The Power of Discipleship

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  
²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

This week I would like to highlight and honor two ladies who made a huge impact in my life. I would say every young adult girl needs a pair like Kuda and Deb in their life. I would say that us ladies need to be a Kuda or a Deb to those stepping into their calling. Right after I finished school of ministry in 2002, I hit some rocky times in my life. A family (The Phelps) came to my rescue, and helped me become a stable girl. Months after they rescued me, I was placed in a new children's ministry called Firehouse. When I was going to give up on myself, God and the Phelps didn't. In 2005, I had the privlidge of getting to move in with Deb and Kuda in Grandview, MO. These ladies had a reputation for being on fire, strong, stable, and women who produced good fruit in their lives. Their reputation not only preceeded them, but I saw it lived out at home. They were real disciples, and real women. I was in my early 20's, and still trying to figure out how to become an adult. You know, there isn't really a manual for that, but there are special people in our lives that can help us. Living with Deb and Kuda completely and radically changed my life, in more ways then they'll ever know. They taught me character, integrity, family, sisterhood, how to pray, how to have faith, and how to believe. They discipled me, and helped take me to a deeper walk with Jesus. They cared enough to point things out in me, that were hurting me. They loved me enough not to be my mom, but to be my friend. We prayed together for things at church, and then would see those things happen. I was always amazed at how God answered our prayers. That was because I wasn't living with some good 'Christian' girls, I was living with disciples who were believers. Big difference. These ladies lived it, and pushed me to live at a higher standard. I loved it when we would all come home from our jobs, because we would sit around the dinner table and swap stories. Yep, stories about how they were moving in the Holy Spirit at work, overcoming darkness, evangelizing people, touching lives in Kansas City, inviting people to church, and discussing the latest Pastor Steve sermons. It was Deb who taught me how to take my 'sword' to work, and not be a floor mat for people to walk all over. It was Kuda who caused me to grow up, and be a woman. She was a powerful example, and a role model that I gladly wanted to imitate. I saw her faith, how she prayed, how she reached out to people, and I wanted what she had. 

Today, I know that I am a woman of faith, because of the power of discipleship. I had people like the Phelps, and Deb and Kuda disciple me. They took time to allow me to be apart of what God was doing in their lives, and it was life changing. These were people who not only experienced the presence and power of God, but they lived the life. They didn't mess around with Christianity, they lived Matthew 28:19-20. I wasn't the only one they discipled, there are many. There are many whose lives have been greatly impacted by these ladies, and what they're doing for the Kingdom of God. My ability to reach out, invest, and disciple people really came from living with them. Even the way I manage my home to be a shalom home, came from their imapct in my life.

What people really want is what I experienced. They want to be around the real presence of God, and real firebrands. They want to learn, and become something in the Kingdom of God. They need examples of people who are really living the bible, and do it in a way that bring freedom. Jesus does not want us to merely meet people, and  just float in and out of their lives. He wants us to get deep into their lives, and make an incredible imapct. Jesus wants us to go out into our own world, and tell people some good news. He wants us to disciple people with His power, so they have help along the way. God really cares about people, and He understands the battle for their souls. That is why he has equipted us with everything we need to do good (2 Pet 1:3/2 Tim 3:16-17). He understands that His Kingdom is between people, and that together we are His temple. So you can imagine how valuable people really are to him.

Like that old saying, "you can't take things with you to heaven, but you can take people." I don't like to focus too much on going to heaven, because it's time to live now. I want to be like a Deb or Kuda, moving in the power of God in my daily life, and discipling people.Deb and Kuda wanted to be like Jesus, and set themselves apart to follow Him. They paid a price, and walked in God's authority. They were submitted to their leadership, and to the vision of World Revival Church. They did not merely attend church when they felt like it. No, they helped advance it, and helped lead the charge.  I want to teach people with my life how to love/obey God, and stick with his plan. I want to live out Matthew 28:19-20, because it shows God that I care about what He cares about. Someday when I grow up, I want to be like my friends Deb and Kuda, who knew the power of discipleship.

"Touch a life...touch a world...bring the lasting change that can never be shaken nor forgotten. "

-Mary Seidler