We observed from Mark chapter 1 that among the first things Jesus did was start to build a team – a group of men he would train and send out. Mark articulates the strategy in chapter 3:

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. (Mark 3.13 – 15, ESV)

“With him…send out…to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”

I confess I don’t know much about the casting out demons part, but the Gospels are clear that there’s an enemy, and we ignore him at our peril.

This passage also contains the first listing in Mark of the “12 apostles:”

He appointed the twelve:

• Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);
• James the son of Zebedee and
• John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);
• Andrew, and
• Philip, and
• Bartholomew, and
• Matthew, and
• Thomas, and
• James the son of Alphaeus, and
• Thaddaeus, and
• Simon the Zealot, and
• Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mark 3.16 – 19, ESV, bulleted so we can count them!)

Jesus considered training and sending a vital part of his ministry. The Apostle Paul did, too, instructing Timothy:

What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2.2, ESV)

Paul -> Timothy -> Faithful Men -> Others

It’s the heart of our ministry as well, and it’s why we’re teaching a discipleship class to one person. As someone said:

You can count the number of seeds in an apple; you cannot count the number of apples in a seed.