Rev. Jeff Rogers delivered the sermon at Northside last Sunday and painted a beautiful picture of the mentoring relationship Paul had with Timothy. As Paul got older and became less physically active, he knew that there needed to be a capable leader to step into his shoes and continue spreading the ministry. Paul picked Timothy for this honor and spent significant time mentoring him so he could take over. That brings us to today’s verse which is from Proverbs 27:17:
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another”
Rev. Jeff had a few points about mentoring others:
- If you are mentoring someone, you need to pray for them. Paul said that he prayed constantly for Timothy.
- You should truly care about those you are mentoring and want the best for them. You should give them guidance that will in-turn help them become better disciples for Jesus.
- You should “pour yourself” in to those you are mentoring, meaning that you should invest in them in order to create a return on that investment.
One of his points was that we may not feel ready to mentor another person because we don’t feel equipped or qualified to do so. If that describes you, then you should reach out to Christian men you trust and respect in order to help bring you along on the road to discipleship.
This might feel like a heavy burden for those of us who really just want to go to church or a Bible study in order to be fed but who don’t really have an interest in taking on more responsibility than that. The idea that God expects us to be a disciple to others and not just someone who sits and listens might be a lot to process.
But it may help to think about the church as a disciple factory. The goal is to be constantly moving people along a discipleship conveyor belt. What would be the point of it all otherwise? Imagine a car factory that didn’t produce cars….it wouldn’t stay in business very long because the whole purpose of the factory is to produce a finished car that someone will buy.
But unlike a car factory, we don’t have to become a “completed” or “perfect” disciple before we engage in mentoring others and bringing them along. There will always be someone ahead of you and behind you on the discipleship conveyor belt. For those behind you, there is an opportunity to reach back and offer them a hand forward. And, in the same way, we need to reach out to those ahead of us in order to accelerate our discipleship growth.
Here are a few questions for discussion:
- Do you agree with the idea that God expects all of us to be moving along a discipleship “conveyor belt”?
- Does mentoring others in their Christian walk necessarily need to be a formal process or can it be more informal?
- Are you comfortable with the idea that you should always be working on becoming a better disciple in order to mentor others in your life and help them become better disciples?
- What are some simple things we can do to be a mentor to others even if those efforts aren’t through a formal mentoring program?
- In what ways can each of us better prepare ourselves to be a disciple who can be used by God?
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