Calling of the Twelve

Do you remember that day?
The day you first chose Him?
Held in the hands of priesthood authority.
Immersed
Pulled up out of sacred water to a new life. Bearing a new name.
His name
Covenants made. A promise to stand as a witness at all times and in all things and in all places.
To follow. To remember. To be His disciple.

Anyone can be a disciple.
A Christian.
All of us can follow Him. He hopes that we will.
Many lights have been left to illuminate our path, leading us to Him. Small bright witnesses testifying that he is the Christ. Smaller lights pointing the way to a greater light. Out of darkness to His light.
What are these witnesses? Speaking to the Jews, Christ also teaches us........

Therefore if I bear witness of myself, yet my witness is true  - Jesus Christ

Holy Ghost - For I am not alone, there is another who beareth witness of me, and I know that the testimony which he giveth of me is true

Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness also unto the truth. And he received not his testimony of man, but of God, and ye yourselves say that he is a prophet, therefore ye ought to receive his testimony - John the Baptist

for the Works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me    
  
 And the Father himself, who sent me, hath borne witness of me  

 Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me

For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me
(John 5:31-47with JST)

In preparation for the time when he would depart from the earth, Jesus chose from among his disciples righteous men who were valiant in their testimony of him. These men were called by revelation from the Father to be living witnesses of Jesus Christ and leaders of His church. They would add their testimonies to those witnesses that had already been given......

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples; and of them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)

"These were to be special witnesses of the sanctity of His life, and of His Divine mission, and to be responsible for transmitting to the latest posterity, a genuine account of His doctrines, and principles, and ordinances essential to the salvation of the human soul...." (Harold B. Lee in CR, Apr. 1955)

Then Jesus said to them, "Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you..... that whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16)


  

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof   

Article of Faith 5

Our modern apostles are called by the same pattern established by Christ himself. Different from the process by which worldly leaders are chosen. There is no compaign. No competition. No application. No resume to submit. Instead, there is something much more powerful:

 A gathering of apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ

  prophets, seers, and revelators

 



 A solitary place

 The Mountain of the Lord, a holy sanctuary - the temple

 

Prayer



  

Revelation

 

A calling extended

A new witness, a lifetime of service to the Lord

 



Ordination

Laying on of hands by those holding priesthood authority

 

I love these men.  I cannot count the times I have listened to them teach and give counsel that was meant just for me. Messages I needed to hear. Counsel that I had prayed for. I cannot fathom the responsibility that lies on their shoulders. 

  

Harold B. Lee, who later went on to become the 11th president of the church,  shares his experience when he received the call to be an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ:
"Since nine o 'clock last night I have lived an entire lifetime in retrospect and in prospect. I spent a sleepless night. I never closed my eyes one moment, and neither would you if you had been in my place. Throughout the night, as I thought of this most appalling and soul-stirring assignment, there kept coming to me the words of the Apostle Paul...... Therefore I shall take the word of the Apostle Paul. I shall come boldly unto the throne of grace, and ask for mercy and His grace to help me in my time of need. With that help I cannot fail. Without it I cannot succeed. Since my childhood I have looked upon these men as the greatest men on the face of the earth, and now the contemplation of an ultimate association with them, is overwhelming and beyond my comprehension."

Posted by Sister Montgomery