"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."
Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:24-25)
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is
not a easy journey. Few, if any great disciples are made alone apart from
the sharpening of other disciples. As Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron
sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." The battle to choose to
make the commitment to become a disciple of Christ is not easy and the
battle to find a mutual brother (or a sister in the faith if you are a
woman) to be that iron in your life is even harder. However, it is one of
life's most important battles to fight because the spiritual growth that
comes from such is life changing. To then later or at the same time find a
spiritual mentor is even harder.
The
Call has gone out to young men and women all over the world. Soon they
will start to respond to The
Call in large numbers, simply because the desires of the heart to know
ones calling in life and walk in it are very real. We have witnessed books
on finding your purpose hit the best seller lists on the New York Times
and people realize it has something to do with God, with spirituality and
with faith...but most who have read the books still find themselves
wondering.
We have created House
Groups to respond to meet the needs of those who respond to The
Call and to minister to the many young adults already in Kansas City.
Yet, coming to seek purpose and living with other believers seeking the
same is still not enough.
Purposeful and intentional weekly mutual
discipleship is something that not only results in great fellowship, close
and intimate brothers / sisters in the faith, but that also sharpen each
disciple to become a 'Life Disciple". Not to come as each weekly
police agent / accountability partner, but asking how
they are each doing in areas of weakness, and being true being brothers or
sisters in the faith. Accountability partner arrangements seldom
work long term or bring long term change because they are created in such
a way to where they are formed more under a old covenant philosophy and
not one of the New Covenant. Men and women under the old were
bound to fail again and again, but under the New Covenant through not just
the Crucifixion, but through the power of the Resurrection change is possible. It was
Jesus himself who said he has come to set the captives free. What we are
now forming are Life Disciples through the DLM Life Disciple Program. To
be a disciple, is to first choose to make the commitment to become such
and then to start on a process with a life goal of remaining a disciple
for Christ long term.
For the most part a program like this has never
really made it off the ground within any organization because they are
created from a younger-older or a growing-mature relationship between two
men or two women. This makes a program hard to launch because it requires
a vast amount of ministry staff people or older leaders to assume a leader
role, but discipleship can also take place between two mutual disciples
with a desire to grow spiritually. However, only if started from the right
mindset and basis and that's just what the Life Disciple Program is being
created to do. Through this program DLM will suggest pairs of two young
men or two young women as mutual disciples who both desire to grow
spiritually to each other. We will match those of whom from our in depth
application we believe are similar in heart and mind to grow along side
each other. Knowing what the strengths and weaknesses are of applicants
from the applications to put two young men (as well as pairs of young
women in the program) together who will sharpen each other. For
many who start the program as mutual disciples, they will become life long
disciples and friends. In three to five years many of these disciples we
believe God will raise up to be in the spiritual maturity in their life to
become mentors and mentor younger believers in the future of DLM through
the Future Kingdom Manor.
If you are between the ages of 20-30 and have
a desire to apply for the Life Disciple Program please contact us today to
request an application for the Life Disciple Program. If you are 30 or
older and consider yourself to be spiritually mature to now mentor a
younger man or if you are a woman, to mentor a younger woman please
include a letter with your application sharing more about your
qualifications you have of which you believe would enable you to be a
strong mentor. Because of the nature of such a relationship and the
influence a mentor can have over a young adult, we hold very high
standards for mentors and not all applicants to be mentor may qualify even
though they believe they are such. You must also agree and hold to the
tenants of our statement of faith to apply for this program as a disciple
or mentor.
Contact us
today to apply for the Life Disciple Program and request an
application for it by clicking
here.
House Groups