples”. But the early church used the name apostle in another way as well. They used it to designate those believers, those disciples, who were blessed to have known Jesus personally. These special followers were highly revered, and occupied a special place of respect.
Under that second definition of the word, you and I may also qualify to go by the name apostle. We can know Christ personally, as did His twelve disciples. Saul of Tarsus never met Jesus in the flesh. He didn’t walk with the Lord on the Jericho Road. He didn’t sit beside the Sea of Galilee with the Master. He didn’t stand at the foot of the Old Rugged Cross. But still we refer to him as the Apostle Paul. That’s because his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus was just as real, just as life changing, as any encounter experienced by James or John or Peter.
We can have a personal relationship with Christ, a relationship that can fit us to be His followers, His disciples, His apostles.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com