What discipleship is and how to get started

Are you actively engaged in Christian discipleship? Maybe you're not sure how to get started, or maybe you don't even know what discipleship would look like. Join us for a great discussion on what it is, what it isn't, and how you can get involved in this life-changing experience for every believer. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

If you could just give a simple definition of discipleship, what would that be?

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Modeling the Christian life for those you spend time with.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hi everybody, you're listening to the People Get Ready Podcast. I'm Heather Duff, and in just a minute, we'll be jumping into a conversation with Barb Ho. We're talking about everyday issues from a Christian perspective while we legally wait for Jesus. People get ready. Let's go. Okay, Barb, if you could just give a simple definition of discipleship, what would that be?

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Modeling the Christian life with those you spend time with. People will ask me, what model do you use? Or sometimes even what material do you use, or what do you do when you disciple? And I don't have an agenda. When I disciple someone, what I do is I spend time with them and I live my life out in transparency and I share with them what God has has done and is doing in my life. And then we talk about them and how we can bring that into their lives.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Do you do that as more of a formal arrangement or has it just been casually connecting with people? Do you have set times or has that played out differently? How does it look?

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Yeah, we usually set up the time. I have used some material. I use one called Be Transformed, which is a discipleship material from Scope Ministries. It's they're uh located in Oklahoma. But a lot of times I just share with them every time we meet something that God is teaching in my life. And as I get to know them, I also get to know what they're going through, what their needs are, and hearing from them, hearing some of their maybe struggles, some of their difficulties, and then just sharing how God has worked in my life in those areas. Think about Jesus, his discipleship. That's all he did, right? He just lived out life with them. I do have schedules with people that I mentor. But as far as the agenda goes, I just want to share what Christ has been to me. And in me, I want to share life experiences, the good and the bad. You know, one thing people know about me, I think the more you get to know me is I'm transparent. And sometimes I'm transparent to a fault. I have a hard time being guarded. Being guarded is not something that comes easy to me. And, you know, it was a challenge being a pastor's wife because um I had to be careful how much I shared. There were times where I would like to share more, but I couldn't share as much because my husband was their pastor, and I had to be careful about that. And those kinds of things are hard for me, not being transparent about who I am. In some ways, that has benefited me in my disciple, my my discipling times with people because I just love to share what God has done in my life, you know, share how God has ministered to me. And I think it really sometimes the Lord uses it in their lives too.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

I'm going to say two statements, which may or may not be true, but this is just my perspective. Number one, I think that we're not seeing as much discipleship in the church today as would probably be healthy. And number two, most people, Christians, really do want to be involved in discipleship where they are being discipled by others and where they're also actively engaged in discipling others, making disciples.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

I totally agree with that. I believe in intentional discipleship. I believe that discipleship needs to be planned. The Bible talks about that. It talks about older women modeling the life for the younger women, and it talks about discipleship. Jesus intentionally spent time with his disciples and discipled them. One of the things that we struggle with today is an issue of time. People don't have the time to spend in discipleship, and time is so consumed by life, by by the world, by by so many things. And I think discipleship takes time. Even setting up the logistics for discipleship takes time. I think that that's one of the things. In my mind too, I think there's another thing. There's a big focus nowadays on in being an independent, individualistic person. The idea of people being together and that group mindset, that community mindset. I don't think it's maybe as um as as as it was before. D do you notice that?

