The Twelve Apostles

(Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16)

1Then He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over foul spirits, to drive them out; and to cure every kind of disease and infirmity.

2Now the names of the twelve Apostles were these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zabdi, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas the Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

The Ministry of the Twelve

(Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6)

5These twelve Jesus sent on a mission, after giving them their instructions: "Go not," He said, "among the Gentiles, and enter no Samaritan town; 6but, instead of that, go to the lost sheep of Israel's race. 7And as you go, preach and say, 'The Kingdom of the Heavens is close at hand.' 8Cure the sick, raise the dead to life, cleanse lepers, drive out demons: you have received without payment, give without payment. 9"Provide no gold, nor even silver nor copper to carry in your pockets; 10no bag for your journey, nor change of linen, nor shoes, nor stick; for the labourer deserves his food. 11"Whatever town or village you enter, inquire for some good man; and make his house your home till you leave the place. 12When you enter the house, salute it; 13and if the house deserves it, the peace you invoke shall come upon it. If not, your peace shall return to you. 14And whoever refuses to receive you or even to listen to your Message, as you leave that house or town, shake off the very dust from your feet. 15I solemnly tell you that it will be more endurable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of Judgement than for that town.

Comfort in Persecution

(2 Timothy 1:6-12)

16"Remember it is I who am sending you out, as sheep into the midst of wolves; prove yourselves as sagacious as serpents, and as innocent as doves. 17But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to appear before Sanhedrins, and will flog you in their synagogues; 18and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they have delivered you up, have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say; 20for it is not you who will speak: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21Brother will betray brother to death, and father, child; and children will rise against their own parents and will put them to death. 22And you will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name; but he who holds out to the End—he will be saved.

23Whenever they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for I solemnly tell you that you will not have gone the round of all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24"The learner is never superior to his teacher, and the servant is never superior to his master. 25Enough for the learner to be on a level with his teacher, and for the servant to be on a level with his master. If they have called the master of the house Baal-zebul, how much more will they slander his servants?

Fearing God Alone

(Luke 12:4-7)

26Fear them not, however; there is nothing veiled which will not be uncovered, nor secret which will not become known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what is whispered into your ear, proclaim upon the roofs of the houses. 28"And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 29Do not two sparrows sell for a halfpenny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave. 30But as for you, the very hairs on your heads are all numbered. 31Away then with fear; you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.

Confessing Christ

(Luke 12:8-12)

32"Every man who acknowledges me before men I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in Heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men I also will disown before my Father who is in Heaven.

The Sword of the Gospel

(Luke 12:49-53)

34"Do not suppose that I came to bring peace to the earth: I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35For I came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36and a man's own family will be his foes.

Take up Your Cross

(Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-27)

37Any one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and any one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and any one who does not take up his cross and follow where I lead is not worthy of me. 39To save your life is to lose it, and to lose your life for my sake is to save it.

The Reward of Service

(2 Kings 4:8-17)

40"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives Him who sent me. 41Every one who receives a prophet, because he is a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward, and every one who receives a righteous man, because he is a righteous man, will receive a righteous man's reward. 42And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I solemnly tell you that he will not lose his reward."