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CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso
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MEN.DOC
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1994-04-11
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THE MEN
Jesus prayed and fasted for forty days before beginning his
ministry and before choosing four of his disciples (Mark 1:12-
20). He spent an entire night in prayer before choosing the
twelve apostles:
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out
into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him
his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also
he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,)
and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and
Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of
Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the
brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was
the traitor. (Luke 6:12-16).
If we look at these men from a natural standpoint, we would have
to conclude that Jesus made a mistake. Peter was impulsive and
certainly not a "rock." Andrew was a fisherman, and had not been
trained for religious leadership. James and John were quick-
tempered fishermen; Philip, unimaginative; Nathaniel, naive;
Matthew, crooked; Judas Iscariot, a thief; Thomas, full of
unbelief, and Simon was a Jewish radical. Jesus' disciples could
be described as undeveloped, impulsive, sinful, perplexed,
ignorant, miseducated, prejudiced and unstable. However, the
Holy Spirit knew that these men would respond to the grace of God
and become transformed, so he led Jesus to select them.
The point is that we must do as Jesus did--we will teach
many and disciple a few. We must make disciples under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit--only God knows those who will follow
Christ wholeheartedly. It is in those selected by the Holy
Spirit that we are to invest more time and effort.