"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." - Matthew 16:24. If one wishes to be the follower of Christ, one has to totally surrender his life in the hands of Christ and live a life that exemplifies Christ. In the early days, cross was the symbol of human death, suffering, and shame and it meant that the followers of Christ would have to risk facing death for the practice of their beliefs. Of course in today's terms, the cross here does not literally mean carrying the burden of one's troubles but it rather means surrendering the cares of the world in the hands of the Savior. The apostles and disciples led a life of piety and humble commitment to the teachings of Jesus. To get a deeper understanding of their obligations let us identify the works of the apostles vs. disciples in the section below. Apostle ◆ Being an apostle is like being a man on a special mission. Jesus himself is described as the highest apostle, the one sent by God to fulfill his plan of eternity on earth. Apostleship comes with authority and the one who sends claims the authority. The mission of God sending his only begotten son to earth for the salvation of mankind is obtained at the foot of the cross, when Jesus proclaims that he has successfully completed his goal. ◆ Many were the followers of Jesus during his three years of preaching but he specifically chose twelve men and gave them the authority to preach the Good News after his Resurrection. They were the ones who had witnessed the life of Christ and had a personal first-hand account written about his teachings through their various Gospels. Out of the twelve, Judas Iscariot had betrayed Jesus and was forfeited from the privilege of being an apostle. Paul was the only apostle who had not witnessed Jesus during his lifetime but was called to spread the Good News. He was a Christian persecutor and murderer before he was blinded by the power of God on his way to Damascus. He had then miraculously cured after which he accepted Christianity, he is mainly considered as an apostle who preached to the Gentiles. There are no other apostles apart from these thirteen men who were anointed to carry out the word of God. ◆ The apostles were sent out with the anointing of the Holy Spirit after the Pentecostal event and they were authorized to perform signs and wonders, cast out demons, heal the sick, and forgive the sins of people. They were to live humble lives and leave behind their families and homes to proclaim the Good News far and wide, sacrifice worldly pleasures and attain to seek the Kingdom of God. ◆ Living the life of an apostle was not easy in the early days of Christianity. Many of the apostles were martyred for their faith. Bible points out that who wishes to be the living Gospel will have to face persecution and may be even death. Apostle Matthew endured martyrdom in Ethiopia where he was killed by a sword wound. John was condemned to the prison island of Patmos. His prophetic book of Revelation was authored while at Patmos. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Greece, apostle Paul was tortured and beheaded by Emperor Nero in Rome in A.D. 67, and finally Peter was crucified upside down on a cross. ◆ In today's world, the missionaries carry out the works of apostleship through charity works, establishment of churches, preaching the Gospel worldwide, and by serving the poor and the needy. Disciple ◆ Disciples were learners who followed Jesus while he used to preach. There was always a huge multitude of admirers who followed him everywhere. Some sort peace, some healing, some came to experience the miracles, but mostly they came to listen to the parables and stories about the Kingdom of God. ◆ Living the life of Christ is a life-long process and it doesn't end just by taking baptism and proclaiming oneself as Christian. It's a constant walk in faith. They are the good neighbors or the good Samaritans who by their faith help others in need through love, service, and charity. As the Bible says seeking the Kingdom of God is the primary goal of a disciple which means placing God first in their lives. Everyone receives a calling to live a pious life with Jesus in his eternal ministry. Even though we labor in this world, the promise of eternal life can be fulfilled by the word of God and by loving one another.