Disciples of Christ
...a nd came and preached peace to you
which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Jesus Christ
Now therefore ye are no more
And are built upon the foundation of
the
Jesus Christ himself being
the chief stone ;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto
an holy temple in the Lord:
In whom ye also are builded together
for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 2
Prophet Isaiah
And he some, ; and some, ;
and some,
and some,
For the
for the work of the ministry,
for the
Till we all come in the
and of the
unto a
unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ:
Ephesians 4
And God hath set some in the church,
first
secondarily
thirdly
after that miracles,
then gifts of healings,
helps,
1 Corninthians 12
Adam and Eve
Beginning with Adam,
the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached,
and the essential ordinances of salvation,
such as baptism,
were administered through a family-based priesthood order. 2
As societies grew more complex than simply extended families,
God also called other prophets,
messengers,
and teachers.
In Moses’s time,
we read of a more formal structure,
including elders, priests, and judges.
Then, in the meridian of time,
Jesus organized His work in such a way
that the gospel could be established
simultaneously in multiple nations
and among diverse peoples.
Prophet Moses
“And [Christ] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
“… For the work of the ministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ:
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ.”8
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
is “the author and the finisher of [our] faith.”9
Uniting ourselves to the body of Christ
—the Church—
is an important part of taking His name upon us.10
We are told that the ancient Church
“did meet together oft,
to fast and to pray,
and to speak one with another concerning
the welfare of their souls”11
“and to hear the word of the Lord.”12
So it is in the Church today.
Joined in faith,
we teach and edify one another
and strive to approach
the full measure of discipleship,
“the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
We strive to help one another come to
“the knowledge of the Son of God,” 13
until that day when
“they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, …
saying, Know the Lord:
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them unto the greatest of them,
saith the Lord.” 14
Jesus Christ
“Call upon the Lord,
that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth,
that the inhabitants thereof may receive it,
and be prepared for the days to come,
in the which the Son of Man
shall come down in heaven,
clothed in the brightness of his glory,
to meet the kingdom of God
which is set up on the earth.
“Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth,
that the kingdom of heaven may come,
that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth,
that thine enemies may be subdued;
for thine is
the honor, power and glory, forever and ever.”36
The Prophets: John Singer Sargent
The work of a Hebrew prophet
was to act as
God’s messenger and
make known God’s will.
The message was usually prefaced with the words
“Thus saith Jehovah.”
Triptych: North Wall: The Prophets by John Singer Sargent
He taught men about God’s character, showing the full meaning of His dealings with Israel in the past.
It was therefore part of the prophetic office to preserve and edit the records of the nation’s history;
and such historical books as
Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings
were known by the Jews as the former Prophets.
It was also the prophet ’s duty to denounce sin and foretell its punishment and to redress,
so far as he could, both public and private wrongs.
The Prophets: John Singer Sargent
He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness.
When the people had fallen
the prophets had to try to restore that faith
and remove false views about the character of God
and the nature of the divine requirement.
The Prophets: John Singer Sargent
In certain cases prophets predicted future events,
such as the very important prophecies announcing the coming of Messiah’s kingdom;
but as a rule a prophet was a
forthteller rather than a foreteller.
In a general sense
a prophet is anyone who has a testimony
of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost, as in
Num. 11:25–29 ; Rev. 19:10 .
Christ and 12 Apostles What is an Apostle
The word means “one sent forth. ” It was the title Jesus gave to the Twelve... whom He chose and ordained (John 15:16 )
to be His closest disciples during
His ministry on earth and
whom He sent forth
to represent Him after His Ascension into heaven.
The calling of an Apostle is to be
a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ
in all the world,
particularly of His divinity
and of His bodily resurrection from the dead
(Acts 1:22 ; D&C 107:23 ).
Christ with the 12 Apostles
Twelve men with this
high calling constitute an
administrative council in the work of the ministry.
When a vacancy occurred with the death of Judas Iscariot,
Matthias was divinely appointed to that special office
as a member of the council (Acts 1:15–26 ).
Today twelve men with this same divine calling and ordination constitute the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jesus Christ Washing the Feet of His Apostles
The title was also applied to others who,
though not of the number of the original Twelve,
yet were called to serve as special witnesses of the Lord.
Paul repeatedly spoke of himself as an Apostle
(Rom. 1:1 ; 1 Cor. 1:1 ; 9:1 ; Gal. 1:1 ).
He applied the title to James,
the Lord’s brother (Gal. 1:19 ),
and also to Barnabas
(1 Cor. 9:5–6 ; see also Acts 14:14 ).
The New Testament does not inform us
whether these three brethren also served in
the Council of the Twelve
as vacancies occurred therein,
or whether they were Apostles
strictly in the sense of being
special witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is referred to as an Apostle in Heb. 3:1–2 ,
a designation meaning that
He is the personal
and select
representative of the Father.
Sermon on the Mount, Disciples of Christ What is a Disciple A pupil or learner;
a name used to denote
(1) the Twelve, also called Apostles,
(2) ALL followers of Jesus Christ.
Mary Magdalene, a Disciple of Christ
Woman at the Well, a Disciple of Christ
Woman Healed of a Blood Issue, a Disciple of Christ
One of the greatest blessings of life and eternity is to be
counted as one of the devoted disciples
of the Lord Jesus Christ .
-Apostle, President James E. Faust
VIDEO
This is the Christ...
They heard His voice, a voice so mild
It pierced them through and made their souls to quake
They saw Him come, a man in white
The Savior who had suffered for their sake
They felt the wounds in hands and side
And each could testify; This is the Christ
This is the Christ, the holy Son of God
Our Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind
This is the Christ, the healer of our souls
Who ransomed us with love divine
I read His words, the words He prayed
While bearing sorrow in Gethsemane
I feel His love, the price He paid
How many drops of blood were spilled for me?
With saints of old in joyful cry
I too can testify; This is the Christ
This is the Christ, the holy Son of God
Our Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind
This is the Christ, the healer of our souls
Who ransomed us with purest love divine!
Who ransomed us with purest love divine
Songwriters:
Darwin Wolford / APOSTLE James E. Faust / Michael F. Moody
Excerpts taken from the talk:
Why the Church
By Apostle: Elder Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
"It is worth pausing to consider why Jesus Christ chooses to use a church, His Church, to carry out His and His Father’s work."