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Yeah, it's I see both extremes. I mean, I see where people are I I think, especially since COVID, that people are much more withdrawn kind of into their own world. And probably, I mean, that grew out of just the situation we were all in. We just sort of cut ourselves off from doing life a certain way. But then also there's the other side where it's just community, community, community, which that too can be a little bit overboard.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

You know, I didn't even think about COVID. I think COVID really has played a big part. And one thing I think that's played a big part in maybe taking away from intentional discipleship on a personal level is something that I do a lot, which is I follow a lot of YouTubers. I I do YouTube, you know, so I'm very active in that. I think in some ways people feel they might not need discipleship because of what they're experiencing through YouTube videos. I I wonder if that's added to it.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Yeah, that's interesting. That's probably happening too. Uh well, I wanted to ask, like, I think another obstacle is how do you even get started? If you want to be discipled, and you know, you recognize that you have a need to be discipled. Let's say you're you're doing your own Bible study in prayer, but you recognize that you really lack in having an example, and like you were saying, someone that can be transparent with you and just sort of walk alongside you with life. How do you even get into that? How do you even approach someone if you are a more mature Christian and you recognize that you need to be fulfilling that command to make disciples? You don't just walk up to somebody on the street and say, Hey, I'd like to just disciple you. And I so I think that's part of it too. There's not an easy on-ramp. And I think because of that, a lot of people just don't do it. But what are your thoughts on just even getting started if you want to be more involved in it?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Yeah, I my thought would be of well, and it's obvious, but it's it's important, is to is to pray, is to commit it to the Lord. If God is laying a burden on your heart, either to be discipled or just disciple, the first thing that I do is I pray about it. I ask the Lord. And when I sense an opportunity, like I'll be talking to somebody, and there have been many times where someone has shared something that they're struggling with. I would, I would just step out and I would say, you know, if you ever would like to meet with me on on a regular basis, or it can be once a month, it can be once a week, it can be whatever, we can set the time, but I would love to meet with you and to just share some of my life with you and to pray with you. And I kind of throw that out. Once you commit it to the Lord, once you ask God to either use you as a mentor or to bring someone into your life that can mentor you, I think you want to be sensitive to those proddings, those times where you just see an opportunity and you don't know for sure, like, how do I know if this person, first of all, if they're equipped to do it, you know? And second, how do I know if they're gonna want to do it? Well, you just step out, you trust God that he's gonna work it together, that if this is not right, you've got to trust him. And that's the thing, you know, about prayer. And I've talked about that a lot. That's why prayer involves such faith, because you pray and then you step out and you trust that, okay, if I'm stepping out and this is not right, God's gonna close the door or he's gonna make me aware, or he's gonna, he's gonna show me what to do. I'm not gonna fall on my face. And if we ask God for wisdom and direction, we have to trust that he's gonna guide us in that. So I would, I would go according to prodding, I would step out and uh and just ask him for it. And then how I do it, when I first begin discipleship, I'll tell you, it's it's a conversation. I just have a conversation. I ask questions about, I usually start off with one question is tell me about your time with God. Do you have daily time with the Lord? If you do, what's it like? If you don't, what do you think you struggle with? Usually that's how I start. I start in there finding out about how their prayer life and their devotional time is. And that usually opens up a flood of things. People either love to share it and then we get into it and we talk about it, or people I've had people just break down in tears. You know, when I ask that, they say, I don't I don't pray. I I don't have time of God, I don't know how to do it, I don't know what to do. And then we just talk about it and I share my experiences, I share my life, I share what what God has done since I was a young girl and how I've progressed in my walk with God and I share my my battles. I mean, I share my struggles. I am not above sharing things that I am struggling with and how God is meeting those struggles and how maybe things I've struggled with in the past and how God has met them. One thing I never want to come across in my discipleship and my mentoring is I never want to come across as thinking I've I'm there. You know what I'm saying? I'm I want to come across as as someone who can help you and who can encourage you. And I believe that I have a relationship with Christ that I can model. It's not perfect. I'm flawed, I'm a sinner, I I struggle, I battle just like anybody else. You don't have to be perfect in order to be a mentor. You just have to have a relationship with Christ and you have to be willing to share that. And I think God can use you wherever you are.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Some of these might be obvious. What would you say are some of the benefits of discipleship?

