The word Disciple belongs to the same root as discipline and it means ‘a learner’. It appears only once in the Old Testament (Isaiah 8.16). In the ancient world both Greek philosophers and Jewish rabbis gathered round them groups of apprentices or learners. Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus all had disciples. The word occurs many times throughout the four gospels where it applies both to the twelve chosen by Jesus to be trained in apostleship and to the wider circle of his followers. In the Acts of the Apostles it comes to mean those who believe in Jesus as the Christ. Apostle on the other hand is ‘one who is sent out’. It is sometimes pointed out that the first part of each of the four gospels is about ‘come and see’ and the latter part is about ‘go and tell’. This marks the difference between disciples and apostles, but an apostle never ceases to be a disciple and God still has an urgent need for both!