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I Was Just Thinking About – MANTLES AND MENTORING.
A foible in life is that many people do not allot or make
time to invest in another's life by becoming positively engaged and involved in it. Mentoring means: “a wise or trusted adviser or guide;
one who trains another.” The Biblical model is the ministry of Jesus Christ and
the training of the twelve. His injunction was simple and clear: “Follow Me…I
will make you…” into that which I want you to be – “fishers of men.” He was the
teacher and example for what He wanted them to become and be for Him in ongoing
ministry effort.
Mentoring involves God bringing two or more people together where
a younger man can learn and benefit from the ministry, life and training of one
who is experienced in ministry. While this happens often in the secular field
(one becoming an apprentice of an experienced person), the focus in this Blog
is the need for it to occur more frequently in the spiritual area. The idea of
mentoring is to maintain that which must be ongoing with practical instruction
and guidance. It is the desire that trial by error can and will be avoided.
A difficulty is the desire of the one needing mentoring to
be willing to receive it. I recently watched a program on this subject by two
ministers who had been mentored and were given opportunity to mentor others. It
did remind me of an experience of several years ago. I was part of a small
group of both layman and ministers who met weekly. On one occasion, there was a
Spirit-led time of transparency. As different ones shared areas of
vulnerability, there was time of prayer for the individual who was sharing a
sense of need and inadequacy. I felt led to share a vulnerability and was interrupted
by a dear brother in Christ (now in the presence of the Lord) who said: “And I thought
you had your act together.”
It was not timely or helpful, but it was hurtful. Why
hurtful? From age five, I did not have the relationship with my earthly father.
He was in the Hospital and died when I was age seven. I grew up in a community
and atmosphere where I was told that I’d never amount to anything and was even
referred to with a coarse term that is defined as being illegitimate. In my
childhood and teen years, it was my sister who consistently showed me love and
affirmation. There were a handful of layman who nudged me along as well.
It reminds one of I Corinthians 4:14-16 and the principle of
mentoring, “I am not writing this to shame
you, but to warn you as my beloved children. Even if you have ten thousand
guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became
your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” The
other reminder is in I Kings 19:16, the Lord directs Elijah, “Elisha you shall
anoint to be prophet in your place.” Elijah was obedient to the Lord’s
directive, First Kings 19:19 (NASB), “Elijah passed over to him and threw his
mantle (cloak) on him.”
Paul wrote to Timothy about the significance of mentoring, II Timothy 2:2 (NIV),
“And the things you have heard me say
in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be
qualified to teach others.”
There are many passages to note on the
subject of mentoring. Basically, it means one should be willing and ready to
invest his/her life in that of another person(s). Sometime, the lack of peer
acceptance is a detriment to ones mentoring desire and effort. In 2012, I wrote
about peer acceptance and appreciation in a book – Realizing Significance. Part
of the theme indicates there are no unneeded, insignificant, unacceptable,
inconsequential or little people in God’s kingdom. Francis Schaefer wrote: “There
are no little people and no big people. There are either consecrated people or
unconsecrated people.”
Relationally, can we remember this as we try
to mentor others? Have you made a difference in another’s life and ministry? Have
you allowed yourself to be vulnerable when reaching out to another with “the
things you have heard” and learned so they can “entrust (it) to reliable people
who will also be qualified to teach others”?
Prayerfully – consider these things with
me.
