Beginnings & The Twelve – How Jesus Trained the Twelve Disciples

Okay, the twelve-size group. Why the twelve-size group? Why did He call twelve men? Why was it twelve men? Now you explain that to me. Why twelve? Why twelve? Okay. The Old Testament, twelve. We got any other? I’m going to give you a very simple answer. It’s because God decreed it. Now let me say something to you. The twelve-size group is in your blood veins. You need the twelve-size group. It’s part of social order; the Lord’s social order, not man’s. It’s in your blood vein. What are you talking about?

Do you need Christ? Right. Do you need a brother? You need twelve brothers. Twelve brothers and a sister. Where did this theology come from? (laughter) Okay, now then let me explain what I’m talking about. We will see this develop throughout the early church. The church always met as one in a city. Each city had one church. Until then, there was no division, but even though it was one, it met all over the city.

Well, how many met all over the city? I’m not going to hold it to twelve. I’m just going to say that when they spread out all over the city meeting, they were in small groups. Boy, I’ve heard of “small groups” junk all my life; just don’t think in these terms with me. Please don’t. Let us go deeper into this. I want to say to you, the church, one church, met all over the city. Why? Because it was convenient. Because it was hard to walk halfway across the town. There were no trolley cars, automobiles, or bicycles. They met conveniently, and every once in a while they’d have a real blowout and get together, but they’d have to start an hour or two early and walk or ride a donkey. It was just that way, but there was something basic in it.

Now I would like just to hold that and go back to the twelve. Is that a small space right there? That’s a small space. I want twelve brothers to come get in it. Let us just stand right here for the next three and a half years…and let’s not get out of this spot for the next three and a half years. One of you brothers has got a real body odor problem, huh? Woo…somebody needs Pepsodent. Michael, do you realize you have the worst snoring problem? You stepped on my toe, Bill. Mike, get out of my way.

Now look, brothers, do you get my point? You keep these twelve men right here in these small quarters for three and a half years, and you are going to have problems you never dreamed of. Is that true? That’s why the church needs the twelve-size group. It’s got to have the twelve-size group. If you are always in a hundred-size group like in this room, you’re never going to get rubbed on. If you’re always in the two- and three-size buddy group, you’re not always going to get rubbed on. As far as that goes, you’re probably going around massaging one another, but when you get in the twelve-size group, you’ve got problems. I don’t think I can stand you, brothers, anymore. Will you please leave? (laughter)

So here is the principle of the twelve-size group. First of all, a small group of men—we’re now talking about servants—a small group of men lived with the Lord and got to know God well. They got to know God better than any man in history ever had, I guess since…on a person-to-person physical basis. Yes, better than any, but brothers, there’s something else involved here too. They also had to live in close quarters with one another for a long time.

Now you’ve heard me say this before. The first six months were pure joy. Hot dog. Did you hear Him say that there’s going to be a kingdom on earth? And we are His twelve. Then one day the Lord said, “Peter, would you and James and John come here?” He’d never done that before. The Lord comes over, sits down, and talks to Peter, James, and John—Andrew kind of walks by. Thomas just watched the sectarian spirit grow up here for a moment. A few days later, He does it again.

For a couple of days, things are really quiet around here. Little by little, the brothers learn that there’s the thousand-size group, the hundred-size group, the twelve-size group, and even the three-size group in God’s order. They started off all happy and delighted with one another, and then they began to wrinkle one another, and the joy and the fun of being first in the kingdom of God got down to, ‘Who’s got my blanket? Why don’t you ever have change in your pocket to leave a tip?’ I’m trying to put this on a very practical basis, but they kept on living with one another. They were very average men, but average men are the worst, hardest people on earth to live with. They had to learn how. It had to be done, and it didn’t take a week.

Then division grew up. They weren’t thirty years old yet, brother. Will you listen? Will you listen, please, carefully? They weren’t thirty years old. You don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater just because it’s not thirty years old. There were twelve brothers, but each one heard the Lord differently.

One day the Lord was out preaching. Each man is different. Every man responds to the Lord differently. They’ve just really been rubbing one another, and they’re beginning to get edgy with one another. But none are thirty yet, and they’ve been put in close quarters, and they’re beginning to rub one another.

James comes over to Thomas and says, ‘Have you seen Matthew this morning?’ ‘No, what’s he done this time? Go talk to him.’ Thomas walks over to Matthew. Here’s Matthew. ‘Oh, Brother Thomas…oh, praise the Lord.” Thomas says, ‘What’s eating you?’ Matthew says, ‘Oh, nothing, oh, brother Thomas, I just wish to be your brother.’ Thomas says, ‘What’s eating you, Matthew?’ Matthew says, ‘Oh, I just want to be meek. I just want to be so meek. I want to be meek.’ Thomas says, ‘I think I got it. You want to inherit the earth, right?’

One day, Andrew comes up to Thomas and says, ‘Did you see Matthew again?’ ‘Nope. What did he do this time?’ ‘Watch him.’ So here he is. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall see God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the…oh, behold the lilies of the field.’ Thomas says, ‘He’s memorized the whole Sermon on the Mount. What earthly good could that ever do anybody?’