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Written by Beliza Patrícia, Brazil Coordinator for Iron Rose Sister Ministries
When we think of the 12 apostles and the time in which they walked with Jesus on this earth, it is easy to imagine them as Jesus’ helpers. But when a master finishes a job, the helper doesn’t have any more tasks. In reality, the apostles were more like interns. In other words, throughout the time that Jesus was with the apostles, He was preparing them so that when the moment came that He would no longer be with them, they would be prepared to take on the role of presenting the gospel to the world.
Jesus came to the earth to accomplish a mission, and for the three years of His ministry He prepared the apostles for the mission they would have after His departure. The Teacher chose humble men to proclaim His Kingdom and taught them about eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and the love of the Father. Day after day the apostles walked by His side: talking with Him, asking questions, listening to parables, seeing the manifestation of His power healing the sick, expelling demons, performing miracles, and witnessing His disapproval of the behavior of the teachers of the law. By association and personal contact, Christ prepared the apostles for His service.
In recounting the events of Jesus’ last days on earth, John wrote in his gospel:
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (John 13:1 NIV)
Throughout His time on earth, Jesus showed the apostles that He loved them. And it was with love that He prepared and equipped those who became the leaders of His church. With love he sent them to preach the gospel to all of creation.
Knowing that His ministry on earth was coming to an end and that He would no longer be with those who walked with Him on His journey, Jesus made recommendations and promises to the apostles (John 14, 15, and 16). Like a good teacher, He encouraged them and prepared them for the future. He alerted them about the persecution they would suffer for obeying the Savior.
One of the promises that Jesus made was to send them the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who would comfort them and testify of Jesus. The Holy Spirit would empower them to succeed along the way. The gospel was not proclaimed by human strength or wisdom, but by the power of God.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:16,17)
After Jesus’ death, the apostles were to be Christ’s witnesses and to proclaim to the world what they had seen and heard from Him. They were to be God’s collaborators in the salvation of mankind. It was to fulfill this role that these men, so different from each other, were chosen and prepared. This may seem like a grandiose mission for such simple men, but those who heard them marveled… because they didn’t speak about themselves, but were presenting the way to the Savior. The apostles’ teaching declared that everything they did came from the power of Christ.
The apostles were prepared for the mission through their relationship with Jesus, the Son of God, and then continued their mission with the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, who taught them what was needed, and who reminded them of the teachings of Jesus. God was in relationship with the apostles all along.
God also wants to be in relationship with us. With love He wants to prepare us for our mission, and when we are baptized in the name of Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit that comforts, orients, and intercedes for us. “Come near to God and he will come near to you!” (James 4:8)
#IronRoseSister #teachthroughrelationships #learnthroughrelationships #intentionalteaching #HolySpirit #preparation #Jesuspreparedthedisciples #Godwaswiththedisciples #blog #guestwriter
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Written by Jocelynn Goff, mother of Iron Rose Sister Ministries’ Founder and Director Michelle J. Goff
What’s your learning style? I’ve been asked that question at several medical appointments. The nurse wanted to know how I would best receive the information and directions from the doctor.
There is purpose in knowing our own learning style for ourselves, in a classroom, our workplace, a doctor’s appointment, daily conversations, and more. There’s also purpose for understanding this in our relationships and interactions with others. When we interact with a child, family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker it is helpful if we can understand even a little bit of how they learn to have realistic expectations for their retaining the information we are sharing.
There are four basic types of learning styles: visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic.
If I’m a visual learner, then the doctor’s approach could be to show me a picture of the affected part of my body or write a list of directions out for me. To help myself process and retain learning I could use a picture, a graph, a daily organizer, a list, or see a finished product. In relationships, I could utilize those same tools. Obviously, it would be a natural process and not a “let me teach you this way” kind of format.
For an auditory learner, the doctor may give verbal instructions and quite possibly ask me to repeat them back to him. To help myself or in relationships, I could possibly ask if the information can be repeated back either verbatim or by rewording it using their or my own words. A song can also be a useful tool for imparting information. Family stories passed down through the generations are an additional significant, powerful learning tool.
If read/write is my best learning style, then the doctor may share a website for me to research or give me a printed copy of the diagnosis and instructions. Additionally, I can seek other reliable sources in books, websites, journals, or other recommended documents. For myself and in relationships, rewriting the information or just reading it for myself are useful tools.
For a kinesthetic learner, a hands-on approach is best, so the doctor may use a model of the affected body part for me to touch and possibly a simulation of movements that are helpful in the healing process. For myself and in relationships, effective hands-on types of activities include drawing, cooking, eating, taking a hike alone or with a friend, planting a garden, or creating an artistic design.
God, who created learning styles, used all of them in the celebration of the Passover meal. Before Easter, I was reading about Pesach Seder (Passover meal) in an article our Bible class teacher shared. This part of the reading jumped out at me,
“…the Pesach Seder is one of the most carefully constructed learning experiences ever created. In an amazing combination of aural and tactile learning tasks, the Seder has something for everybody—a drink, food, symbols, prayers, songs, stories, philosophy, text study, simulations, ritual actions—all designed with one overall goal” to take each person at the Seder back to Egypt, to re-enact the dramatic Exodus story, to make each one of us feel as she or he had actually been redeemed from Mitzrayim (Egypt).”This exposure in all of the learning styles ensures that the overall goal is accomplished for each individual to experience Passover and its significant meaning.
Similarly, Jesus, as the Master Teacher, employed all of the learning styles. For the visual learner, He let His listeners visualize the birds of the air and the lilies of the field in Matthew 6:25-33. For the auditory learner, He gave the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. For the read/write learner as He spoke to an expert in the Law, “What is written in the Law?” He replied, “How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26). For the kinesthetic learner, there are a plethora of examples, such as when He feeds the 5,000 (Mark 6:30). He even employs several styles at once when He draws with His finger on the ground (John 8:6). Jesus is truly the Master Teacher and gives us every opportunity to know Him and learn from His teachings in our own learning style.
The book, Called to Listen by Michelle J. Goff, employs the various learning styles through 40 days of listening: “to the Good Shepherd, the Creator, the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and through the five senses.” This may even expand your learning abilities in styles you’ve previously been unaware of that speak to you.
I encourage you to find your learning style and begin to recognize this in the relationships around you. I invite you to read Called to Listen to hear the message our Heavenly Father speaks “… through His Word, through nature, through Christian brothers and sisters, even through silence…” This book offers you prompts to use your five senses and explore your learning style.
So, are you primarily a visual, auditory, read/write, or kinesthetic learner? Share or demonstrate in the comments!
Footnote:
This Seder outline was adapted from The Art of Jewish Living: The Passover Seder by Dr. Ron Wolfson, published by the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs and the University of Judaism, 1988. Additions and edits by Daniel B. Stockstill, 1999.