Reviving Focus on Jesus' Words

Our mission is to proclaim our Lord Jesus' lesson that He was the "sole teacher." (Matthew 23:8-11). He sternly told the apostles they were not to call themselves or anyone else a "teacher"! In John, Jesus explained why when He insisted that the "apostolos is not more important than the one who sent him." (John 13:16.) The Greek word apostolos means either the title of Apostle or messenger or one that is sent. Here Jesus meant He was more important than any Apostle or messenger.

Even John the Baptist realized that despite knowing he himself was the greatest prophet who ever lived prior to Jesus (Matthew 11:11), yet he "must decrease" so that unfettered acceptance of Jesus' message would "increase." (John 3:30-31.)

Once Jesus began preaching the kingdom, then it would rob him of the authority God gave Jesus to treat anyone else's words -- particularly from mere correspondence whose author does not claim to quote Jesus -- as an authority on the same level as Jesus: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18.) For more on this principle, see our article "The Jesus' Words Only Principle Explained from Numbers 12 & Deut. 18."