The Characteristic That Changed the World, Mark 3:13-19

The One Characteristic That Changed the World

You can have it, today
Mark 3:13-19

(Parallel Passages: Matthew 10:1-4, Luke 6:12-16)

Jesus’ Disciples Had One Common Characteristic That Changed the World

When I look down that cross-country finish line on our title slide, it takes me back to high school. The winding rugged trails, the mud, the hills, the burning lungs, the exhaustion. In that race, it didn't matter who started the fastest or ranked the highest, or had the nicest, lightest running shoes. The only thing that mattered was who stayed the course and finished well.

I felt that same intensity a few days ago, having the honor of performing a wedding ceremony, because marriage is more than just a stroll in the park. It’s marathon. A life altering commitment, a lifelong Covenant. Outside of Salvation, marriage is arguably the most life changing decision one will make. That’s why I counsel couples to weather together for at least four seasons before saying “I do.”

Finishing well, in long races and marriages requires intense and intentional Preprayering and preparing.

That’s what we see as we step into our text in Mark 3, as Jesus stands on a mountain, making a world altering, Eternity shaping, Covenant creating, decision about who to choose for His twelve Apostles.

In the verses just prior to our text today, Jesus was down by the sea. He was being swarmed, crowded, and nearly crushed by multitudes seeking miracles.

But when it came time to make a decision that would alter human history, Jesus left the crowds and He went up into the mountain to be alone with His Father.

If the very Son of God pulled an all-night prayer meeting before making a major decision, how much more should we pull away to the mountain of prayer before making any move in our lives?

1.    Preprayeration

Have you ever invested in all night preprayeration?

Jesus did.

Before any choice was made before a single name was called, while everyone else was sleeping, Jesus was praying.

The Gospel of Mark, in its fast-paced style, takes us straight to the mountain. But the physician Luke pulls back the curtain and gives us a vital piece of HIStory.

Luke 6:12 tells us: “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Think about that. Hours in the dark, alone with the wild beasts, on a rocky mountainside, bathing a decision in prayer.

Jesus is our example of Divine dependence. Jesus Christ, who possesses all wisdom, did not rush into staffing His kingdom. He spent the entire night in intimate communion with the Father, aligning perfectly with the sovereign, providential blueprint.

And this leads us to the profound conclusion that choosing Judas Iscariot, was not a mistake.

But, make no mistake, God did not make Judas do what He did, but God knew He would.

God weaves His wonderful ways, through the wicked ways, of man.

Jesus didn't wake up, look down the line, and say, “Oops, I accidentally picked a thief and betrayer.”

No, Judas was prayed over. Judas was chosen. Judas was purposefully factored into the Divine Eternal Equation, as prophesied hundreds of years prior, that one who ate with Him would betray Him for thirty pieces of silver. Ps. 41:9; Zech. 11:12-13.

Nothing catches God by surprise.

The cross was never a plan B.

2. The Sovereign Selection

The very first verse of our text. Mark 3:13 tells us: “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.”

Notice the sovereignty of God:

• Jesus did not take a popular vote from the crowds.
• He did not put out a sign-up sheet for volunteers.
• He did not conduct interviews or auditions to find the most qualified.

He called “those He Himself wanted.” True ministry, true calling, and true discipleship are initiated by the Sovereign King, never by human ambition or worldly credentials.

And look at the response of the men: “And they came to Him.” There was no hesitation, no bargaining, and no making excuses.

When the voice of the Shepherd echoes across the mountain, the true sheep hear His voice, drop their nets, leave their past, and respond with immediate, uncompromised obedience.

3. Presence, Prayer & Purpose

Now, we need to understand what these men walked into.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke act like three different camera angles on this mountain.

Mark captures the Blueprint of Presence—emphasizing that they were chosen to simply be with Him. If you turn to Luke 6:13, he adds the Blueprint of Prayer, showing us, it was at daybreak, after that all-night prayer vigil, that He formally called and named His disciples. And if you read Matthew 10:1–4, he records the Blueprint of Purpose, where they are actively named right as they are being deployed into the harvest field.

