Who were the Apostles, and what did they do?

[BluePrints]

Who were the Apostles, and what did they do?

A short, but helpful resource on this matter is given freely here - Word Pictures Of The Twelve Apostles, & Select Disciples Along With A Brief Apocryphal Martyrology by Aaron Earnest : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Who were the Apostles, and what did they do?​

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What does the word "disciple" mean?​

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What does the word "apostle" mean?​

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Was Jesus also an Apostle, and if so, of whom?​

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How did the Apostles become chosen?​

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Is there a succession of Apostleship in scripture?​

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Was Peter the rock upon which the church of Jesus Christ was built? - Matthew 16:18 - Upon This Rock - Is Peter The Rock, Petros And Petra; Kepha And Shu'a : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive​

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Who was Paul?​

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Who was Barnabas?​

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How did they become Apostles? From whom did they receive such an office / position?​

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Does God choose whomsoever He wills, and giveth to them of the gift / office, or do men decide?​

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Who was Mary, the mother of Jesus?​

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Is Mary, ever called in scripture, "the mother of God" (some label as 'theotokos', or is she rather the 'theoNOTokos')? and if not, why do some people call her that?​

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Did Mary remain an 'ever-virgin', or (speaking respectfully and cautiously) did she ever consummate the marriage to Joseph? - Did The Mary Of Scripture Remain An Ever Virgin (Perpetual Virgin) As Romanism Says - NO : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive​

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Was Mary ever 'assumed up' into Heaven as some claim, and where did these claims come from, from scripture, or from somewhere else? is Mary dead (buried) or alive (in Heaven) right now? - Is The Virgin Mary Dead Or Alive, Assumed In Heaven Or Buried In The Ground Awaiting Her Resurrection At The Second Coming Of Jesus : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive​

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Is Mary the NT, new Ark? Who teaches this and why, and is it correct or not? - Is The Biblical Mary The Ark Of The New Testament As Roman Catholicism Says : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive​

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What happened to Mary post-Calvary, post-Pentecost?​

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Who were the other Mary's?​

As always, please feel free to comment, ask questions, participate in discussion, engage in prayerful bible study together! Take the time to follow scriptural counsel and read the material before entering into conversation, Pro. 18:13,17, and come to listen to what is being presented, as in Job, before speaking. There is no need to rush into anything when discussing such weighty matters. Better to ask clarifying questions, and listen to one another, and then go to the Bible together.

I will be glad to discuss these things with any others who would like to do so.

 

[BluePrints]

Considering the Apostles that remained after the ascension of Jesus, what were some of the things that the believed / practiced? Let's consider Acts (briefly)

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they [believers] were all with one accord in one place.​

Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.​

Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.​

Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.​

The reader may witness that the believers were all waiting for the fulfillment of the real Pentecost (aka 'Feast of weeks'), as the OT foretold in type:​

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Lev 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:​

Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.​

Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.​

Lev 23:18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.​

Lev 23:19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.​

Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.​

Lev 23:21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.​

Lev 23:22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.​

Luke shows in Acts, as does Paul, in his own epistles, that the believers keep the feasts of the LORD after their reality, in Jesus Christ, whom is the substance (body) of those previously given typological shadows:​

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1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:​

1Co 5:8 Therefore let us [believers] keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.​

Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.​

The reader may see, that the believers did not begin in the Temple of Jerusalem (where the religious leaders of the nation were, and where the populace often met), but in a lowly house (Act. 2:2), since the religious leadership had rejected the truth, in Christ Jesus, by their incorrect judgment and so removing Him from the congregation (cutting Him off; Dan. 9:26), and then sent out of the city (Jerusalem) to die by Crucifixion. The believers were in the vast minority (Act. 1:15; as a "remnant") and counted as outcasts by the majority. This has never changed (Rev. 12 & Rev. 17).

Were the disciples allowed by the religious leadership to just freely, unhindered, to continue?

Act 4:17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.​

Act 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.​

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Act 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,​

Act 5:18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.​

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Act_5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.​

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Act 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.​

There are many in religious authoritative positions, which misuse their authority, and actually try to stifle / strangle the truth, when all the while they believe they are doing God service, and as it was in the past, so it is in the present (Ecc. 1:9, 3:15):

Joh_16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.​

Paul, was one such person, before he was converted by an encounter with the risen LORD Jesus Christ. Paul can be considered in more detail a bit later, as there is more to consider in Acts 1-2.