Thus most people slotted in as Christians do not relate to Jesus or know Him, they even give Christ a bad name! Thus, we should go back to the origin of the Church age, when from the time Jesus began to call men to follow Him, they were called ‘disciples.’ A student has many masters (teachers) a disciple has only one. Thus, the disciples called Jesus - ‘Master’! ‘Rabbouni’ They had no other! He is the MASTER to all true Christian, their Saviour, their Lord, whom they revere and adore! and will be till the last one is called!

When Jesus left Nazareth to be baptised in the Jordan by John-Baptist, soon after he began His ministry, at first He started to call His disciples. It is written: ‘As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen, “Come, follow me”! Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed Him’. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father Zebedee and followed Him.’ (Matthew 4: 18-22) I mentioned this before but in another context. 

A disciple is one whom Jesus calls to follow Him. He gathered quite a number of them for on one occasion it is written that: ‘Jesus went out to a mountain side to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve out of them, whom He also designated apostles’. Simon, whom He named Peter, his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew (Nathanael), Matthew, Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor! (Luke 6: 12-16) During three years the apostles walked with Jesus wherever He went preaching the gospel and healing the sick. They discovered that they had began a whole new life, these men were going to change the world!

Thus, all Christians were called disciples! The number of them grew rapidly because it is written that: ‘Jesus went down with them (the twelve) and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there and a great number of people from all Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him!’ (Luke 6: 17) After Jesus had been taken up to heaven. A great persecution rose up in Jerusalem against the disciples, except for the apostle all of them were scattered all over Judea, Samaria, eventually, right up to Antioch, a long way from Jerusalem, it is there that the disciples of the Lord were first called ‘CHRISTIANS’. (Acts 11: 26) It is written that: ‘On that day a great persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered, throughout Judea and Samaria… Those who were scattered preached the word wherever they went!’ (Acts 8: 1-4) Those that were scattered preached the word, the good news about Jesus Christ! The word that fits better their activity is ‘gossip’ they talked about Jesus when and how they could! So, in conclusion to all I have written in the previous ‘Links’ was to show that all that happened during Christ’s life time, right up to His ascension, and as it continued through the ministry of the apostles, was willed and planned by God, and fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ who came on earth sent by Him. He gave His life a ransom, and after His ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit, who filled a hundred and twenty disciples and anointed them for a special mission; it was the apostle Peter that preached the first sermon, the greatest that a man ever preached, on that day a crowd of people heard him from which two thousand people believed and on that day were added to the Church in Jerusalem! (Acts 2: 40-41)