Being an apostle is a big deal. In our creeds we confess that we are an “apostolic” church. We read in the Book of Revelation: “The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.” The apostles are the literal foundation stones of the Church. So being an apostle is absolutely essential to the message of Jesus. Jesus relied completely on them to bring good news into the world. And yet, even though they were absolutely essential they are unimportant as individuals. We aren’t even sure of who they were. Is the Nathaniel in John’s gospel the same as Bartholomew in the Synoptics? So with us, we are essential in our apostolic role to bring good news into our homes, schools, workplaces, communities. But we shouldn’t get inflated about our importance — it is God who gives the growth.
