ONE NIGHT Jesus did not go into a house to rest, He wanted to be alone with God; He stayed out of doors on a mountain where it was quiet, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
When it was day He called His disciples to Him, and out of them He chose twelve to be apostles. The first of the twelve was Simon Peter; Andrew, his brother, was chosen too, and so were James and John.
A disciple is one who learns and follows, but an apostle is one who is sent forth. Jesus Himself was the great Apostle, because He was sent forth by God His Father.
After they had been with Jesus for some time, hearing His words and seeing the things He did, He called them together "and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases, and He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." Now they were really apostles, for Jesus had sent them forth.
When they came back they told Jesus all that they had done, how they had preached to the people in the villages and told them they must be sorry for their sins and leave off doing wrong things; they must repent, because the kingdom of God was at hand. They had cast out many devils, and they had anointed many sick folk with oil and healed them; and they told Jesus all about it.
Peter and Andrew and the other apostles thought that Jesus was going to reign as King in Jerusalem. Then, little by little, they heard from Hig own lips that instead of going to a throne, He was going to a cross; instead of speaking of reigning in Jerusalem, He spoke of suffering and dying there.
Little as they knew it at the time, Peter and Andrew, and James and John and the others, were chosen to be apostles of the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain, the Lamb who is King of kings and Lord of lords.