OUTLINE:

Glory Be To God
One of the key lessons in studying out the Apostles is NOT necessarily that God will ALWAYS use unexceptional men, but rather that He can/does use ANY kind of person, regardless of their natural abilities!

Glory Be To God
Synthesize God's will, Jesus' will, and how God raises His children up in righteousness. These things are meant to bring glory to God, Himself. May we never lose this perspective!

Glory Be To God
Satan lies to people, both unbelievers and believers. He tempts them into believing that there ought to be something about their natural selves that is worthy of praise. This is the antithesis of Rev 4:11.

A changed heart is a righteous heart. (ref. salvation)

Mt 13:19
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

God Saves and Is Glorified
God's righteousness is profoundly and indelibly impressed upon His creatures through salvation. Whether we are being saved (imputed R+), or we are evangelizing others (imparted R+), God is glorified. The power of righteousness is exemplified through salvation.

The Magnificent Gospel
For something so "simple" as the Gospel, there's just so much to say, too much, actually, in a single lifetime. Maybe this is why God has chosen to allow the great "theatron" called life to drag on as long as it has???

God's Sovereign Choices
The original 12 prove that God doesn't need intellectuals to spread the Gospel...and Paul proves that God can use an intellectual to spread the same Gospel.

Context Matters
Life has context. The apostles were no different. You are no different. Every believer is called uniquely. The apostles prove this - just look at the differences between the original twelve and Paul.

*** The 12 Apostles (Mt 10:2-4) table ***
*** The 12 Apostles (Mk 3:16-19) table ***
*** The 12 Apostles (Lk 6:13-16) table ***
*** The 12 Apostles (Acts 1:13) table ***

Understanding the Parables
Due to the nature of parables, being word pictures meant to reveal profound spiritual lessons, it is imperative that you first understand the context of the parable (speaker (Jesus), audience, cultural norms, time, place, and circumstance).

*** The Apostles - Group 1 diagram ***
*** The Apostles - Group 2 diagram ***
*** The Apostles - Group 3 diagram ***

Jesus Prayed Before Choosing the Apostles
Jesus was a human being. As a human being, He had to "increase in wisdom" (Lk 2:40, 52). He often prayed to His Father in Heaven before completing a next step in His ministry, like choosing the first twelve apostles (Lk 6:12-13).

Jesus' Example To the Apostles
Matthew wrote the Gospel after his name, which means that he wrote of Jesus' times of prayer. It is impossible that Matthew wasn't effected by Jesus' constant praying. Jesus was showing His apostles the import of prayer (ala Eph 6:18; Col 4:2-4; 1Th 5:16-18).