A local house church of Henan shared the message of the disciples' identity and duty as masters of the kingdom of heaven in a Sunday service as shared in its official WeChat account.
"Jesus started the movement of the kingdom of heaven and established people who were citizens of God's kingdom."
"The duty of disciples, the masters of heaven, is to know Jesus and preach the good news of the kingdom, which is also the responsibility of all of us, as disciples of Jesus and masters of heaven."
In Mark 3: 13-19, it writes: "Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder"),Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him."
What was the purpose of Jesus' calling to his disciples? According to the online article, the purpose was to form a group of new people of God, the citizens of heaven. The twelve disciples were the first chosen people and they were ordinary people with problems.
Therefore, we can come to a conclusion that: People of all classes can become masters of heaven. It has nothing to do with one's education, social status or knowledge.
People who have any sort of jobs can be owners of heaven. Being pastors or preachers is just a profession among the other various jobs in society today. God does not show favoritism and loves everyone in each industry. Because of Jesus Christ, every believer is able to atone for himself and for the people around him, as well as bring God's blessings to his surrounding people.
People of any disposition can turn into hosts of heaven. Peter had a quick tongue. James and John were hot-tempered. Thomas was skeptical and Simon the Zealot was a member of a political assassination organization. In addition, Judas the betrayer was greedy with dishonesty. Becoming a master of heaven is irrelevant to your characters because Jesus has no preference for anyone with a certain personality.
The church puts forward that our characters created by God can't change; but, our life path and direction are altered with our transformed world views and values.
Then what's the duty of the masters of heaven?
First of all, we should "know Jesus" through Bible studies and experiencing him in our lives. Secondly, proclaim him. Spreading the good news of Jesus is our mission. The masters of heaven should not only engage in Bible reading, prayer or personal experiences; but, also preach the gospel.
"Many people regard faith as internalized and personal one, which is extremely dangerous. It means that they give up the mission Jesus gives to them." The article concludes.
Translated by Karen Luo
