Disciple and Ministry Leadership

Luke 6 Verses 12 to 16, Luke 8 verse 1 Discipleship and Ministry Leadership December 14, 2025 Lesson 11 Making Disciples Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Matthew 16:18–20 (NASB95)

18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

          19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

          20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

· Mark 10:35–45 (NASB95)

35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”

          36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

          37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”

          38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

          39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.

          40 “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

          41 Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.

          42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.

          43 “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;

          44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.

          45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

· 2 Timothy 2:1–7 (NASB95) Be Strong

1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

          2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

          3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

          4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

          5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

          6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

          7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

· Titus 1:5–11 (NASB95) Qualifications of Elders

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,

          6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.

          7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,

          8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,

          9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

          10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,

          11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.

Main Idea:

· The training of the twelve apostles extended beyond basic discipleship into the kingdom leadership development.

Study Aim:

· To understand that Jesus discipled the twelve apostles while preparing them and others including some women to assume leadership in the kingdom of God.

Create Interest:

· This lesson can help Christians recognize the importance of being disciples and potential leaders, encouraging them to embrace their calling in the church and community. The lesson teaches that every believer is called to be a disciple who is prepared to take up leadership roles, just as the twelve apostles were trained by Jesus.

· Our study also encourages Christians to recognize and honor the contributions of women in the church and ministry. It challenges the audience to support and empower those who may often be overlooked in leadership roles, understanding that God calls all people to advance His kingdom.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· As we have seen previously, in Luke, prayer often precedes an important task (3:21–22; 5:16), and so on this occasion Jesus … spent the night praying to God(v. 12). When morning cameJesus called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them as apostles(v. 13).

· Here in Luke 6, Luke’s reference to “apostles” anticipates the missionary work which will be described in the Book of Acts (so Matt. 10:2; Mark later calls them “apostles” in 6:30). Luke records twelve names, but comparison with other apostolic lists (Matt. 10:2–4; Mark 3:16–19; Acts 1:13) suggests that there were more than twelve among the Twelve. Moreover, if the eight names given in the Gospel of John are taken into consideration (Peter, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Judas [not Iscariot], Nathanael, and Judas Iscariot) there could be as many as fifteen or sixteen apostles. We have in the Gospels and Acts the names of men considered among the Twelve:[1]

· In Luke 8:1-3, we see Jesus traveling from town to town, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God, and notably, a group of women accompanies Him who have been healed and delivered, demonstrating their essential role in His ministry.

Bible Study:

Luke 6:12 (NASB95)  Prioritizing Prayerful Preparation

12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

What did Jesus do before choosing the twelve apostles?

· Before choosing the twelve apostles, Jesus spent an entire night in prayer on a mountainside. Soon after a contentious Sabbath in a Galilean synagogue, Jesus withdrew to a secluded place to pray. He went to “the mountain,” which suggests a place of silence and solitude, and spent the whole night in prayer before making one of the most important decisions of His entire ministry[1].

· Here in Luke 6, this is the only mention of all night prayer in the New Testament. Have you ever prayed all night? It is extremely hard work. If you don’t believe me, just try to pray for one hour. Christ was persistent in His prayer life and His example is one that challenges us to do the same.

· D.L. Moody said, “I’d rather be able to pray than be a great preacher; Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but only how to pray.” We are urged repeatedly in the Scriptures to pray.

* Matthew 26:41—Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

* 1 Thessalonians 5:17—Pray without ceasing.

* 1 Timothy 2:8—I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.[2]

Why did He pray all night?

· For one thing, He knew that opposition against Him was growing and would finally result in His crucifixion; so He prayed for strength as He faced the path ahead.

· Also, He wanted the Father’s guidance as He selected His 12 Apostles, for the future of the church rested with them.

· Keep in mind that one of the twelve would betray Him, and Jesus knew who he was from the beginning(John 6:64). Our Lord had real human emotions (Luke 22:41–44; Heb. 5:7–8), and it was through prayer that He made this difficult choice.[3]

· Recognizing the limitations of human flesh, Jesus needed to multiply His ministry by instructing a select group of men who could then carry on His work. At the time, Jesus had thousands of disciples, from whom He selected just a few to become His closest companions. These chosen few would assist in His miracles, travel with Him, witness every moment, hear His sermons repeatedly, and learn to replicate His ministry—a process that would transform them from mere disciples to apostles[1]. Importantly, the apostles were chosen in “prayerful union with his Father,” and Jesus’ choice flowed directly out of His relationship with God[2]. Interestingly, Jesus did not choose these twelve because of their exceptional faith, talent, or leadership potential. The one characteristic they all shared was simply their willingness to obey Jesus[3].

[1] Charles R. Swindoll, Luke, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2017), 3:164–165. [2] Thomas J. Lane, The Catholic Priesthood: Biblical Foundations (Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road Publishing, 2016), 78–79. [3] James C. Galvin, Linda Chafee Taylor, and David R. Veerman, One Year with Jesus: 365 Daily Devotions Based on the Chronological Life of Christ (Livingstone Corporation, 1994). [See here.]

