Feb 10: The Power of Twelve

“…altogether there were about twelve of them.” (Acts 19:7)

Let me say it again… I love little, almost throw away, comments that hold potentially rich and deep material. There is absolutely no reason to need to add this little detail about there being twelve of them. Paul has met a group of disciples who were missing an important part of faith (in this case a small little thing called the Holy Spirit). He teaches them about Jesus, baptizes them, and they begin to feel the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (they break out speaking in tongues and stuff… you know the ordinary run of the mill Christian happenings). It doesn’t really matter how many of them there are… and yet the author decides as a parting thought to throw in this comment. “…altogether there were about twelve of them.”

Now immediately we hear the number twelve and we ought to have little antennae go up at this (if you were born without them, substitute a light bulb on your head… or a little vocal, “Aha!” will do.) Twelve? I’ve come across that number before… and certainly twelve disciples. Apparently there is something to this whole twelve disciples thing.

Throughout Paul’s teaching and preaching he is constantly coming across these little packs of people, starting community churches, and engaging people on the road. They are all people that are “following the way of Jesus”. Some of them know that they are – and Paul affirms them. Some don’t realize they are doing so – and Paul gives them a name for themselves and points them towards Jesus. But what stays consistent is that there are groups of people dotted all over the first century landscape that are traveling together in faith.

Today it seems we are headed in two different directions from that beginning. We head towards personal spirituality where there is no “church” or community to tell us what to believe. Or we head towards mega-churches where there lots of people are doing lots of good things together. What we don’t find much of (though they do exist) is little groups of “followers” dotting the twenty-first century landscape journeying together in faith.

Is this a problem?

I’m not sure. I do not know that it HAS to be a problem. But I also wonder if it isn’t symptomatic of a problem… and I’m not alone. There are a growing number of people who are asking that same questions in many different and exciting ways. But let me imagine just one possibility for today.

In a world where the way of Jesus is often unpopular and challenging, moving smaller (to the individual alone) or the larger (to the mega-church) are both ways of hiding. We are trying to hide our lives away from Jesus and from truly following in the “Jesus way”. Alone in our spirituality there is no-one to tell us that our life is not lining up consistently with our faith. And lost in the crowds of mega-church we can blend in anonymously. On the other hand, with just twelve people? That is the kind of class where you actually have to do your reading, you have to come prepared to participate, you have to go out on a limb and show yourselves. Just 12? That requires active and participatory discipleship.

Have you found yourself trying to hide? To blend into the crowd?

What do you find most challenging about really living in the way of Jesus?

Do you have your group of twelve who are helping you, as you help them, on the journey?