‘The 13th Disciple’
Every great movement of God requires new leaders. In Acts 1, after Jesus had ascended into heaven, the early church found itself in a moment of transition. Judas, one of the twelve apostles, was gone. The circle was broken. The witness was incomplete. And the mission of God was moving forward.
Peter stood up and said, “He was one of our number and shared in our ministry. Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)
Jesus had chosen twelve apostles for a reason. The number twelve represented the twelve tribes of Israel — the foundation of God’s covenant people. The apostles were the living testimony that God was building a new people through Jesus Christ. But when Judas fell away, the witness of the twelve was no longer whole. The mission demanded another leader. That person would become, in a sense, the 13th disciple — the one chosen to step in and complete the circle. God’s work requires a full bench.
Think of a great basketball coach. A championship coach doesn’t want just one superstar, or even three. He wants a deep bench. He wants players who have trained together, learned the system together, trusted one another, and are ready to be called into the game at any moment. When one player goes down, another is ready to step in. The strength of the team is not just in the starters, but in the depth.
God builds His kingdom the same way. We see it in Numbers 11 when Moses is overwhelmed by the weight of leadership. The people are complaining. The burden is heavy. Moses cries out to God, and the Lord responds, “Bring me seventy elders… I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden with you.” God never intended Moses to lead alone, just as He never intended the apostles to minister alone.
And when two men, Eldad and Medad, begin prophesying in the camp outside the tent, Joshua wants to stop them. But Moses refuses. Instead, he says, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them.” Moses understood that God’s work expands through more leaders, not fewer.
God always builds with a deep bench. In Acts 1, the bench was deep. There were the eleven remaining apostles, the women who followed Jesus, Mary the mother of Jesus, Jesus’ brothers — including James who would later lead the Jerusalem church and Jude who would write one of the New Testament letters — and many others. In all, about 120 believers were gathered and praying. God was preparing many leaders, not just one.
Jesus did not simply come to save individuals. He came to launch God’s new creation people into the world to carry forward His mission of restoring all things to Himself. When leadership is multiplied, the kingdom advances.
The question is not whether God needs leaders. The question is whether you are willing to be one.
God is still building His team.
God is still calling players off the bench.
God is still sending people into the game.
Will you be the 13th disciple who steps up when your name is called?
Blessings,
Jonathan