The Government of Twelve
 
The government of twelve in the Principle of 12 vision refers to the structure set in place to rule.  The principle of twelve is seen in the 12 months of the year, the 12 tribes of Israel, and the choosing of the 12 disciples.

Could there be something magical about the number twelve?  Probably not.  But there is a principle to follow that clearly has a meaning and purpose.  Jesus' vision for the world is to "win souls” and “make disciples."  This He clearly stated in Matthew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations."

To achieve His vision, Jesus worked closely with 12 men that He mentored to take His place on the earth.  We call this mentoring technique the principle of twelve.  Following Jesus' pattern, the apostle Paul also trained a number of young men ("Timothys") who later became the great leaders of the New Testament church.  Did Paul have a twelve?  The Bible is not clear on that subject, but you can be assured that Paul was familiar with the principle of twelve in government.  

The number twelve is the number of government in the Bible.  Jesus established His kingdom and government on the earth by using the same principle that God had used to establish Israel in the Old Testament.  Just as Israel had 12 tribes, Jesus had 12 disciples.  Using this pattern, Jesus intended to show us a model of how to disciple not only our local communities, but also the nations of the world.