Apostles of the 21st century

A young man and his wife came to know the Lord in one district in India. They became ardent disciples of the Lord. Increasingly they got a burden to reach their people who were not having the light of the gospel. They prayed and asked the Lord for guidance. His people lived in a cluster of few villages. In these villages, a weekly market is held on different days. This market moves in a circuit to cover all villages. His business was to sell chappals in that market. They committed their business to the Lord and made a covenant with the Lord. He will have the shop in the mobile market four days a week, and three days, he will do ministry. Amazingly God blessed his ministry, there are 350 new disciples of the Lord through them. Their life is a model and challenge for many Christians today.

Make disciples The primary task of a disciple is to make disciples. The Great Commission is for all people of God. (Matthew 28:18-20) It is not an option or a choice, but a mandate and commission. The young couple when they came to the marvellous light, committed themselves to making disciples.

Priority of the Kingdom They were not a middle-class family. Being poor also, it is possible to be generous. This couple demonstrated that they can have the right priority, live within their means, be content, and lead a purposeful life. The first priority in life, they sought the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33) When disciples are not content, they keep raising their economic status, without finding meaning and purpose for their lives.

Scattered disciples The Lord gave mandate to be witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) However, the disciples did not take the initiative to go to Samaria and the ends of the earth. God allowed the persecution to happen, and the disciples were scattered. (Acts 8:1) The scattered disciples became evangelists and church planters like Philip.