Welcome to a journey through the teachings and letters of the apostles! This blog post will explore the writings of these early Christian leaders, providing an overview of their messages and how they can help us today. We’ll look at what these texts tell us about Jesus, God’s plan for humanity, and more. So let’s get started!
The Life and Ministry of Jesus
The Life and Ministry of Jesus is a pivotal part of the teachings and letters of the apostles. The apostles faithfully taught from the Scripture about Jesus Christ being the Son of God, His death and resurrection, and the Gospel. The Acts of the Apostles was written to provide an accurate record of the early church’s history and includes accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. Paul, in his letters, emphasized the importance of understanding the doctrine of God and staying true to the teachings of the apostles. He wrote many epistles that are now recognized as Scripture, which provide insight into the eternal economy of God and the unique and healthy teachings of Jesus Christ. Additionally, these epistles demonstrate the value of living a life of holiness and obedience to God’s will and our responsibility to care for each other in love and unity.

The Great Commission
The Great Commission is the command given by Jesus Christ to His apostles to spread the Gospel. This was Jesus’ final mandate before He ascended into heaven, as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20. In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He also commanded them to teach the newly baptized disciples to observe all that He has commanded them. This Great Commission is an important part of the mission of the Church, and it is one that we should take seriously. As followers of Jesus, we should strive to spread the Good News of salvation by grace through faith, and to make disciples of all nations. We are to encourage unity in the Church and to live in love with each other, using the gifts and fruit of the Spirit in our everyday lives. We are to live a life of holiness and obedience to God’s will, and to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us, including our social responsibility. We are to look forward to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and to be ready for it.

The Nature of the Church
The church is an important part of God’s eternal plan for humanity. Jesus Himself said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The apostles wrote extensively about the nature of the church, emphasizing its unity, holiness, and obedience to God’s will. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). He also wrote to the Ephesians, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). The apostles recognized the importance of living in unity with one another and the importance of living a life of holiness and obedience to God’s will. They encouraged believers to be stewards of their resources, to be socially responsible, and to live in love with one another. The teachings of the apostles still provide the foundation for the church today and serve as a reminder of its unity and purpose.
Salvation By Grace Through Faith
The doctrine of salvation by grace through faith is one of the most fundamental teachings of the apostles. Jesus Himself declared it when He said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). The apostles echoed these words in their teachings and letters, emphasizing that salvation is only possible through God’s grace and our faith in Him. The apostle Paul wrote extensively about this in his epistles to the churches, and he also described how God’s grace works in our lives, enabling us to live in holiness and obedience to His will. He made it clear that salvation can only be found in Jesus, and it is only through our faith in Him that we can receive salvation.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the supernatural abilities that God gives to believers to minister to others and build up the church. The gifts are enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, and they include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. These gifts are given to believers to equip them to serve the Lord and His people, as we can see from the example of the early church in Acts 2. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and used the gifts of the Spirit to spread the Gospel and build up the church. We can learn from the example of the apostles to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the building up of the church and the proclamation of the Good News.

Unity in the Church and Living in Love with Each Other
The teachings of the apostles were focused on the importance of unity in the church and living in love with each other. Paul wrote about this in his letters to the churches, urging them to be devoted to one another, show hospitality to strangers, and be patient with each other (Romans 12:10). He also taught that each member of the body of Christ should be willing to humble themselves and serve one another (Philippians 2:3). This emphasis on unity in the church and living in love with each other was a central part of the message of the apostles, and it’s a message that remains as relevant today as it was in the early church. As we strive to be unified in our faith in Jesus Christ, we must also strive to show love and compassion to our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
The Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit in Our Everyday Lives
The Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit are essential for living out the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. As Christians, we are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit, who gives us the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2). These gifts enable us to live out a life of holiness, obedience, and love. The Fruit of the Spirit, on the other hand, includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These fruit are manifestations of the Spirit living within us and enable us to show kindness, compassion, and mercy towards others. As we strive to live out the teachings and letters of the apostles, being filled with the gifts and fruit of the Spirit is essential for us to be able to do so.
Living a Life of Holiness and Obedience to God’s Will
The teachings of the apostles are essential in understanding how to live a life of holiness and obedience to God’s will. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). The apostles’ teachings about holiness and obedience to God are rooted in the life and ministry of Jesus and the great commission to make disciples of all nations. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have been given the gift of grace, which enables us to live a life of holiness and obedience to God, despite our sins and shortcomings. The Holy Spirit is also essential in helping us to live this type of life, as the Spirit helps us to bear witness to the truth of the gospel and provides us with the fruits of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Additionally, the apostles remind us that we are called to be stewards of all that God has given us and to live in social responsibility, considering the needs of others and being generous with our time, talents, and resources. As we strive to live a life of holiness and obedience to God, we can find hope and strength in the second coming of Jesus Christ, knowing that He will bring us into perfect unity and communion with Him.
Stewardship and Social Responsibility
As disciples of Jesus Christ, the apostles were called to be stewards of the gospel message and of the church. They were to be responsible for sharing the good news, for teaching the truth of Jesus Christ, and for helping to build up the church as a holy and unified body of believers. They encouraged believers to be charitable and to love their neighbors, and they taught that our resources should be used to show mercy and kindness to those in need. The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9). As followers of Jesus Christ, it is our responsibility to use our resources in such a way that others can benefit from them. We should not just think about ourselves, but also about how we can be a blessing to others.

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
As Christians, we believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life. We look forward to the day when Jesus will return to Earth and make all things new. The apostles taught that Jesus will come again in power and glory, and this is why they wrote so much about His second coming in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 that “the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
The promise that Jesus will come again is a source of comfort and hope for us as believers. We can remain confident that, despite all the challenges and difficulties that we face in this life, the ultimate victory belongs to Jesus and His Kingdom will reign forever. As Christians, we should keep looking for the day when Jesus will come back and live each day in anticipation of that glorious moment.