THE COMMON DENOMINATOR

Good morning from Kenya.
We pray that everyone had a good rest, and are empowered to face everything that comes this day.

In our travels the last weekend, especially in the surrounding areas around Nairobi…… there are so many churches and so many self proclaimed Prophets and Apostles.
And the majority are promising deliverance and healing…..

I am not Hashem YHVH, and therefore in no position to judge anyone for what title they appoint themselves.
I WILL, ALTHOUGH, ….discuss what many people have NOT CONSIDERED……. and that is…..
WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF APOSTLE AND PROPHET in scripture, ….and could we conclude whether or not these people today fit the examples ??
Enjoy the teaching.

THE COMON DENOMINATOR

” When day came, He called His tallimidim/ disciples and chose from among them twelve to be known as emissaries/ disciples…..”
Luke 6:13

Webster’s dictionary definition of emissary :
” one who is designated as the agent of another “

Dictionary definition according to vocabulary.com :
” when a President can’t attend state funerals, they send an emissary to pay their respects…..”

It’s interesting that in Christian circles the church of Jesus Christ was built on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets with Jesus Christ / Yeshua Hamashiach the chief cornerstone.
According to scripture, for the apostles/ emissaries, that would have meant a lifetime commitment….. one that rejoiced with every new convert, but also more times than not,….. a life that came with tremendous persecution and hardship, in ways we could never imagine or physically withstand.

The tallimidim/ disciples Yeshua chose were either going to turn the world upside down with the Gospel in that first century and generation, or would cause the movement to fizzle out in one generation.
It is understandable to assume Yeshua Hamashiach/ Jesus Christ would be looking for extraordinary gifted people; spiritual superman and women who were swift, intelligent, confident and strong.
But the reality is…..He called a group of Ordinary People with all the failures and weaknesses to pass the good news of the Gospel on.
There was definitely nothing special about any of these men !!

Kefa / Peter what is outspoken and impulsive !!
His brother, Andrew, was quiet and inconspicuous.
Ya’akov/ James and Yochanan/ John, also brothers, were fishermen in partnership with Kefa/ Peter and Andrew.
Yeshua gave them the name ” Boaneges ” which basically translated means ” Sons of Thunder, ” presumably because they were proud and aggressive, but not really about their ministry as much, it was more in reference to the fact they believed Yeshua word overthrow the Roman government and they wanted to reign, one on either side of Him.
They still had the Orthodox Jewish mindset regarding how Messiah was to be King…..
Phillip only speaks twice in all four Gospels, both times appearing a little slow in catching on….. Lol.
Mattiyahu/ Mathew is the tax collector, considered the worst of the worst …..
But one of the most interesting aspects of how these men were failures is the example of Judas Iscariot, is the money man…. who fully betrayed Yeshua for some sheckles…. and then killed himself.
Simon the Zealot, Simon the Canaanite, the most obscure among the emissaries, known mostly for being a political activist….
And of course who can ever forget the one who doubted the most…..
The one who had the risen Messiah standing before him, and still had to put his finger in the wounds…. the one example of the worst case of lack of belief and Faith…. Thomas…..
And then we had James son of Alpheus, who was young and impressionable…..
None of these had great resumes !!!!

There were other tallimidim/ disciples of whom we know little about, but the point is that they came with varying backgrounds, professions, beliefs and opinions…… but only 12 were chosen to be emissaries.
And even they were Everyday People….. no different than any one of us.
The Marvelous thing is that Yeshua takes ordinary men and women and calls them to extrodinary tasks.
What is the key? What is the extra, in the ordinary, that makes the ordinary, extraordinary ?
THE COMON DENOMINATOR IN ALL THESE PEOPLE WAS YESHUA HIMSELF !!
It was His resurrected life, first of all physically shown to them and proven, and then after Pentecost / Shavuot His resurrected life living in them that was Yeshua Hamashiach Adonai.
It was His resurrected life living in them that was their strength and empowerment in every situation, regardless of how insurmountable it seemed.. because every one of them went through horrendous persecution and for most of them a horrible death.
And by the way if you know the Hebrew mindset, you understand Prophets were also emissaries….
Put this in perspective, reread your Tanakh / Old Testament, and see the correlation of the life of the Prophets, and see if you are willing to make the same sacrifice.

Hudson Taylor, a Pioneer missionary to China in the 19th century, said, ” the Secret of the Christian Life is an exchanged life. These were all people who exchanged their weaknesses and fears for Christ’s / Messiah’s strengths, their folly for His wisdom and their failure for His victory. “
That is still Messiahs agenda today…… and that is the measuring rod we use when discerning whether someone is truly a apostle, a emissary!
We need no credentials, qualifications or experience, simply a willingness to be available to Him, and a heart ❤ to serve Him 24/7 !!!

Our Prayer Heavenly Father
I pray that your Holy Spirit / Ruach HaQuodesh take complete charge of every aspect of my life so that I may be the means of leading others to You …..
Thank You Adonai Amein