Week 2: The Calling of the 12 Apostles

This week, I learned about the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ.  The 12 He called were Peter (Simon Peter), Andrew, James and John (sons of Zebedee), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon, Thaddeaus (Lebbaeus), and Judas Iscariot.  I'll tell you about three of these apostles.

Thomas we don't hear much about, but we know when Jesus appeared unto the other apostles after He resurrected and they told Thomas, but he said he wouldn't believe it unless he saw the Lord with his own eyes and touch His hands and side.  Well, the Lord appeared unto all of them the next time and Thomas finally believed but was sort of scolded by Jesus about that.

Judas Iscariot was the apostle who betrayed the Savior for money.  To signal who the Savior was, he gave a kiss on His forehead.  After he woke up to what he had done, he went to give the money back and then hung himself out of guilt.

John is my absolute favorite apostle, because of the huge part he plays.  Before John became a disciple and apostle of Christ, it’s assumed that he was learning with Andrew under John the Baptist.  He was a fisherman with his father Zebedee and brother James until the brothers both left to follow the Savior.  John is my favorite because of his importance in this world.  Jesus referred to John as His Beloved.  It shows the love Jesus has for his apostle.  Also, John was with the Savior at the Transfiguration.  When Jesus asked Peter, James and John the things they wished for, John said he wanted to tarry to proclaim the word to the world until the Savior comes again.  You could tell how pleased the Lord was of that decision and made it so that John could not die.  What is most amazing to me is that John is still on this earth somewhere to this day doing the work of the Lord.  He wrote the book of Revelation.  He is a mystery, which is why I’m drawn to him.  Sorry, that was a little long!

Anyways, let me explain what an apostle is.  To be an Apostle means to represent the Lord, to be a special witness of Christ, and travelling around the world to do the Lord’s work.

When Jesus had called His 12 Apostles, He told them to gather the lost sheep of Israel, go around and heal the sick, cast out devils, and do service and good works.  He tells them to travel with basically nothing on them (money and extra clothes) and to reside with the righteous in the places they visit. in other words, He tells them to be humble.  He warns them that it will not be easy, and there will be arrests that take place, but to not worry, because they will have the Holy Ghost with them to help them say the right things in tricky situations.  When they are persecuted, they must go on to the next city. 

I look back to when the Savior first approached Peter, James and John and the fishing boats.

After they had witnessed a miracle from the Lord and He bid them to follow Him, they dropped their precious work and life (James and John also left their father) to follow Him.  They sacrificed their jobs and comfortable life-style.  This teaches me that I must give up something precious to me in order to follow my Savior’s teachings and Gospel at some point.  We will all go through this, especially when joining the church or re-activating.  If I am willing to drop all those precious things that are distracting me from the teachings of the Savior, I know will be blessed in return.  I have seen many examples in and out of the scriptures.

Week 1: The Samaritan Woman

When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, she was basically shocked.  The reason being is because the Jews had a problem with the Samaritans, and at the point of the Lord’s ministry it had boiled to hate, where Jews would purposefully take a longer and indirect path outside the country than travel through Samaria.  The Jews snubbed the Samaritans and so the woman at the well was, needless to say, dumbfounded that a Jew was speaking to her.  As she spoke more with the Savior, her tone towards Him becomes more respectful and curious.  She starts using the word “Sir”, then tells Him she calls Him a prophet, and then believes when He tells her that He is the Messiah.   As she spoke with Him and heard His words, she seemed to realize that something was different and special about Him.  For example, when He spoke of the water of which He has to offer will never let her thirst again she asked where she asks Him questions on how to obtain it.  What He meant by living water was everlasting life by living His gospel and to not accept it would be committing an evil.  When the Lord told the Samaritan woman that He was the Christ, she ran to her town to tell everyone to come see Him, which they did.  They also believed and asked the Lord to tarry with them, which He did for two days.  The Samaritan community that the woman was from believed on the Lord, and because of that they were blessed.

Throughout the years, as I have come to know my Savior better, my testimony has grown is the knowledge of His love for each and every one of us.  Not just a certain person or people, like the Jews, but ALL of us.  I know the He is no respecter of persons, and that He will gladly accept anyone who comes unto Him.  As I have witnessed many people struggling and then learning or re-learning about the Lord’s gospel and seeing them repent and become happier than ever, it only adds to my testimony.  Because I know the Savior, I have a responsibility to share the news that He lives and that is one partakes of His Living Water, they will have eternal life.  That is my duty.

Intro Week: Others Who Learned About the Birth of Jesus Christ

I was studying the different ways of how certain people learned about the birth of Christ.  My reading included Luke chapters 1 and 2, Matthew chapter 2 and 3 Nephi chapter 1.
The people that I read about were Elisabeth, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, the Wise Men, Herod, his Chief Priests, and the Nephites.  As I read all the accounts, I realized that they received their knowledge about Christ in similar ways that we still do today.  I'm not talking about the star, but that some of us have read about it in the scriptures like Herod's Chief Priests did.  Some found out through others, as Herod learned from his priests.  Others may have had it revealed unto them either by revelation or by the Holy Ghost testifying of it unto us.
When I come to think of it, I learned through more than one of those ways.  I gained knowledge from the scriptures and prophets.  I also knew it was true because I felt Holy Spirit telling me that it did happen.  What I know about the Savior from the scriptures and everything else is that He did come to this Earth, preached unto the Jews, was rejected by is own people, and that He suffered for our sins.  I know that He has given us the not only the chance, but the choice to repent and become clean again.  We have a second chance.  I know that He is the Messiah, our Redeemer, and our Savior and our brother.  I also know that He has an endless amount of love for us.  I will share my knowledge with others as well as add to what I know so far.  I will never know everything about our Lord and His gospel, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to learn as much as I can in this life.