How To Be Trained In God's Service? (Mark 3:13-19)

Jesus Chooses the Twelve

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. (3:13-15)

I spent time with the Father, for him to help me select the twelve. This number was not random, it was the number of the tribes of Israel, because the Father wanted to renew all the tribes of His people, and then prepare them to spread the good news of the kingdom to all nations. 

For this preparation, they needed to be with me, so that they could learn from me and with me. They could see me act and ask me questions. It was exactly the way I learned from the Father. I also stayed with the Father, he showed me what to do and I could ask him questions. That was the way the Father chose for me in my coming on earth, as I relinquished for this time my divinity and had to learn with the Father during my life on earth. In this way, I was well prepared to train the twelve apostles. I would then send them to preach and have authority to cast out demons. 

The preaching of the kingdom needs to be associated with the authority of the Father, for it to be efficient. The signs, the miracles, are here to show the love of the Father in a very practical way, to show that the words proclaimed are not a theory but are real. To proclaim liberty, the year of release for prisoners, they need to see deliverance in a practical way, a deliverance that touches all the levels. The gospel is bringing the freedom of the kingdom of God. First, it is at the level of the body, through physical healings. Then it is as the level of the soul and spirit, through casting out demons and the power of forgiveness. 

My disciples learned to alternate between times with me and times of ministry. As I was full of the presence of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, when they were with me they learned to listen to me and to follow me in all I did, thus learning to love God and to remain with God. They also learned to then be sent (that is the meaning of 'apostle', sent one) to show the love of the Father to their neighbors, thus learning to love their neighbor in a beautiful way. This back and forth, between God and your neighbor, is what I want from my disciples. Through the powerful love of the Holy Spirit, I want people to learn to spend time with me and then to share the love they receive with their neighbor, this holy flow of love, between God and your neighbor. As you learn to spend time to listen to me, you realize that this communication can remain continual, even when you show love to your neighbor. You learn to be a permanent temple of the Holy Spirit. Then, instead of switching between the love for God and the love for your neighbor, you will remain full of my love, the love of the Holy Spirit, and express this love sometimes just in times with us and sometimes in ministering to others. Then your life will be holy love, as my life was holy love. Then you will no more separate the 'spiritual' from the 'material', because God will rule in all you do and in all you say - that is the way that I came to open for all humanity. 

He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter) (3:16)

I gave to Simon a new name, because his identity was reshaped by the Father through the time he spent with me. He became the rock, reflecting the stability of God's love. First, Peter had a hard time to be stable, and he struggled with the fact that I would die, yet - after denying me three times - he came to the simple and rock-solid humble faith to which he was called, and he could open the door of the gospel to the Jews, to the Samaritans and to the Gentiles. 

James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); (3:17)

Yes, these two brothers were fiery brothers, ready to crush whoever was not clearly following me or not allowing me to go to a place - like the Samaritans that refused for me to pass in their region. I needed to redirect this fire to become a fire of love. Learn from me, don't judge people with human eyes, but learn to seek me and the Father, learn to see with our eyes full of pure love. In this way, you can discern how to love people and how to encourage them in the ways of peace and of justice, to correct them when needed, and to rejoice of God's grace at work through you and others. 

Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, (3:18)

Notice that I chose Matthew, the tax collector, as well as Simon the Zealot in the group of the apostles. Matthew was serving the Romans as a tax collector, and Simon was preparing a rebellion against the same Romans. Do you imagine the kind of tensions there were between these two? I purposefully took both of them in the team of the twelve, because both had to learn that their human viewpoint was much narrower than the Father's viewpoint. God wants to redeem every nation and every people. God's grace is not limited, and can unite enemies like Matthew and Simon. I needed to minister this grace to them and help them see with the eyes of the Father, to forgive each other and to learn to love each other. This was a key lesson for them as well as for the other disciples. 

and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (3:19)

People could wonder why I took this person as a close disciple. I did know that Judas loved money and power, yet the Father wanted me to show the way, that love has sometimes to be given even when it is not receiving the hoped answer. The Father does make rain fall on the good and the evil, and makes His sun shine on the unrighteous as well as on the righteous. The nature of love is not to be limited by results, it is to shine and spread like a flowing river, with the humble faith that God brings fruits through His love. Some of the persons you are called to love will bring good fruits, others will bring bad fruits. Yet, the amazing thing about holy love is that even from the bad fruits God will bring glory to His name. For example, even if Judas rejected my love in the end, the Father could use Judas' actions to bring glory to His name, through the cross, through my death and resurrection. 

Remember this lesson, don't fear to be harmed, simply learn to listen to the voice of God, to listen to me and to follow me in all you say and in all you do. In this way, all your life will become useful to God and will bring glory to His name. Don't forget, I have conquered the world. Remain in my love.