Luke 6:12-16, “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus 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”

Dearly beloved,

It is mentioned in the Bible that the Lord Jesus Christ often spent the whole night in the mountain in prayer. One of those times in Luke’s Gospel, the Lord’s overnight prayer was for the choosing of disciples to co-labour with Him. Jesus understood the importance of having the right people to serve with Him. Therefore, it was necessary of Him to pray through the night and in day- break to make the right choice. In all of Jesus’ prayers, we can sense His closed and personal relationship with the heavenly Father. The coming election of leaders in Tabernacle on the 3rd of July and the choices of God’s people for their leaders must also be based on their closed and personal relationship with God. Have you been praying after the example of the Lord’s overnight prayer before He chose the twelve by calling out their names personally?

How are those standing for election liken to the original twelve?  First of all, every true disciple is chosen of God. The characteristics that were true of the original disciples should be true of you and me. God chose all the twelve, including Judas Iscariot, a false disciple so that Scriptures would be fulfilled.

Today, a lot of Christians are not really disciples in the true sense of the Word. They may call themselves Christians but do not claimed to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Acts of the Apostles, believers claimed themselves to be disciples of the crucified and the resurrected Christ.

Jesus says, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple”

The disciples left everything to follow Jesus. They stayed with Jesus every day for three and a half years, and that by definition was discipleship. When Jesus was arrested they lost their hope and ambition of life. The Bible tells us that they returned to the lake of Galilee to do fishing.  When the disciples were not near to the Lord, they slowly drifted back to their old ways of life. It was only when they were back with Him that they found meaning and purpose of life. Even when Jesus departed from them, He did not leave them by themselves for His Spirit lived and dwelt in them. The twelve were just average and ordinary people but they impacted lives not only in their generation but in all generations to come. They were the first people to be given the Great Commission but today you and I must continue to preach the gospel. Pray for the Church and the leaders in Tabernacle to serve together with you in the Spirit of unity and to the glory and praise of Almighty God, even the God of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Pastor Douglas Ho