The Secret is in the Twelve
The Secret is in the Twelve
Pastor Cesar Castellanos
The model of ministry based on 12, is the most effective means of obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ to win disciples and of growing the Church. The key to success in this model is found in leading groups of 12. Jesus taught us this lesson through His own example. He did not deal with people based on their obvious abilities, but according to the potential He knew they had within.
Jesus could have poured His life into the multitudes, but He did not; instead He chose 12 and worked to shape their characters. Each of the 12 had completely contrasting personalities and for three years, like the potter with the clay, Jesus moulded each one of them.
The model of 12 has always been in God's heart. The number 12 symbolises government. At creation God established 12 months to govern each year; even days are governed by periods of 12 hours each. To govern the people of Israel, God established 12 tribes and King Solomon appointed 12 governors.
In 1991, the lord removed the veil from my mind and gave me a deep revelation about the meaning of 12. I had asked myself why Jesus taught 12 and not 11 or 13. I also thought, the larger the number, the faster the work would progress. Why did Jesus invest His effort in just 12 people? Then I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit deep in my heart. He said if I trained 12 people, reproducing in them the character of Christ in me, and each of them did the same with another 12 - the continuation of the process, with every group of 12 transferring what they receive, would lead to unprecedented growth in the church.
The 12 that Jesus formed learnt to walk in supernatural power because they had to display Christ's character in their own lives. The religious leaders that opposed Christianity were astonished at the boldness of uneducated John and Peter. However, they recognised that they had been with Jesus. The model of 12 is something supernatural that the lord Jesus implemented. He intended that His ministry should grow and move forward in this direction. The model came from the heart of the Father to the heart of Jesus and as I sought a vision to win great multitudes, it came to my heart from the heart of Jesus.
One of the first things I learnt from the Lord at this time was that to implement the model of 12 one must walk in supernatural power, casting out demons and performing miracles according to each person's need. A price must be paid for the success of the model of 12 and this price is to do the same things Jesus did with His disciples - cleansing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, raising up paralytics and so on. When a pastor develops his or her ministry supported by these types of miracles, the news will spread and people in need of a miracle will run to hear this pastor's message. The model of 12 will bring the multitudes to the Lord's feet.
The multitudes followed Jesus for the miracles He performed. To have a church with multitudes, one must walk in supernatural miracles, acting on the power of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion a leper approached Jesus. All Jesus did was look at this leper's need, acknowledge his faith and heal him. The best way is to give them a miraculous solution to their problems. Their faith in God will be strengthened when they realise that He does meet their needs.
One Sunday, whilst celebrating our first anniversary, I asked the congregation, "How many of you are present here today because God performed a miracle for you?" Ninety-five per cent of the people raised their hands. Listening to their testimonies later on, I realised that one of the best ways to spread the gospel is to move in the realm of the supernatural. A person, who has received a touch from God, will not want to break away from the faith because the person is grateful to the Lord.
The model of the 12 aids the achievement of the vision to see explosive church growth. If a person is content with a small ministry, the person will bear fruit according to that vision. On the other hand, if a leader believes God for a large ministry, the fruit will be according to that belief.
However, this leader must understand that it means the Lord will dig deep into their life, and through them, dig deep into the lives of those they are discipling. The model of 12 is the principle key in achieving this purpose.
By Cesar Castellanos
Pastor Cesar Castellanos
The model of ministry based on 12, is the most effective means of obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ to win disciples and of growing the Church. The key to success in this model is found in leading groups of 12. Jesus taught us this lesson through His own example. He did not deal with people based on their obvious abilities, but according to the potential He knew they had within.
Jesus could have poured His life into the multitudes, but He did not; instead He chose 12 and worked to shape their characters. Each of the 12 had completely contrasting personalities and for three years, like the potter with the clay, Jesus moulded each one of them.
The model of 12 has always been in God's heart. The number 12 symbolises government. At creation God established 12 months to govern each year; even days are governed by periods of 12 hours each. To govern the people of Israel, God established 12 tribes and King Solomon appointed 12 governors.
In 1991, the lord removed the veil from my mind and gave me a deep revelation about the meaning of 12. I had asked myself why Jesus taught 12 and not 11 or 13. I also thought, the larger the number, the faster the work would progress. Why did Jesus invest His effort in just 12 people? Then I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit deep in my heart. He said if I trained 12 people, reproducing in them the character of Christ in me, and each of them did the same with another 12 - the continuation of the process, with every group of 12 transferring what they receive, would lead to unprecedented growth in the church.
The 12 that Jesus formed learnt to walk in supernatural power because they had to display Christ's character in their own lives. The religious leaders that opposed Christianity were astonished at the boldness of uneducated John and Peter. However, they recognised that they had been with Jesus. The model of 12 is something supernatural that the lord Jesus implemented. He intended that His ministry should grow and move forward in this direction. The model came from the heart of the Father to the heart of Jesus and as I sought a vision to win great multitudes, it came to my heart from the heart of Jesus.
One of the first things I learnt from the Lord at this time was that to implement the model of 12 one must walk in supernatural power, casting out demons and performing miracles according to each person's need. A price must be paid for the success of the model of 12 and this price is to do the same things Jesus did with His disciples - cleansing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, raising up paralytics and so on. When a pastor develops his or her ministry supported by these types of miracles, the news will spread and people in need of a miracle will run to hear this pastor's message. The model of 12 will bring the multitudes to the Lord's feet.
The multitudes followed Jesus for the miracles He performed. To have a church with multitudes, one must walk in supernatural miracles, acting on the power of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion a leper approached Jesus. All Jesus did was look at this leper's need, acknowledge his faith and heal him. The best way is to give them a miraculous solution to their problems. Their faith in God will be strengthened when they realise that He does meet their needs.
One Sunday, whilst celebrating our first anniversary, I asked the congregation, "How many of you are present here today because God performed a miracle for you?" Ninety-five per cent of the people raised their hands. Listening to their testimonies later on, I realised that one of the best ways to spread the gospel is to move in the realm of the supernatural. A person, who has received a touch from God, will not want to break away from the faith because the person is grateful to the Lord.
The model of the 12 aids the achievement of the vision to see explosive church growth. If a person is content with a small ministry, the person will bear fruit according to that vision. On the other hand, if a leader believes God for a large ministry, the fruit will be according to that belief.
However, this leader must understand that it means the Lord will dig deep into their life, and through them, dig deep into the lives of those they are discipling. The model of 12 is the principle key in achieving this purpose.
By Cesar Castellanos
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