Many Mentors

Before Christ, I was a know-it-all, often correcting my high school teachers and anyone else I thought was wrong. After Christ, that attitude messed with my spiritual growth. Over the years, learning that I need to learn has been a most challenging discipline. Finding a mentor is challenging also. Moving often didn’t help. How many mentors can keep up with someone whose address keeps changing? Never mind that smarty-pants attitude.

Discipleship is encouraged in Christian churches. I wanted to do it but didn’t see my own need for it. Eventually, God showed me several things. One is that only Jesus can mentor anyone and everyone. He is omniscient; no one knows more than He does or can do anything good that He cannot surpass. I do not know it all!

Second, when a person keeps moving from city to city or even country to country, they need more than one person to do their mentoring. More about that later.

When Paul went to Corinth, people were saved and needed to be taught the things of God. He didn’t rush in, hold an evangelistic meeting, then leave . . .

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:8–11)

These verses have me thinking about discipleship and how it has been part of my life. My first Christian mentor was a woman. God used her to teach me about sin; what it is and the hold it has on people’s lives. She also was a powerful example to show me that death and loss are not to be feared. Then we moved . . .

Yet God provided mentors along the way. With more than two dozen moves, I can mention only a few of my disciple-makers. God used a pastor to show how doctrinal differences cannot ruin fellowship yet can be debated in humor and love. God used a friend to teach me about perseverance and how to deal with false teachers. He used my husband and my sister to teach me about giving and that I cannot out-give God. He used another pastor and two friends to teach me that His love is unconditional, pure and complete. He used an entire congregation to show me that love is action, not mere words.

God also showed me that people are different than I am for many reasons. One of them is that He gives various motivations through spiritual gifts that come in various strengths. One of those gifts is ‘teacher’ — often defined as a person with a hunger for information and a desire to pass that information to others. The downside of that gift is a human tendency to think that knowing truth is good enough, neglecting to personally applying it. For that, I need others, like the ‘encourager’ who will say “And what are you going to do about it?”

He has sent people into my life to mentor me in other ways too. The ‘comforter’ who cares about feelings (and I tend to not) is my example when others are suffering and need to know God loves them. The ‘server’ who cares about getting things done gets me off my backside and into the kitchen or on to some other task. The ‘administrator’ helps me see God’s ways of planning projects and completing them, delegating if necessary.

My teaching/information-gathering tendencies are coupled with a strong desire that people know and understand God. The word used in the Bible is ‘prophecy’ which is about knowing and declaring the will of God. This is a black and white mentality and not popular just as most of God’s Bible prophets were not popular. 

A person with this gift sets high standards and often feels that they cannot measure up. Turning inward and having pity-parties are common. However unwelcome this gift is to most who have it, when combined with any of the other gifts, it enhances them to focus on the will of God.

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Jesus, with all this understanding, You have given me a good lesson in why the ordinary idea of a mentor or disciple-maker has never quite worked for me and why I have trouble doing follow-up with new Christians. I jump in with information-overload, push for a radical focus on You, and am impatient with those whose greater interest is in feeling good. Now that I get that, are You asking me to change? You know me and my tendency to be satisfied with just knowing something. Show me how/what You want me to do with what You are showing me today and give me motivation and opportunities to put it to good use.

Face-to-face instead of technology . . .

Imagine the early church beginning in our era instead of when it did. Paul could stay home and speak to the known world through radio, television and the Internet. His face-to-face meetings and confrontations would not have happened nor would any mission trips be necessary. His life story would not be very interesting.

For example, Paul’s second trip began with him headed off to Asia, but the Spirit of Jesus and a night-time vision took him to Macedonia where he “concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (Acts 16:6–10)

He and his traveling companions sailed to Philippi, a leading city in Macedonia and a Roman colony. A stay of several days resulted in prayer on the banks of a river with several women and one named Lydia was saved. After the Lord “opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” she was baptized and her household, then showed hospitality to Paul and his co-workers. (Acts 16:11–15)

From there, they encountered a demonic slave girl and set her free, but her owners hauled them to the marketplace where they were attacked and beaten, then thrown in jail. (Acts 16:23–24)

At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. The prisoners listened, and suddenly there was a great earthquake that shook the prison and opened its doors. The jailer woke up and thought the prisoners had escaped. He was about to kill himself, but Paul not only reassured him but “they spoke the word of the Lord to him and his house.” He washed their wounds; and was baptized with his family. (Acts 16:25–33)

Next, they travelled to Thessalonica, went to the synagogue of the Jews where some were persuaded and joined them along with many devout Greeks and leading women. But the Jews were jealous, formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. (Acts 17:10–14)

None of this would have happened if Paul had a radio ministry or used social media. He may have been safer but this narrative would be missing as would be evidence of God at work through him.

Paul went from Thessalonica to Athens and “his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.” (Acts 17:16–17) He went to their gathering place and preached to them. Some mocked, but others wanted to hear more. He left for Corinth and those who believed joined him.

In that city, “he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 18:1–4) By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, “Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 18:5–6)

Even so, the ruler of the synagogue believed in the Lord and many of the Corinthians believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:8–11)

Again, the Jews hauled Paul before the Roman tribunal, but the proconsul wasn’t interested in their disputes. He refused to judge these things. Paul left Corinth and went to Ephesus. He first reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue but declined their request to stay. “I will return to you if God wills.” He sailed to Caesarea, greeted their church, then went to Antioch, then did another tour through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, to strengthen all the disciples. (Acts 18:19–23)

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Lord, I love how this story begins with prayer and obedience. This pattern no doubt continued throughout the life of this faithful servant. It sets an example for me too. Not only do I always need to seek and follow Your direction, I also need to realize how personal connection can be far weightier and more important than texting, social media, or this blog. Hitting someone’s mailbox does not say God loves you as much as knocking on their door and greeting them with smiles and hugs.