Sunday, June 30, 2013

Additional Study Material - The Second Year of Jesus’ Public Ministry

The second year opened as Jesus came down from Galilee to attend the feast of the Passover at Jerusalem. While there he healed a man on the Sabbath day. So reactionary were the Jewish leaders to a healing on the Sabbath that they sought to kill Jesus. The plot against Jesus caused him to withdraw again to Galilee, where he called and ordained twelve men, whom he designated as apostles.

Some of the places and events and some of the highlights of the second phase of the Galilean ministry mentioned by the Gospel writers can be found here.

One of the remarkable spiritual experiences to which the disciples were privileged is described by the Master, himself: "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you,—that whatsoever ye should ask the Father in my name He may give it you." (John 15:16) Try to imagine if you can, being "called" by the Master and "ordained" under His hands. That these ordinations resulted in an endowment of power from on high as well as giving authority to act officially as the Lord’s representatives, is well attested by the miraculous events that followed, which made of them, "men different" because of that divine commission.

What is the distinction between a disciple and an apostle? Get some more of the answer - click here.

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