4. Ekklésia & Apostolos

And when you look at Luke 6 and Matthew 10, they introduce a specific Greek word here that Mark implies: they call these men Apostles (Apostolos).

When you unpack the historical and political context of that word, alongside the word Ekklesia, it completely shifts how we understand the purpose of the Church.

Jesus did not choose religious or synagogue or Christianese to describe His movement. Instead, He intentionally hijacked two high-level, secular terms from the Greco-Roman political and military world to show that He wasn't planning a Sunday School picnic—He was launching a global takeover.

Here is the breakdown of those two words working together:

🏛️ 1. The Ekklésia (The Called-Out Assembly)

In the ancient Greek world, the Ekklesia was the official, legal assembly of citizens who were "called out" (ek-kaleo) of their homes to gather and vote on the laws, policies, and direction of the city-state.

·      It was a legislative body carrying governmental authority.

·      When Jesus says in Matthew 16:18, "I will build My Ekklesia," the Roman empire would have immediately recognized it as a rival, sovereign assembly operating under a different King.

⚓ 2. The Apóstolos (The Sent Envoys)

An Apostolos (Apostle) was the official legal envoy, ambassador, or admiral sent out by a king or the Roman senate with the full backing of the government.

·      They were sent out with a fleet to go into foreign territories.

·      Their job was to conquer, plant a flag, establish a colony, and teach the citizens how to talk, think, and live like the home country. They were sent to replicate the kingdom.

Jesus takes a ragtag team of fishermen, tax collectors, and political radicals into His Presence and transforms them into world changing Kingdom envoys (Apóstolos) to establish His sovereign assembly (Ekklesia) on earth. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

He didn’t pick the elite—He picked regular folks, willing to make an Eternal Covenant to stay the course and never turn back.

5. Presence Precedes Performance

Now look at verse 14, because the Holy Spirit lays down an unshakeable rule for anyone who desires to walk with God.

Mark 3:14a: “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him...”

Stop right there. Catch the order of the call.

Before Jesus ever sends these men out to do a single thing, He calls them to be with Him.

God hasn’t changed. In the beginning the first word to man was "Be..." fruitful and multiply... Then, the next day they took the day off to rest. To hang out, be together, perhaps, take a walk and talk with God in the cool of the day.

But today, we live in a culture obsessed with performance and production. We want to run out and work for God before we ever invest time with God.

People love to talk about God, but not to God.

It doesn't work like that in the Kingdom of God; intimacy precedes deployment.

The first commandment is to love the Lord with all you’ve got.

True, life-changing Power never flows out of talent; it flows out of intimacy with Jesus.

You cannot represent the King in public until you've served Him in private.

6. Be an Ambassador for Christ

Once they have been set apart to be with Him, then—and only then—does the mandate expand.

Mark 3:14b-15: “...and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.”

Jesus gives them a two-fold mandate as His legal ambassadors:

1.    To Preach: To proclaim the uncompromised, unchanging Truth of the Kingdom.

2.    To Demonstrate Power: To exercise absolute authority over the broken physical realm (healing) and the broken spiritual realm (casting out demons).

Dear Church, the power these twelve men carried didn't belong to them, it was delegated authority.

When ambassadors speak on foreign soil, they don't speak on their own authority; they carry the full weight, power, and backing of the government that sent them.

Even Jesus said His Words and deeds were not of His own authority, but what the Father gave Him:

John 12:49: "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."

John 14:10: "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works."

John 5:19: "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do..."

When the Apóstolos walked into the towns of Galilee, they carried the legal backing of the Throne of God.

When you, receive a Divine Mandate, birthed from intimate preprayeration with Christ, you carry the Power and Authority of the Almighty.

He does the preaching, He does the power... You do the yielding. Have Thine own way Lord have Thine own way, You are the Potter I am the clay...

7. E pluribus unum

Out of many, one.

