The Apostle John

The Apostle John was one of the sons of Zebedee and younger brother to the Apostle James. John is known as the “disciple that Jesus loved.” Church history tells us that the Apostle John lived into the 90's A.D. and was the last surviving apostle. John is the only one of the twelve Apostles to have died a natural death. Although he did not die a martyr's death, he did live a martyr's life. He was exiled to the Island of Patmos under the Emperor Domitian for his proclamation of the risen Christ. It was there that he wrote the last book in the Bible, Revelation.

Calling of the first disciples:
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.

21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-22

It seems that John had a closer relationship with Jesus than any of the other disciples. Jesus and John were essentially “best friends.” Jesus entrusted John with the care of His mother, gave John the vision of the transfiguration and allowed John to witness His most amazing miracles.

During the crucifixion:
26When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
John 19:26-27

Other references to the disciple that Jesus loved:

The Last Supper:
23Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John 13:23

Jesus appears a third time after rising from the the Dead:
5Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

6And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
John 21:5-7

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Apostle Peter

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."

Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that
you know me."

Luke 22:31-34

All too often we associate St. Peter with denying Jesus Christ. But, he did so much for the glory of God that it cannot all be outlined here. Peter was not only "the rock" as Jesus called him; but, he was the leader of the Apostles for many years. Peter and the other apostles were charged with spreading the word and works of Jesus throughout the world. They also had the responsibility of writing the first writings of scripture, so that future generations would not be corrupted by false teachings

"In short, it was the apostles themselves who saw the need for a New Testament canon of scriptures and it was they who produced it."

About Simon Peter:

It is said that the apostle Peter was a slender person, of a middle size, inclining to tallness, and that his complexion was pale, almost white. It is also said that he had a short, thick, curled beard, thin eyebrows, or no eyebrows at all. Peter's eyes were black, but flecked with red due to frequent weeping.

Born at Betsaida in Galilee to a fisherman by the name of Jona, Peter would eventually follow his father into this profession. He, and his brother Andrew, became partners with Zebedee and his sons James and John in a fishing business. All four, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were to become disciples of Jesus; later to be appointed as apostles by Him. So firm was Peter's faith that Jesus gave him the name of Cephas, meaning, in the Syriac language, a rock. Peter is the Greek translation of Cephas.

The house in which Peter lived in, in Capernaum, is still standing; in the 5th century AD, however, a Christian church was constructed over it. It was Peter who preached to the masses in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost following the Lord's ascension to heaven, and it is his message which is recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, the book of Acts, chapter 2. In fact, much is written about the apostle Peter in the first 12 chapters of the book of Acts in the New Testament. Peter is, also, the one who prompted the disciples to choose a replacement to take over the apostolic ministry of Judas Iscariot (after his betrayal and death); and it was Peter who healed a man over 40 years of age who had been crippled from birth with but the words, "Silver and Gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

Peter was called by the apostle Paul a "pillar" of the church, and it was believed by the crowds that the mere casting of his shadow upon the sick was capable of bringing about miraculous healing. Peter is, also, the one who defended the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Christian movement at the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem. His ministry was primarily to the Jews, as Paul's was to the Gentiles.

After being imprisoned several times in Jerusalem because of his faith, Peter left with his wife and possibly others. It is believed that he ministered in Babylon to the Jewish colonists there, and it is also believed to be his location when he wrote his first epistle (1 Peter).Peter eventually went to Rome, and while there it is believed that Mark (the writer of the Gospel of Mark) served as his translator as he preached. It is, also, believed that as Peter told and retold his experiences with Jesus, Mark interpreted time and time again to Christian groups, and by so doing gave Mark an almost verbatim memory of Peter's recollections.

After Peter's death, Mark, realizing the value of Peter's first hand account, recorded what he remembered so clearly in what we know as the Gospel of Mark. In this manner, Peter became the source of our earliest Gospel.According to church tradition, the Roman Emperor Nero, publicly announcing himself the chief enemy of God, was led in his fury to slaughter the Apostles.

Because of the persecution, Peter was crucified upside down while in Rome. Concerning the last hours of his life, it is said that when Peter saw his own wife led out to die, he rejoiced because of her summons and her return home, and called to her very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, and saying, "O thou, remember the Lord." Of the final days of the apostle Peter in Rome, Jowett wrote that Peter was cast into a horrible prison called the Mamertine and for nine months, in absolute darkness, he endured monstrous torture manacled to a post. In spite of all the suffering Peter was subjected to, he converted his jailers and forty-seven others.

Although, just before the Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter denied three times that he even knew Christ. After the resurrection he did not do so again. Peter, just as Jesus told him in John 21:18-19, was crucified by Roman executioners because he could not deny his master again.

According to Eusebius, he thought himself unworthy to be crucified as his Master, and, therefore, he asked to be crucified "head downward." Peter met his death at the hand of the Romans in Nero's circus, 67AD.

Source: The Search For The Twelve Apostles, William McBirnie, PH.D

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

The Twelve Apostles

The CEO of a company is only as good as the people that work under him. Nearly every great goal requires the efforts of many people to accomplish it. Using a sports analogy…a coach can practice his team for hours, can teach them proper technique, fundamentals, and implant wisdom as to how to strategically play the game. However, a coach cannot be on the field with his team. He must trust that his preparation, enthusiasm, hours of training, and knowledge is strong enough to give them the advantage they need to persevere and win. This situation is not very different from what the twelve apostles went through when they were called to follow Jesus. They were twelve ordinary men whom God used in an extraordinary manner.

What does "Apostle" mean?

It’s the Greek word apostolos, meaning "a sent one", (by the LORD). Today we may call them Missionaries: those who are sent into other countries to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Apostles are part of the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11 (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers), and the word "missionary" is not found in the Bible.

The Twelve Apostles:

1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Matthew 10:1-4

After Jesus’ resurrection and before He ascended into Heaven, eleven of these men were commanded to “Go and Make disciples of all nations…”

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:18-20

Final Thoughts:

"It is believed that all but one of the Apostles suffered and died a martyr’s death (even if we can’t be sure of all the details). Amidst some uncertainty, one thing can be made certain…the reason for each of their deaths were the same in every account. They were killed because they proclaimed to have seen Christ die and then to have seen Him alive. They all died because of an unwavering, unrelenting claim that Christ rose from the grave. "
– Sam Shaw

In the next couple of postings, I’ll talk more about the life and death of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and how they were charged with changing the world after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.