Luke 6:13 (NASB95) Intentional Individual Invitations

13     And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:

· These were specifically called apostles (apostolous) as opposed to the term disciples (mathētas). Disciples were followers, but apostles were those sent out as messengers with delegated authority(cf. “apostles” in 9:10; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10). In Luke’s list of the Twelve (as well as Matthew’s and Mark’s lists) Peter is listed first and Judas Iscariot is last. Bartholomewmust be Nathanael (John 1:45), Levi and Matthew are the same man, and Thaddaeus (Mark 3:18) is Judas, son of James. They were now willing to be sent out as apostles, being with Jesus on a full-time basis.[4]

· Now Jesus has come, as it were, out onto the playground where all sorts of people are trying out ways of being God’s people—some with new rules to obey, some with new schemes for violent revolution, some with support for Herod and his regime, some with proposals for withdrawing into the desert and praying in private, and no doubt others as well. From the people he has met, he chooses twelve. Even if he’d done that without a word, everyone could see what he was doing. He was picking an Israel team. They were to be the nucleus, the center and starting point, for what God was now going to do. They were the core of God’s renewed Israel.

· He gave them clear orders as to how his vision of God’s work would go forward. Four promises, and four warnings, presented in terms of Israel’s great scriptural codes: in the book called Deuteronomy, there were long lists of ‘blessings’ for those who obeyed the law, and ‘curses’ for those who didn’t. These formed part of the charter, the covenant, the binding agreement between God and Israel. Now, with the renewed Israel formed around him, Jesus gives them his own version of the same thing.[5]

· Jesus’ version was given in verses 20 to 45, The Beatitudes.   I encourage you to pause this lesson and read them…. then soak in/on what you read.

Luke 6:14–17 (NASB95) Diverse Disciples, Unified Mission

14     Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;

15     and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;

16     Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17     Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,

· The choice of these men would be crucial to the establishing of the church and the fulfilment of prophecy.

· We know from chapter five of Luke’s Gospel that James, John, Peter and Matthew had already been called to follow him.

o Now the Lord was officially ordaining them to the task of discipleship. A ‘disciple’ in the scriptural sense is a ‘learner’ (Greek, ‘mathetes’). A disciple goes on learning about his teacher. Jesus taught the twelve that those who are fully trained shall be ‘like their teacher’ (Luke 6:40).

o One day they would continue and develop the work begun by their Lord in teaching, preaching and healing. Their task would be to ‘make disciples of all the nations’ (Matt. 28:19).[6]

Were there any surprising choices among the apostles?

· Jesus made some truly surprising choices when selecting his apostles, defying conventional expectations of religious leadership. The twelve men he called were not the typical candidates most people would have chosen. They were not religious leaders, were likely poorly educated, and were all poor—even Levi, who had abandoned a lucrative tax business[1].

· His selections included characters like James and John (nicknamed “sons of thunder” possibly due to their volatile tempers), timid Andrew and his brash brother Simon, the despised tax collector Levi, cynical Bartholomew, and doubting Thomas. Essentially, Jesus “hand-selected working-class, uneducated men with obvious flaws.”

· Eleven of the Twelve hailed from Galilee, so far as we know. Luke doesn’t make an obvious point of this, although it would fit neatly into his motif of Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, which begins at Luke 9:51. Before beginning that journey, Jesus selected His apostles from the simplehearted men of Galilee, more than 70 miles removed from the corruption of the religious authorities.

o Ironically, Judas, son of Simon Iscariot (John 6:71), was the only selection that would have made sense to the onlookers of his day—a fine, stronghearted patriot from Kerioth of Judea.[7]

· Crucially, Jesus saw these men not for what they were, but for what they could become[2]. Their calling was ultimately by God’s sovereign election, as Jesus himself later stated: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide”(John 15:16)[1]. In fact, their apostolate was a unique institution—they stood apart, “devoted to the performance of an unexampled task” that only Jesus could have conceived, and for which they were perfectly suited[3].

[1] Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009), 1:255–256. [2] Charles R. Swindoll, Luke, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2017), 3:165. [3] W. Patrick, “Apostles,” in A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels: Aaron–Zion, ed. James Hastings (Edinburgh; New York: T&T Clark; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1906), 1:103.

Thoughts to soak on:

· Jesus chose a diverse group of men with varying backgrounds and personalities to lead as apostles. This diversity helped spread the Gospel to different people and cultures. That diversity in the church strengthens the body of Christ and is essential for kingdom work.

· Believers are urged to value and learn from each other's differences, unified by their common mission in Christ.

