Luke 6:12-16

John Burnett:  ¹² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. ¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: ¹⁴ Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.  These men were responsible for spreading the gospel and starting the church.  All, except Judas Iscariot gave their life for the sake of the gospel.  I am sure they are sad as to what the church has become in these end times but there will soon be a glorious day and I so look forward to Christ’s return.

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Mike Grimm: ² One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. The Gospel writers note that before every important event in Jesus’ life, he took time to go off by himself and pray. This time Jesus was preparing to choose his inner circle, the 12 disciples. We must make sure that all of our important decisions are grounded on prayer. ¹³ When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: These were the men who actually started the Christian church. ¹⁴ Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵ Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus selected “ordinary” men with a mixture of backgrounds and personalities to be his disciples. Today, God calls “ordinary” people together to build his church, teach salvation’s message, and to serve others out of love. Alone we may feel unqualified to serve Christ effectively, but together we make up a group strong enough to serve God in any way. Ask for patience to accept diversity of people in your church, and build on the variety of strengths represented in your group.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Luke 6:17-22

¹⁷ He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

²⁰ Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
²² Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.