Read Mk 3.13-19, Lk 6.12-16
It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:
(Luke 6:12-13)
Before choosing the 12 Apostles, Jesus prayed all night.
(Luke 6:12-13)
Before choosing the 12 Apostles, Jesus prayed all night.
When we read this passage, we often talk about the need for wise selection but very seldom focus on the fact that Jesus prayed all night. Granted, Jesus was choosing the future leadership of the Church but He also had a very strong conviction that men came from the Father (Jn 6.44, 17.6). Jesus left nothing to chance. He depended on the Father to guide Him to the men He would invest in for the Kingdom’s sake.
Are you spending concerted time in prayer before choosing men to train? How are your resources? Do you have the time and energy to invest in people whom you know will do nothing for the Kingdom in exchange? Of course you will never know that for sure, but God does. How often do we charge into a disciplemaking relationship without ever praying? Jesus used every resource available, including those that were made available by the Father. We probably will not be faced with many situations where we need to pray intensely about those whom we should help (although we would be wise to be prayed up in this area as well). But when it comes to training men in ministry there is a huge need for God’s guidance before we lay hands on a man and invest so much of our time and energy. We ought to pray, Jesus did. FJ71
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