When we read the roster of the Twelve in verses 16 through 19, we see a radical, conflicting mismatch of humanity. In the natural world, this group was a recipe for a riot.

We see Simon Peter, a raw, impulsive fisherman whom Jesus renames "Peter"—the Rock.

Then, James, and John—rough, hot-tempered fishermen whom Jesus appropriately nicknames the "Sons of Thunder" because of their volatile personalities.

Then there’s Matthew, a tax collector. A man who seemed to have sold his soul to the Roman empire, getting rich by extorting his own Jewish countrymen. He was viewed as a traitor and a social pariah.

And right next to Matthew, Jesus placed Simon the Canaanite—otherwise known as Simon the Zealot. The Zealots were political radicals, dagger-wielding assassins sworn to violently overthrow Rome and kill anyone who collaborated with them.

In the natural world, Matthew and Simon the Zealot would have killed each other. Yet here they are, bound together as one, sitting at the same table, sharing the same bread, serving the same King.

The glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ collapses walls, unifies the most contrasting of hearts, and erases social division, and makes, out of many, one. E pluribus unum.

But as you look at their conflicting backgrounds, you’re bound to ask: What did Jesus see in them?

They didn't have theological seminary degrees. They didn't have high social status, pristine pedigrees, wealth, or elite worldly talents. They constantly misunderstood Jesus’ parables, they argued over who was the greatest, and they stumbled over their own tongues, doubts and fears.

Yet He who sees the end from the beginning looked beyond their faults and saw one single, common denominator.

They had one common characteristic that changed the world:

THEY WOULDN’T QUIT.

When the religious elite walked away, they stayed. When the crowds vanished because the teaching got too hard, they clung to the hem of His garment. When life went sideways, they stayed the course. When living for Him, meant dying for Him—they didn’t flinch.  

They were erratic, they were broken, they were flawed—but by the grace of God, they had a faith filled dogged determination and tenacity that would not let go.

 They, no matter the cost, stayed the course.

This is the same thread of endurance that runs through HIStory.

• God saw it in Noah, who kept hammering on an ark for a century while the entire world mocked and ridiculed him. He didn't quit.
• God saw it in Abraham, who packed up his tents and kept walking toward an invisible promise, even when the timeline seemed biologically impossible. He didn't quit.
• God saw it in these disciples, who tripped, fell, and even fled—but they got back up, returned to the upper room, and eventually laid down their very lives rather than recant the name of Jesus Christ.

They would not quit.

And that was the world changing characteristic they all possessed.

You can have it too, right now, today.

Which brings this message home.

You might be thinking: “Yeah, that's probably true for lots of folks, but I'm a little too far gone, too late, too old, too tired, old dogs can't learn new tricks...”

IF YOU'RE STILL BREATHING YOU STILL HAVE A DIVINE ETERNAL PURPOSE AND CALLING!

Jesus’ disciples had that one common characteristic: they refused to quit. And they changed the world.

In the speed of a decision, you can have that exact same characteristic. Right now, at this very moment, you can make an eternal covenant with God saying: 

“I have decided to follow Jesus, every moment, every step, every breath, every word, every deed, no turning back, no turning back.”

Give Him your absolute irrevocable “YES.” He will take care of the rest. He will give you the Power, the Passion, the Authority, and will sustain you through the storm.

Galatians 6:9
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

IF YOU DON’T QUIT, YOU WIN

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for choosing, not just the twelve to be with You, but all who will receive You. Help us live as Your Ambassadors, give us passion to fight, and run, to win. Teach us to be soul winners and disciple makers. Strengthen us to stay the course and finish well. So, when all is said and done, of all those You’ve given us, none are lost.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests: 

Call or text: 612-554-2522

Email: pray4measap@aol.com

Facebook: Church at WPV

Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling

Watch online:

Facebook: The One Characteristic That Changed the World, Mark 3:13-19

You Tube: The One Characteristic That Changed the World, Mark 3:13-19

This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.