Called To Be With Him
Life moves forward. How you move forward depends upon you.
What led Jesus to go up to the mountain? Before this event, Jesus had some run-ins with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and then He left. This sets the scene for what happens next.
Disciple - a person who follows and is a committed learner of Jesus. An adherent or a person who supports and agrees with a set of ideas.
During this period of Jesus’ ministry, He had many followers. The number of disciples was many beyond the 12 or 70 we are used to. As we consider Jesus going up the mountain by himself, it may have appeared He was out of place. However, He was actually in a place of divine revelation. Mountains are significant—they are often where heaven and earth meet.
Mountains are where God reveals. It is also a place of covenant-making or renewal and a place of appointing leaders. Covenant Administration is what happens on the mountain, and it is not random; it defines leadership structure.
Jesus called those he chose to be close companions. Called means to invite or call to oneself. A summons with relational inclusion. The call accomplishes something; it draws. The call brings a relationship or community into someone's life. When Jesus calls, we immediately join the community. Being in covenant with God is an immediate belonging. It is instant. When He calls and you answer, you belong to Him and He belongs to you.
Those who responded to the call of Jesus were then called apostles. The word apostle means to send. They are the sent ones. They are ambassadors to take forward God’s word throughout the world. Believers are emissaries of God. We are charged to take the Gospel to the nation.
Appointed - to make ready, prepare, to make a thing out of something.
Jesus made those 12 disciples ready for the next phase. Why did Jesus chose twelve apostles? It was due to the 12 tribes of Israel. The kingdom had been taken over by the enemy. All twelve tribes must be included in the restored kingdom. It is restoration at its finest.
Jesus gave the apostles an identity. He gave them the name, but not the function. The whole point of your commissioning is to be with the Lord. In order for you to be sent, you have to be with the Lord. It is a mandatory requirement so that you can learn from Him. You represent the one who sent you. We have to learn about Jesus. We must spend time to learn how to present Him to others. We are called to go higher, no matter how long you may have been a Christian. We must come close to Him.
This takes a level of surrender. It is designed to break you. It takes all of you out and puts God in. You have to be okay with that. It will keep you on your knees. It will keep you second-guessing as to who you are. He is making you ready. If people see you before they see Jesus, then something is wrong. If this is true, go back to Him and allow yourself to be molded.
Jesus is calling you into fellowship with Him. Koinonia is sharing in His life, purpose, and work. We are called to suffer like the Lord. He is calling you into an assignment. Your purpose is to be with Him. We are called to partake in His work. We must demonstrate the Bible with our lives. That is what draws them.