SPEAKER_01 9:55

To me, the benefits of discipleship are just number one, making an impact in someone else's life. You know, I love to teach others to do how to discover their spiritual gift. I love it. And I don't think there's anything wrong. As a matter of fact, I think it's a good thing to know your spiritual gift. I think if someone asks you what your spiritual gifts are, you you don't want to get all shy and say, oh, I don't know. I don't really think I have any. No, you don't want to be boastful. You know, it's all to the glory of God. And spiritual gifts are not something you've earned, it's something that God has given you. But I think it's important for you to be aware of them so that you know what steps to take. And one of my spiritual gifts is encouragement. I do have a spiritual gift of encouragement. So one of the benefits for me is that I know that I'm living out one of the gifts that God has given me, and that's the gift of encouragement. And I think it, you know, they say the Bible says iron sharpens iron, right? So when I'm working with someone else and I'm sharing my life with them, and I'm praying with them, and I'm praying for them, and I'm encouraging them, and I'm I'm helping them, that helps me in my walk with Christ. You know, that, and it doesn't make me at all like proud or I'm I'm, you know, whatever, because I know that I'm not, but it just it reminds me and it keeps me at that place where I need to be so that I can share my life with them. It keeps me, it keeps me in tune and seeing the other person grow. Oh my goodness. I have girls that I've worked with in our church in New York, and every now and then I'll get a letter from one. Maybe I worked with them 25 years ago, and they say, I still remember that really blessed me or whatever. And I can't tell you how much that blesses me. I it just the Lord really He uses my walk with them and my my ministry in them to bless me in my walk with him.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

It also sort of disarms a couple of tactics that the enemy would use against us, and one of those being Satan works to make us feel isolated, like we're alone in a situation that that no one understands. And then number two, that we're going through something that no one's ever been through, or that again, that no one would understand. It's so helpful to have someone that can share to be transparent about their own journey of faith. Because sometimes when you're going through something, you think, what am I doing wrong? Like, why am I encountering all of this opposition? Am I am I in disobedience somewhere? And that could be part of it. But if not, if if you're living a surrendered life and you're just facing one thing after another, Satan will still try to make you feel like you're doing something wrong. And but I I think that's where it really helps to have someone who knows enough about your life that can help you see from a clear perspective on that.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

A hundred percent, Heather. That is so true. You know, I think about the scripture where the Lord says to confess our sins to one another, right? And I think part of the value of that is that other people hear that we sin too. And and I think when we want to come across as just, you know, I I don't want to mentor people because I come across as this person that's just so beyond any anything. When I mentor people, it usually involves two things. Number one, it involves my walk with Christ. My walk with Christ has to be at a place where I can share with others. And, you know, if I'm living in unconfessed sin and I'm living in a place where I don't want anyone to pattern their lives after me, you know, then that's not right. Not that I'm perfect again. We'll never be perfect. We all sin and struggle and and battle things, but on a consistent level, that we're basically living that life that Christ wants us to live. The second thing is transparency. Transparency is key in mentoring, mentorship. I really believe that. I think it's that it's it's just sharing those those times where we've battled and we've struggled, and this is what God has done, and I've been through this, and this is how the Lord met me. And what you say is so true. That's what the devil loves to do. He loves to isolate. And when he isolates, he gets a hold of us and he makes us think that we're beyond help and that nobody is able to help us, and God is angry at us and whatever. And I think when when there's mentoring and a person is really open about things, you realize I am I am struggling, but everybody struggles. And to the glory of God, I can get through this. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. There's no temptation overtaking us, but as common man. God, you know, he will always provide that way of escape. And those kind of verses come real to us that we are in a battle, but we can get through it. There's no battle that God can't reach. There's no victory that God cannot bring in our life. Nothing. There's never a victory that God can't do. And sometimes we just need help with that. We need help from others to help us walk through that.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

