Why 12?

God uses numbers to manifest His kingdom and reveal Himself. In the Bible, twelve is the number that represents God’s government and authority. For example, there are twelve tribes of Israel, twelve minor prophets, Christ’s bride in Revelation 12 has a crown of twelve stars, the heavenly Jerusalem that will be brought to earth in Revelation 21 has twelve pearly gates and twelve foundations, and the tree of life in Revelation 22 has twelve kinds of fruit, yielding every month. Most importantly, Jesus chose twelve disciples.

If Jesus only discipled twelve, what makes pastors think they can disciple more? Are they better than Jesus? No. A major problem with the contemporary church today is that many believers show up on Sundays but are not being discipled. No believer can be discipled from the pulpit, no matter how great the sermon was. When Jesus preached, thousands showed up, but He only discipled twelve. Why? To spend quality time with them until they became disciple makers, whose disciples would in turn make disciples, etc. That’s the kingdom model for multiplication and for the New Testament church of today.

Jesus commanded us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).

Discipling takes time, energy, and commitment. It means being there for people, not just once per week for a Bible study. It involves walking people through their problems, giving guidance, helping them apply God’s Word in everyday life, and labouring in prayer until they are healed, set free and filled with the Holy Spirit to be disciple makers themselves. At 12D Church, we don’t just teach; we do life with people.

Join a cell group today and experience what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.