Might be nit picking your phrasing, but it also worth pointing out that Paul was not one of the original 12 Disciples of Jesus, nor even one of the original 12 Apostles, but rather an "apostle of the Gentiles" as he himself phrased it. He only encountered Jesus after the crucifixion on the road to Damascus.
While I feel confident you know these details, the terms Disciple and Apostle are often conflated (even within the Gospel of John) so this might be helpful for others.
I think you addressed this to me in error.;-)
:) Yes. I do believe that as a disciple, Paul was commanded to be an apostle.
I do think that all of us, who obey the Lord and seek His ways, are disciples. The Lord chooses Apostles, for a specific purpose.
Paul was a Jew, a Pharisee, who was converted to a new point of view, to seek the ways of Jesus, which made him a disciple. He was not one of the original disciples who walked with Jesus before his death, because his conversion happened after Jesus rose from death.
He was commanded, by God, to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
I hope that clears it up for everyone, what I meant. :)