We talked a few weeks ago about how our citizenship is in heaven. And I think discipleship just gives us a wonderful opportunity to have more conversations about that. You know, it's so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day details of this life. And I mean, you know, we all have responsibilities that we have to take care of in this world. But I think when we get together with other believers, and there's just something that is so life-imparting to just open up the word of God and to encourage one another to ask questions, you know, like you said, how how is it going with your prayer time? You know, and to actually have conversations about that. Even if you have to say, well, you know, my prayer time isn't where I want it to be. You can still walk away from that conversation, owning up to that, but feeling, you know, having just such an infusion of the life of Christ just by talking about it, you know, and kind of reorienting our life, living according to Christ. And it's so easy to get lost in the details of every day. So that's another, you know, just a great opportunity to just have conversations about the Lord. And I, you know, I think that that pleases him, even when we can get together and just exalt him in our conversation and even form that desire in a greater level in our hearts just to know him more.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Absolutely. If you if you're a mentor, it's not that you have to answer all the questions. You don't have to know everything. It's not like that. You just have to share your life experiences with them. And I think some people are intimidated to be mentors or disciplers because they feel like, what if they ask me a question? I don't know. Well, you know, people have asked me questions I don't know. And I say, I don't know, I'll get back to you. You know, I check in on that. If it's a biblical question that I don't know, I don't know everything about the Bible. If they ask me something or a life issue that I really don't know about, I'll I'll tell them I'm gonna pray for you. I don't know at this point, but you know, let's pray together. Let's let's let's ask God to show us together about it, you know. And and mentoring, again, mentoring and discipleship is not about being perfect and teaching, teaching the perfection or something like that. It's just about transparently sharing your life experiences with someone. It's about taking them by the hand and walking them through and saying, let's let's do this together, you know. And I think it's important when you do mentoring, just to throw this out there, you want to set up boundaries. You know, you want to say ahead of time, let's meet for a half an hour or an hour or 45 minutes or whatever, let's meet once a week, twice a week. Because I know especially mentors, I just want to speak this out a little bit. People that are very needy can drain you. And one of the things that I've come across, and I've had to set those boundaries, is that, you know, you want to help people. And sometimes the people that you want to help are very needy and they can really drain you. And so it's important to set healthy boundaries and to say, let's meet for 45 minutes or let's meet for an hour and try to stick with it. And if it's if meeting that much is too often, just cut back and say, you know what, let's let's cut this back to a little bit and you know, whatever. I think that that's important to to keep in mind because we are human. And, you know, when you work with people, especially people that have that have some, you know, not everybody that you mentor is going to have issues. Some people are just, you know, they're doing great. They just want to grow deeper. But some people that you mentor have have issues. They have life, life situations that they need help with. You know, you you want to make sure you set the right boundaries with those.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

It's not providing the answers to someone, but it's directing them in how they can find the answers through the Lord themselves, through prayer, through scripture, and really just modeling, like you said, what it what it is like. How do you mature in Christ?

SPEAKER_01 18:30

And sharing how you've matured and sharing your life journey. And and I kind of picture, as we're talking about it, picture, you know, holding someone's hand and saying, let's go through this together. And and, you know, someone knowing that they can depend on you, knowing that, you know, when I used to do a small group, I used to do training for small group facilitators. And and one of the things they always used to say is you want you want it to be a place where people can share their biggest, their their greatest stories and their biggest failures. And that's kind of like what a mentor is. A mentor is someone that they can share those great times with and know that there's someone that's really gonna get excited. Like maybe you've been praying with that person and you know, praying for a particular situation in their life. And when they come, guess what? We prayed, and and God answered those prayers. And just to know that there's someone that's gonna value that, and I think on the same line, someone that's gonna come and say, I was fired from my job, or, you know, whatever, my boyfriend broke up with me, or whatever, and know that somebody really cares about you. I think those two things uh add into it. So it's just living life with somebody. That that's what it's all about. It's living life and sharing what Christ has done.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

And so, okay, so we did hit on some reasons why we don't do it. And you mentioned being so busy, uh, we don't have time to do it. And also um sort of isolation. But what I mean for the I think there's also like a lot of people who would do it. I mean, if if you went up to them and said, would you like to be involved in some Christian discipleship? I think a lot of people would be open to it. But I wonder like what is really what what is preventing that from happening? You know, why why aren't we seeing more of that?

