Read Luke 6:12-16

JESUS CHOOSES THE TWELVE DISCIPLES
Before every important event in Jesus’ life, He took time to go off by Himself and pray. This time Jesus was preparing to choose His inner circle, the 12 Apostles. Make sure all your important decisions are grounded in prayer.
Jesus had many disciples, but He only chose 12 Apostles. The Apostles were His inner circle, to whom He gave special training and whom He sent out with His special authority. These were the men who would start the Christian Church.
Jesus selected ordinary men with a mixture of backgrounds and personalities to be His disciples. Today, God calls ordinary people together to build His church, teach Salvation’s message, and serve others out of love. Alone you may feel unqualified to serve Christ effectively, but together you, and other believers, make up a group strong enough to serve God in any way. Accept the diversity in your church, and build on the variety of strengths represented in your group.
The disciples are not always listed by the same names. For example, Simon is sometimes called Peter or Cephas. Matthew is also known as Levi. Bartholomew is thought to be the same person as Nathaniel. Judas the son of James, is also called Thaddaeus.