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To my friend who asked me how I understand the characteristics of the apostles as portrayed in the UB.

The characteristics of Apostle Andrew include ¹:

- *Spiritual Desire*: Andrew was sensitive to the things of God and wanted to have fellowship with God, as seen in John the Apostle's account of Andrew's relationship with John the Baptist and then with Jesus of Nazareth.

- *Teachability*: Andrew turned to follow Jesus at the bidding of his previous mentor, John the Baptist, showing that he was teachable and willing to learn.

- *Availability*: Andrew was not so stuck in his lifestyle that he was unwilling to change course or do something better, like following Jesus and doing what Jesus wanted him to do.

- *Faith*: Andrew had to have great faith to leave everything behind to follow Jesus, as Jesus had no money, no fancy house, and no job.

- *Friendliness*: Andrew is shown as one who introduced others to Jesus, such as his brother Simon to Jesus, a small boy to Jesus, and a delegation of foreigners to Jesus.

- *Solution-Oriented*: Andrew was solution-oriented, as seen in the story of the boy with the loaves and fishes, where he brought the boy to Jesus, and Jesus used those small portions to feed a crowd of five thousand men.

- *Global Outlook*: Andrew showed a global outlook by ushering the foreigners to meet Jesus, realizing that the good news of Jesus was for every man, woman,
and child from every tribe and nation around the world.
: Here are the characteristics of Peter as described in the Urantia Book ¹ ²:

- *Comically impulsive character*: Peter was known for acting on his impulses, which sometimes led to him getting into trouble.
- *Disciples’ unofficial leader*: Peter was often the spokesperson for the disciples and was one of Jesus’ inner circle.
- *Excitable*: Peter was excited about his relationship with Christ and was enthusiastic about serving Him.
- *Committed*: Peter was committed to Christ and gave up his career and home to follow and serve Him.
- *Repentant*: Peter repented of his sins, including denying Christ three times, and reaffirmed his faith in Christ.
- *Weak in the flesh*: Peter had a strong spirit but sometimes let his fleshly weaknesses get the better of him, leading to mistakes and failures.
- *Inconsistent*: Peter was inconsistent in his walk with the Lord, sometimes having great successes followed by failures.
- *Outspoken*: Peter was outspoken and sometimes spoke before thinking, which led to him saying foolish things.
- *Headstrong*: Peter was headstrong and sometimes tried to tell Jesus what to do.
- *Miraculous gifts*: Peter had miraculous gifts and was used by God to perform miracles.
- *All-or-nothing*: Peter was an all-or-nothing kind of person, which sometimes led to him going to extremes.

Here are some of the characteristics of Apostle Paul ¹:

- *Persistent*: Paul was converted around A.D. 34 and was executed at Rome about A.D. 67, which means his earthly life and labors spanned some 33 years. He traveled 12,000 miles and visited approximately 50 cities in his evangelistic endeavors.

- *Patient*: Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles par excellence, so much so that the church became predominantly Gentile by the end of the first century. He was scarcely dry from his immersion when he began his preaching to the Jews of Damascus, with no apparent success entered into the record.

- *Courageous*: Paul was stoned, dragged outside the city, and left for dead. He rose up and left the city, proceeding toward Derbe some sixty miles to the southeast. He would revisit the churches previously established, even the deadly Lystra, in order to confirm the disciples and exhort them to continue in the faith.

- *Humble*: Paul would humbly recede into the shadows for the moment, that the gospel might not be damaged. This was not the last time that this gracious servant of Christ would yield in a matter of expediency for the sake of his kinsmen in the Lord.

- *Uncompromising*: Paul would not stand for the defection from the truth, refusing to yield to the heretical clique, even “for a moment.”

- *Yielding*: Paul was forced to defend himself against malicious charges hurled against him. A portion of that defense is found in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

- *Ethical*: Paul diligently strove to “take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men.”

- *Forgiving*: Paul wrote: “At my first defense no one took my part, but all forsook me: may it not be laid to their charge.”

Here are the characteristics of John as described in the Urantia Book ¹:

- *Youngest apostle*: John was the youngest of the twelve apostles, at twenty-four years old when he became an apostle.
- *Unmarried*: John was unmarried and lived with his parents at Bethsaida.
- *Fisherman*: He was a fisherman and worked with his brother James in partnership with Andrew and Peter.
- *Personal agent of Jesus*: John functioned as the personal agent of Jesus in dealing with the Master's family, and he continued to bear this responsibility as long as Mary the mother of Jesus lived.
- *Close association with Jesus*: John was very dear to Jesus, but not necessarily the "disciple whom Jesus loved."
- *Personal aide to Jesus*: John, along with Peter and James, was assigned as personal aides to Jesus soon after they became apostles.

Here are the characteristics of Matthew as described in the Urantia Book:

- _Tax collector_: Matthew was a tax collector, a publican, and a customs officer for the Roman government.
- _Wealthy_: He was a wealthy man, living a luxurious life.
- _Intelligent_: Matthew was intelligent and well-educated, with a keen business sense.
- _Honest_: Despite his profession, Matthew was an honest man, and his integrity was recognized by Jesus.
- _Spiritual hunger_: Matthew had a spiritual hunger and was seeking a more meaningful life.
- _Loyal_: Once he became an apostle, Matthew was loyal and dedicated to Jesus and his fellow apostles.
- _Gifted writer_: Matthew was a gifted writer and record-keeper, which served him well in his role as an apostle and in writing the Gospel of Matthew.
- - detail-oriented*: Matthew was detail-oriented and meticulous in his record-keeping and accounting.
- _Faithful_: Matthew was faithful to Jesus and his teachings, even when fac

More tomorrow!