SPEAKER_01 20:15

I think sometimes it's intimidation, sometimes it's ignorance, just not knowing. And, you know, I just want to kind of deviate into a little direction. I'm not opposed. Like when churches have discipleship programs, right? And they have intentional discipleship programs, and they use certain curriculum, they use certain material. I'm not opposed to that. And I don't want to come across like you never use it, you only share life experience. Like that's kind of how I do it myself. I've been part of many discipleship programs that were set up by church, you know, our churches and and different groups that we were in, and we use particular material, and that's fine. I mean, that's totally fine. And I think that there are different ways of discipling and different ways of mentoring, and one is not better than the other, let's let's put it that way. But I think just sharing how I do it personally, unless I'm part of one of those study group discipleship programs, that's how I tend to do it. But I think, you know, to answer that question, Heather, I think intimidation is a big thing. People are just intimidated on both ends. They're intimidated to to pursue being being discipled, and they're intimidated to be a mentor. I think churches are not offering the discipleship programs like they used to. You know, one of the things that happened after COVID was many churches stopped having small groups. And I wish they would get back to that. I think small groups really do help. Small groups in some ways is is discipleship mentoring. It's not one on one, but it's definitely involved in the mentoring process because they're small and life is lived out and people share their experiences. And that whole thing of, you know, you share your biggest joys and your biggest sorrows, that's all met there. And and even if you don't have the one on one mentoring that I love to do, the Group mentoring really is important too. And I think I would like to see more small groups formed. I think that they were really helpful.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

Yeah. And it seems like a lot of discipleship should be happening organically in the relationships that you're forming in the people that you're meeting, the people that you're already around. So I'm thinking of when we were maybe talking about prayer, and you said you'll often ask, How can I pray for you? And I thought that was just a great question to sort of open up even the topic of spirituality and even the gospel. You know, not that you're presenting the gospel, but even by asking someone how you can pray for them can open a door. So what would you say if there's someone right now who is willing and looking for an opportunity to, let's just say first, to disciple others, what would be a good, like an easy way to kind of get that conversation started, similar to the how can I pray for you?

SPEAKER_01 23:03

Okay, so I think aside from just going up to a person and doing that, I would recommend if people are involved in a church, and it's a it's a good healthy church, which I'm assuming, I would recommend talking to some of the leaders. And even, you know, there's always need in the youth department, you know, the high school, the college, the young adults, and and to make yourself available and to say, I'm available for discipleship. If you have any needs, I would love to be involved. If you would let me know if there's anything that I can do, I'd love to be involved in discipleship. And sometimes you just don't know that the needs are there. Um, you know, I mean, that's that's aside from the personal just going up to people and those kind of conversations usually with me, they usually come out of just a conversation. I'll be talking to someone and they'll they'll be sharing some of their struggles. And so I I usually will just step out and say, well, you know, if you ever wanted to meet with me, I can pray with you and I can help you through whatever I can help you through. Just let me know. And you know, it's kind of comes out of, you know, comes out of that. But I think being intentional, I really think we need to be intentional about it. I would, I would definitely contact our church. I think that would be the first thing to do and to make yourself available, to see if there's any need for discipleship. There might be needs that you don't even know about. Maybe it's some of those group discipleships that are doing a curriculum that you don't know about, or maybe it's personal one-on-one mentorship that, you know, is is our opportunities. But I would talk to your church. It's funny because I was never mentored. I don't know why. I never had a person in my life that mentored me. And I and I think it's something that I've I've looked back on and I've thought, boy, I wish I did. I wish I had had that opportunity. I remember when I was in high school, um, my pastor's wife taught a small group Bible study. And I remember just soaking in, and she was beautiful. And she had one, she was like a homecoming queen of this big university, and she was just beautiful. And she was very transparent. And I think that's the closest I ever got to mentorship. She would live out her life, and I remember she would share, she would share situations that she experienced and things that she did. And boy, it just made me want to do it. You know, I remember that feeling of just being like my mouth was open, just like, oh, I want that, you know, I want that life experience. And she gave me just a thirst for the for the for the Bible and thirst for God. And it's funny because I I never had a person mentor me when I was growing up. I've been asked that. Who who was your mentor? I was like, I really didn't have a set mentor. I really didn't have it, but I had people that influenced me, of course.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

