Note: This is a study from the book 12 Ordinary Men by John McArthur an excellent book. Well worth reading. There is also an outline from Adult Bible Fellowships of First Baptist Church Orion. This is not original but worth posting for study.
Twelve Ordinary Men
Introduction to a Study of the 12 Apostles
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. - I Corinthians 1:26-29
Introduction
From the time that Christ started his public ministry there was controversy. He began by quoting Isaiah 61 and after quoting the Messianic verses proclaims, “Today this is fulfilled in your ears. From then on the crowds gathered and the people began to chose sides. As you know there were the Pharisees and Sadducees and scribes on one side (the religious leaders) and the people on the other.
Yet the crowd came. As they saw the miracles and heard the teaching they came. They followed him they pushed him. This would seem to be the route to go. The Messiah would come the crowds would follow and there would be a major revolution. This would raise up another people and would change everything around them. The government would have to listen because they were now in the majority.
Yet his is not the route that was chosen as a matter of fact instead of getting larger he began to preach deeper and the crowds began to leave. He would challenge the people and they would run. But this was his strategy. The crowds melted and left with a few.
Among those who stayed were these 12 whom he would later call his disciples and then apostles.
I. Christ’s calling of the Twelve was not what we might have expected.
a. Note the strategy in which they were chosen.
It was almost as if he preached and waited to see who would be left. Now I know that these are in God’s plan but they had to make it through the fire. It is interesting that he was not in a hurry to raise up. Estimates are that it was not until his 2nd year of ministry that he would raise them up.
b. Christ’s choice exemplified the character of the kingdom itself.
Luk 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; (21) "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
Zec 4:6 So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.
II. Christ’s calling of the Twelve followed a definite pattern.
When you read the different passages that show us the calling of Christ’s disciples it seems that there is a contradiction but what we must understand that these are different stages of the calling.
a. Phase one was a call to conversion (John 1:35-51).
This is the first stage. In this stage they recognize who Christ is. They are saved. Yet we often see them still working their jobs. We find them in other passages mending nets and fishing.
b. Phase two was a call to ministry (Luke 5).
Mat 4:19-20 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (20) They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
c. Phase three was a call to apostleship (Matthew 10:1-4).
Luk 6:12-16 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (13) And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: (14) Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; (15) Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; (16) Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
Mat 10:1-4 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. (2) Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; (3) Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; (4) Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
They had been with Jesus for some while now and they had watched him now they were ready to do ministry themselves. They were ready to follow his example. He had won their heart they had proven they were willing to work now he had given them authority.
d. Phase four was a call to martyrdom.
This would happen after the resurrection.
III. Some important things to understand about phase three.
As we begin this study I want to zoom in on this third stage the apostleship. This is important because it was has distinguished them through the ages. This is the part that prepares them.
a. The Timing Luke 6:12 introduces the call to apostleship with the phrase “And it was at this time…” which refers back the preceding account of the plot to Kill Jesus. His decision to focus His teaching efforts now on the Twelve was a direct response to this rejection.
The heat had been raised. It was now time for Jesus to appoint his representatives. It was time for him to narrow down from a crowd to a few.
Notice who he didn’t choose:
A Pharisee, A Rabbi, A Priest none from the religious establishment. It was a corrupt system.
b. The Twelve. The most striking thing about the twelve was that there really wasn’t anything particularly spectacular about them. They were not superhuman or even extraordinary. The only thing that set them apart and made them great leaders was that they were chosen by a great Teacher precisely because they were ordinary.
James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
MSG “human just like us”
They turned the world upside down, these twelve. Acts 17:6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
1Co 1:20-21 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (21) For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
1Co 1:26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
1Co 1:27-29 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; (28) and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, (29) that no flesh should glory in His presence.
c. The Teacher. He considered this an important decision and spent an entire night Prayer over it (Luke 6:12). The Greek is very striking here: it emphasizes that Jesus toiled through the whole night in communion with God. At this point Jesus was an itinerate preacher and rabbi and was calling them leave their everyday routines and live with him for a period of intensive training.
Luk 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Why twelve? There were 12 tribes of Israel. It is as if God was setting in place new leadership for the new covenant with man. These caretakers of the dispensation of grace.
Apostles – “one who is sent, courier, herald, ambassador, delegate, and official representatives.
d. The Task. They were to be his delegates or representatives and witnesses to His resurrection after He returned to heaven (although they did not understand that at all at the point of their calling). They were to have a supernatural power ministry that was to be accompanied by Miracles. Keep in mind phase four of their calling!
Notice before they could be sent out they had to be pulled in. Paul spent 3 years in the wilderness before he was ever called to do the task. We also find that from Jesus who did not begin his official ministry until he was 30. He was in preparation and even that began after 40 days and nights of fasting and praying and preparation. We don’t need to underestimate this. We get impatient with the wait we want to do. Yet God can do so much more when we wait on him.
Training Progression
First, follow – glean and learn
Second, leave everything
Third, selection of the 12
Fourth, gifting with miraculous power
Fifth, send them out.
How to train?
First master the task. Second bring someone along to watch. Third let them do it at close watch. Fourth release them to do the task.
Act 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Eph 4:11-12 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
e. The Training. As noted above, they certainly had the best Instructor for this training, but it was still not an easy process. The difficulty was due to their lack of:
a). lacked spiritual understanding
b.) lacked humility
c.) lacked faith
d.) lacked commitment
e.) lacked power
2Co 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
The apostles’ relatively brief time of training with Jesus bore eternal fruit. At first, it might have seemed that everything would be for naught. The night Jesus was betrayed, they were scattered like sheep whose shepherd had been smitten (Matthew 26:31). Even after the resurrection, they seemed timid, full of remorse over their failure and too aware of their own weaknesses to minister with confidence. But after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came, infused them with power, and enabled them to do what Christ had trained them to do. The book of Acts records how the church was launched and the rest is history. Those men, through the legacy of New Testament Scripture and the testimony they left, are still changing the world even today.
