Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “the disciples”
Discipleship Training Movement
The discipleship training movement seeks to train laypeople as disciples of Jesus Christ so that they share in the ministry of the church. In Korea it spread from 1978 onward, when Ok Han-heum and SaRang Community Church introduced into the local church the discipleship training previously carried out by parachurch mission organizations.
James the Son of Alphaeus
One of the twelve disciples of Jesus, distinguished from James the son of Zebedee by the addition of his father's name. He is traditionally also called "James the Less," although it is uncertain whether the two are the same person.
Simon the Cananaean
Simon the Cananaean was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. In Luke and Acts he is called "Simon called Zelotes" (the Zealot), which distinguishes him from Peter, who bore the same name.
Matthew 28:19–20
In this passage the risen Jesus commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that he has commanded. Known as the "Great Commission," it serves as a foundational text for missions, baptism, and discipleship.
The Last Supper
The Last Supper was the final meal Jesus Christ shared with the twelve disciples on the night before his crucifixion. At this meal Jesus distributed the bread and the cup and spoke of the new covenant, and the church's celebration of the Lord's Supper (Communion) derives from it.
Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the event in which the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples gathered in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after Jesus' ascension, enabling them to speak in other languages. It is recorded in Acts 2.
The Vine and the Branches
A figurative saying in John 15 in which Jesus compares himself to a vine and his disciples to its branches, teaching that they bear fruit only by abiding in him.
Acts 1:8
The passage in which Jesus, just before his ascension, tells the disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes upon them they will receive power and be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The verse previews the narrative of the entire Book of Acts and serves as a leading watchword for missions. The nature of the experience of the Spirit implied by "receiving power" is debated.
Acts 1:7
The reply of the risen Jesus to his disciples just before his ascension, telling them that the time of restoring the kingdom lies within the Father's authority and is not for them to know. It is frequently cited in criticism of date-setting eschatology that attempts to calculate the date of the Second Coming.
John 13:34-35
The passage in which Jesus, at the Last Supper, gives his disciples the new commandment to "love one another." He says that their love for one another is the mark by which others will know they are his disciples. Discussion centers on what is "new" about the commandment and whether the scope of this love is limited to the church.
Matthew 6:9-13
This passage contains the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, which the church recites together as the Lord's Prayer. Discussion of the passage addresses how its form differs from the version in Luke, the absence of the closing doxology from the oldest manuscripts, and the translation of several of its words.
Philip
Philip is the name of two figures in the New Testament: Philip the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, and Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men appointed by the church in Jerusalem.
Matthew
Matthew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, a tax collector who was called to become a disciple. The Gospels of Mark and Luke call the same figure Levi, and he is traditionally regarded as the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
Bartholomew
Bartholomew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Western church tradition has identified him with Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John.
Great Commission
The Great Commission is the command in which the risen Jesus instructed his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. Its principal text is Matthew 28:18-20.
John 20:23
In this verse the risen Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to his disciples and says, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them." The Catholic Church cites it as the scriptural basis for the sacrament of penance. Protestants read it as a declaration of forgiveness through the proclamation of the gospel, so interpretations of the verse differ sharply.
Acts 2:1–4
This passage recounts how the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples gathered on the day of Pentecost with a sound like wind and with tongues as of fire, and how they began to speak in other languages. It is commemorated as the beginning of the church. What these tongues were, and whether the same experience continues today, are major points of disagreement among denominations.
Matthew 28:18–20
The closing verses of the Gospel of Matthew, in which the risen Jesus commands the eleven disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. Known as the "Great Commission," the passage is frequently cited as a basis for missions, for baptism, and for the Trinitarian baptismal formula.
John 20:22
In this verse the risen Jesus breathes on His disciples and says, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." The verse is frequently discussed in pneumatology and ecclesiology, both for its relationship to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2 and for the authority to forgive sins that follows it.
Parable of the Friend at Midnight
The Parable of the Friend at Midnight is a parable of Jesus found in Luke 11:5–8. It teaches about prayer through the story of a man who receives a guest at midnight and asks his neighbor for bread.