Yeah, and interesting what you remember isn't necessarily something that she taught you, but just her transparency, her willingness to share her life with you.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

I remember, okay, so I'm just gonna share a situation. I remember I used to go to this Bible study. It was another Bible study, it was outside of our church, and and they were a little off. Now I realize they were off. But back then I didn't realize it. And I remember the lady there that let one of the the pat the wife of the guy that led it just never took care of herself and her hair was just long and it was stringy and she never, never cared for herself. And and she had this big, gigantic, big wart on her nose. And I remember you think, why don't you get that off? Like it was just there were so many things that just, you know, she was not, didn't take any any interest in herself at all. Okay. And she would say to us, girls, because it was a girl study, she would say, girls, don't spend time in front of the mirror. Get in front of the mirror, do what you have to do, and get away because it's gonna turn to vanity. It's wrong, it's ungodly, it's uh it's unbiblical, you know. And um, and so, you know, I was in high school, I was very impressionable. I really wanted to serve the Lord, and I thought, okay, okay. And then I remember going to this other Bible study in my church with this other, you know, her name was Mrs. Sealing, and with Mrs. Seelig, and she was she was talking, and I I asked her about that. And I remember her saying, Barb, I always think when someone meets you, the first representation they have of Jesus is you. And so she said, I never want to be overly done up, but I always want to be, you know, as as as made as attractive as I can be to set a set across a positive image of who Jesus is. In fact, it impacted my life to this day. I still remember those words, and that's what mentorship can do. It it affects your life, it it changes your life. So I've never gotten away from the mirror since then. No, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

No, I was gonna say, I know which one you listen to because my earliest memory of you is like your makeup mirror and all your little makeup things around you in your room.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

That other lady was gone out of my life. She was yeah. You you removed her like a wart right off your nose.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

That's right. That's right. She was gone. She was gone. But it really does impact our lives, you know. These these kind of things make an impact. And just to think that you can make that very same impact into someone else's life. And I don't think Mrs. Sealing ever realized how much she impacted me. I've often tried to get a hold of her, but I don't even know where she is or if she's still, if she's with the Lord or here. But boy, she made an impact on me.

SPEAKER_00 28:18

She did. It's funny because you you think about things that people have told you, especially when you were growing up, you know, that you still remember to this day that to them, they they probably don't remember even saying it. And then it just kind of makes you realize what an awesome opportunity we have to be that voice in someone else's life.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

One of the prayers that I pray every day, and I just about every day, is I say, Lord, let me be a person who draws people to you. And that's just my simple prayer. Lord, let me draw people to you. I I never want to turn people away from Jesus by my actions and my responses and you know what I do, I want to draw. And when you think about mentoring, that is an amazing way of being able to draw people to Jesus. It's just, it's an awesome way. And it's something we need to have more in the body of Christ. That's a pattern that Christ set up for us. He lived that pattern. Jesus was a discipler. His apostles were disciplers. They lived a life of discipleship. Our churches and the body of Christ needs to be more intentional with it today.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

Yeah, it's a great opportunity for each one of us to be an encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Were you ever mentor? I remember being in like some smaller groups when I was younger that made an impression on me. But I would say in high school, there were a few older Christians who did befriend me and really hold me accountable. We did not have set meetings, but they impacted me. But yeah, that was a great encouragement to me for sure.

