Jesus Christs Disciples, Apostles and Prophets

Disciples of Christ

 ...and 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 strangers and foreigners, 

but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

And are built upon the foundation of 

the apostles and prophets, 

Jesus Christ himself being 

the chief corner 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 gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; 

and some, evangelists; 

and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, 

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:

Ephesians 4

And God hath set some in the church, 

first apostles, 

secondarily prophets, 

thirdly teachers, 

after that miracles, 

then gifts of healings, 

helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

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

What is a Prophet

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 away from a true faith in Jehovah, 

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 

(Luke 6:13) 

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

 

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."