Illustrations from History:

· In the early church, believers were not passive bystanders but active participants in spreading the Gospel. Take Peter, for example; he transformed from a fisherman into a bold leader, preaching to thousands after receiving the Holy Spirit. This shift exemplifies how every believer is called to step into a leadership role, influencing their communities just as Peter did, showing that kingdom work often begins with stepping out in faith.

· Throughout Biblical history, we see examples of ordinary individuals stepping into leadership. Moses, a shepherd, was called to lead a nation; Esther, a queen, risked her life to save her people; and the apostles, fishermen by trade, spread the message of Christ. Each of them demonstrated that it is not wealth or stature that defines a leader in God’s kingdom, but a willing heart to serve Him and others.

· Consider the life of John Wesley, who revitalized a lukewarm church in the 18th century through small group meetings and preaching outdoors. He believed that every follower of Christ has a role in leadership. His impact on society was profound; he led a movement that sought social justice and uplifted the marginalized. Like Wesley, believers today are called to step into roles that influence communities, reflecting Christ’s mission in tangible ways.

Luke 8:1–3 (NASB95)  Ministering Women Step Into Jesus Mission

1 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him,

2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

What does Luke 8:1-3 reveal about Jesus’ ministry?

· Luke 8:1-3 reveals several profound insights into Jesus’ ministry. Luke summarizes Jesus’ itinerant teaching ministry, traveling through Galilean towns and villages while “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God”[1]. His ministry was not merely verbal but was accompanied by “demonstrations of the power of the intrusion and the presence of the kingdom of God”[2].

· What makes this passage particularly remarkable is Jesus’ radical approach to discipleship. In addition to the twelve disciples, Luke highlights women who traveled with Jesus and supported his ministry financially.

o By doing so, Jesus “shatters the societal conception of the inferiority of women, raising them to the status of disciples” – something unheard of in Judaism at the time[1].

· These women, some who were “of some substance and means,” were literally “serving them from their possessions” – a practice uncommon because “rabbis of this day did not have women disciples”[1]. Among these women were Mary Magdalene (from whom seven demons had been cast out), Joanna (wife of Herod’s court administrator), and Susanna – women who followed Jesus through Galilee and were integral to his ministry[3]. This approach underscores Jesus’ revolutionary treatment of women, offering them spiritual dignity and partnership in his mission.  We are very fortunate to have this portrait of Jesus’ close relationship with women, and the fact that he treated them with respect, honor and dignity, in a way that was quite unusual in the first century. [2]

[1] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 390–391. [2] R. C. Sproul, A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1999), 157. [3] Ralph W. Harris, ed., Luke, The Complete Biblical Library: Study Bible (World Library Press, 1991), 235.

For those who would like to know a little more about history, I post the following:

· First is Mary, usually referred to simply as Mary Magdalene. She is described here as a woman out of whom had gone seven devils. In church history, and in the history of Christian art and literature, Mary Magdalene has functioned as the almost prototypal symbol of the fallen woman who was rescued from her corrupt life by the ministry of Christ. This fallenness is usually specified as being a kind of prostitution. But nowhere in the New Testament are we ever told or is it ever even suggested that Mary Magdalene was involved in prostitution. All we are told is that she had this affliction of demonic possession from which she had been redeemed.

· The second woman to be mentioned is the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, a man who had a position of considerable authority and power and presumably wealth. Joanna is mentioned one other time in the New Testament, again by Luke, right at the end of his gospel, because she was one of the women who came to the garden tomb and discovered the absence of the body of Christ. She was one of the first to report the resurrection of Jesus to the disciples. There are many commentators who believe that Joanna was married to the nobleman whose son was healed by Jesus (John 4:43–54).

· The third woman to be mentioned is Susanna. Nothing is said about her identity, or what she did, what her function was, what her relationship was to the Christian community. All we have is her name. We are told of many others who ministered to Jesus from their own private means.[8]

Thoughts About Women in Ministry:

· This passage challenges us to look beyond traditional gender roles and invite everyone to participate in spreading the gospel. Recognizing Jesus' example to include others is crucial for modern ministry.

· The deliverance and healing of these women signify Christ's power to restore all people fully, equipping them for service. We should note the importance of acknowledging God’s transformative power in everyone's life, urging us to embrace and affirm the diversity of testimonies within the faith community.

· Consider the active support role these women played in Jesus' ministry. Their contributions demonstrate the vital role of generosity and support in any ministry.

· We are encouraged to reflect on how we can support God's work, recognizing that acts of service and giving are fundamental components of participation in God’s kingdom.

[1]Craig A. Evans, Luke, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1990), 103.

[2]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Luke, vol. 1, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2009), 293–294.

[3]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 191.

[4]John A. Martin, “Luke,”in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 219.

[5]Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 70–71.

[6]Gavin Childress, Opening up Luke’s Gospel, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 54.

[7]Charles R. Swindoll, Luke, vol. 3, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2017), 165.

[8]R. C. Sproul, A Walk with God: An Exposition of Luke(Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1999), 158.