SPEAKER_01 30:00

That's why it's such a shame nowadays when I see so many Christians, and I do see it. I see so many Christians that are not transparent. They're just not, they they kind of think that they're being a better model if they just try to come across as living this perfect life. And um, and I think what it does is it's just it really works against it, we're it works against us. It works against the life that God wants. That's why the body life is so real. That's why we live it out. We share, we share our good and our bad. You know, people love us for who we are, and it's it's so important to live that that transparency. I think that's that's a key.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

Yeah, and I'll say too, we don't necessarily have to have a whole bunch in common with the other person. Because I'm thinking of a time probably 10 years ago or so, I I was actually meeting with a couple of young moms, and I am not married and I'm not a mom. And initially I thought, what do I have to say to these young moms? They're in a, you know, in a season of their life that I just can't even relate to. But what we did have, all three of us, was a love for God's word. And that's that's what they came to me, and they wanted to really grow in their understanding of God's word. So we would meet once a week for about an hour, and we would work our way through different books of the Bible. And I was just as encouraged, I'm sure I grew just as much as both of those young moms did during that time together. And I looked forward to it every week. I I just remember walking away every week thinking, God is so awesome, and what a joy it is just to open up his word and to share that with others and to hear how they're growing. And yeah, it was just a huge blessing for me too.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

That's awesome. God wants to use us in ways that we can't even imagine. God wants to use you, and God is able to use you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. That God gives us a desire to do it and he enables us to do it. As far as mentoring goes, ask God for a desire for it and trust that he's going to use you. Sinful as you are. You don't know a lot of stuff, that's okay. None of us know a lot of stuff. I mean, it's not what we know, it's who we know. And it's just the fact that we have lived this life with Christ and we can share what God has done in us and through us with people and affect them in ways that we can never imagine. God can use us in unbelievable ways if we just make ourselves available for Him.

SPEAKER_00 32:34

Yes, Amen. And bringing it back to what we started with, making it a matter of prayer and then just keeping our eyes open for opportunities. Just seek God in it and He'll open those doors.

SPEAKER_01 32:47

God wants to do it. If if you're there and you've been wanting to be mentored, ask the Lord to show you, ask God to give you wisdom, ask him to guide your steps. And if you are there and you realize that you could make a difference in others' lives and you're not maybe making as much a difference as you'd like to, ask God to open those doors. And he really will. He wants to, and he wants to use you. Amen. How about I close in prayer? Father, we we thank you so much, God, as we talk about this topic of mentoring and discipleship. And even as I think about it, Lord, Jesus, you were the most, you were the best discipler. You lived life with your disciples, Lord. You lived it out, you patterned it. Father, I pray that we would use you as our model, God. I pray, Lord, that you would use this time. I pray, Father, that you would give each of us opportunities, Lord, to make a difference in others' lives. I pray, God, that we wouldn't be just settled in our own life. Father, I pray that each of us would have the burden on our heart, that we want our lives to be a life that draws others to you. God, that we would be intentional about that and what we do and how we pray and our reactions and our thoughts and our choices. Father, I pray, Lord God, that you would open this door of discipleship and mentoring in each person's life that's listening. I pray for our churches that we would be so intentional about discipleship. Lord, salvation is key. But Lord, you tell us to make disciples and that we bring them to maturity and walk with them and help them, God. And I pray that you would give us wisdom. I pray, Lord, that you would raise up leaders that have a burden for this. I pray, Father, our churches and our and our ministries, different ministries that we're involved in. I pray that each one of us, God, would see you in this way, that we would see that that, that you have called us, Lord, to live this life with others and that you've called us to walk this through with others, to be the example in others' lives that will encourage and motivate them. Lord, we just thank you again for this time. We thank you, Father, for who you are, for your working power in our lives. And we just surrender everything that's been said to you. We trust you, God, to work in ways that you alone can. Father, stir our hearts for what stirs yours. We entrust this to your hands and thank you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.