A Conversation With the Apostles in 65 A.D.

How would you as a Christian leader make sure that your flock understood the importance of the birth, life and death of Jesus? According to legend, the Apostles were sitting around a nice fire one night eating fish and discussing these issues. Well, said Peter the Mighty Mouth, I think it is impossible to teach all this to our people in The Way. Why, one year 3,000 or so came to faith in Christ and we cannot even find people to follow them up let alone teach them everything.
Soon an argument arose with much heat and little light. After some time of getting nowhere, John, who had previously been known with his brother as “The Sons of Thunder” spoke up. Well, fellows, I think we need to start by simply telling them over and over what we believe.

But that won’t work, shouted Peter. The Rabbi Himself said that if everything was written down it would fill more books than there are in the whole world.

Hold on Pete, and listen for a minute. I have a plan that I think can work. I agree that some of us are a bit too wordy to do this but Brother Luke is a doctor who knows how to sum up important things in a few words. Why not let him show us how to do it.

They all looked at Luke and finally he said, "I think that might work. At next week’s prayer meeting each of us can come with one sentence about what we think was most important about the Rabbi and God’s work. We can take turns to make sure everyone gets a chance to speak and cover all the main issues. I will write it all down so we can remember.

When they came together it started this way.

Peter, of course, was first. As a Jew I have to say that I believe in God the Father Almighty

John was next and he said, Maker of heaven and earth.

Thomas was quick to interject, And in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord

In this manner, every one of them was able to state his most important belief.

When they were all finished, the results became to be known as:

The Apostles' Creed