They were all quite young by our standards.

That was because anyone who made 45 was old in that society. Most were dead by 50.

So Jesus chose disciples who were just getting started in life. Peter, James and John, well, they would have been from 18-to-24 or so. Jesus (who was 30-31 at the time) picked 12 and trained them for two of his three-year ministry.

Then, 11 of those 12 went on and transformed the inhabited world with his teaching, living his life, empowered by his Spirit, but most especially, employing the same methods.

It is the method that is most intriguing. You see, Jesus deliberately prayed before he acted. In fact, John's gospel tells us that he could do nothing unless the Father showed him (see John 5:19, 30). After a night of prayer, the Father showed him his leader core?and they were young. If you have been to Sunday school, you know the texts:

Those 12 were so intrigued by the prayer life of Jesus that they asked him to teach them how he did it (see Luke 11:1). They had seen prayer before, but never prayer that had the effect that Jesus' praying did. It is said that Moses' face shone after he prayed through a forty-day fast a second time (see Exodus 34:29), but Jesus' prayer life was more profound?because it was (and is) transferable.

He was transfigured, raised the dead, healed the sick, and taught unearthly truth. Then God ordained his crucifixion, raised him to life and so set our future hope into motion. Now his Spirit is given to us—and we receive his prayer life and the calling to complete his ministry.

The root of everything that Jesus did was his prayer life.

The method of earth-changing that Jesus used was his discipling strategy.

What did he do?

He picked teenagers and young adults, and taught them to pray (and obey) like him.

He brought them close to him to 'be with him', to become just like him—to do the things he did by developing a relationship with God like he had. He taught them, but this was not prayer like others taught.

This was a vital dynamic prayer of encounter; this was prayer that clearly heard the voice of God, discerned the action of God and then entered into it, accomplishing wonders to the astonishment of all. Prayer for Jesus was a two-way communication. In fact, Jesus not only prayed, but he refused to act unless he had a clear, direct leading, a command from God for every action.

He did not merely speak to God, but he heard God, interacting with him, back and forth until the fellowship (and/or the assignment) was complete. It was the hearing of what God wanted done that constituted the basis of his ministry. Jesus taught the 12 to do this.

The method he used is utterly simple. He mentored young Peter to hear the voice of God?and obey (and the conversations between Jesus and Peter are some of the most instructive and warmly human accounts we have from the gospels). He also brought three young adults with him to learn together.