Jesus provides our one true model, message and method to direct our mentoring under the guidance and empowering of the Holy Spirit. Mark tells us “he appointed twelve that they might be with him” (Mark 3: 14) He moulded these disciples by sharing his life with them. He demonstrated how to bring pleasure to God, and how best to serve and honour him so that others would take God seriously and give him his rightful place in their lives. We can learn how he went about being with his disciples, from their immature first steps to their becoming leaders who would be strong pillars of his kingdom, after their Pentecost experience. He provides not only our best example but he is our own best mentor. To reflect to any worthwhile degree on the way he moulded the lives of the twelve, we also need to share his life.
However it is vital to appreciate that there was one regular aspect of his life in which, until Gethsemane, the disciples participated only indirectly. Those were his times of solitude with his Father when, before dawn and at least once, all night, he maintained that intimacy which undergirded and empowered his whole life and ministry (Mark 1 :35; Luke 6:12-15). Here is probably the greatest lesson we must keep learning - to find and frequent our places of solitude, our desert place, our retreat, where as our Lord did, we can take unhurried time to keep God in the centre.
His BEING:
Probably what the disciples would remember best from being continually with Jesus was who he was as a Person - his character, his integrity, his credibility, his uniqueness. Growth of their characters was Jesus’ primary concern. Essentially this happened by observation, and as they participated in his simple lifestyle and his dynamic ministry (Matt 8:20).The disciples were continually exposed to his genuine compassion for everyone: the poor and the sick (Mark 1:41; Luke 7: 13), the crowds with their varied needs (Matt 9:36); those with status (Mark 10:21) and even those who rejected him (Matt 23:37). They were staggered by his servant leadership and great humility (Matt 9:10; Luke 22: 27; John 13: 5 – 17; 2 Cor 8: 9; Phil 2: 7 – 8). They were awed by his wise teaching (Matt 7: 29) and miracle power (Mark 1:23-26; Matt 8:23-27; Matt 9:18-26) but also stunned with the vehemence of his righteous indignation against hypocrisy (Matt 23:1-26) and injustice (Mark 11:15-18).
They were impressed by his concern for the weak and marginalised. Little children had ready access to him (Mark 10: 13 – 16) and a despised Samaritan, rather than a religious Jew, was the ‘good’ man in his famous parable (Luke 10: 25 – 37)
What a challenge Jesus presents to us, as mentors, to become like him. Our credibility, our believability is so important, but this is not something we generate entirely in our own strength. Paul’s teaching on ‘life by the Spirit’ (Gal 5:16-25) portrays quality of character as fruit which is reproduced in us as we seek to “live in the Spirit - keep in step with the Spirit”, and as we abide in him (John 15).
HIS WORDS:
What Jesus said indeed proved to be words of life (John 6: 68) He spoke plainly so all understood, always enabling listeners to make practical application (eg Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7). They note, along with the crowd, that when he spoke he had an influence, a power to engender obedience, an authority unlike any other teacher (Matt 7: 28,29).
He used everyday events as real-life case studies (Mark 9:14-29; 10:23-31). When they weren’t at hand, he used parables, imaginary stories, as case studies to ground their understanding (Mark 4: 1-34); we would say he blended cognitive and behavioural learning styles.
He never compromised the truth even when he knew it would offend and he would lose apparent supporters (John 6:60). The disciples were admonished when they made mistakes (17:14-21), corrected when they thought wrongly (Matt 18:21, 22; 19: 13-15; Mark 16: 14), affirmed for their increase in knowledge and discernment (Matt 16:17-19), and encouraged when they were successful (Luke 10:21-24).
Jesus also stressed to his disciples the indispensability of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for every aspect of their being, words and deeds (John 14:15-17, 25, 26; 15:26; 16:5-15; Acts 1: 4,5,8). The disciples would heartily agree with the temple guards who were part of the conspiracy to destroy him, ‘No-one ever spoke the way this man does’ (John 7: 46) What a model to follow!
HIS DEEDS:
The disciples would echo the crowd’s response to his miracles “we have never seen anything like this’ (Mark 2:12). They soon became convinced that all Jesus’ ministry was motivated by divine love. He instructed them that love must be the badge of their discipleship, ‘the very spring of all their actions’, they must love as he loved (John 13:34; 15:12, 13, 17; 2 Cor 5:14). They must have been almost overwhelmed that Jesus entrusted his ministry to them with remarkable results. He practised true mutuality in ministry, not to make his task lighter but to help them develop, in order to continue his ministry after his ascension (Matt 28:16-20; Mark 6: 7-13). Was Jesus inviting his disciples to actually perform the miracle of feeding the 5,000 when he said, ‘You give them something to eat?’ If so, they missed a mind-blowing opportunity when they looked to their own limited resources rather than trusting in God’ -Mark 6:37,38). He chided them when they failed, but stood by them, helping them to learn by reflecting on the event -Mark 9:14-29.
The outcome Christ desired in his mentorees, who were initially unlikely choices as future leaders, was to produce people who could bear witness to him in all they said and did. And what remarkable witnesses and leaders the disciples became: prayerful, faithful, Christ-like, obedient, courageous, authoritative, full of compassion, effective in calling people to faith and nurturing and equipping them for ministry. They were instrumental in changing the course of history.
Quote of the Day:
All biblical mentoring then is under-mentoring.
Jesus Christ is the real and decisive agent in Christian mentoring.
We cannot bring about change in our mentorees,
yet we can influence them to be changed by Jesus Christ.
Therefore we must not regard him as the mentor of the past only,
but as mentor in the present as well.
Jesus’ mentoring prototype is not merely a static blueprint of days past,
it is operational as a formative power through the Holy Spirit today.
In our day and age the Master’s promise, ‘Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people’ (cf Matt 4:19) has lost neither its validity nor its authority.
The Lord Jesus as our coaching model seeks more than our mere interest in him
as an historical forerunner; he claims our trust as our present enabler.”
How are you doing at bearing witness to Jesus in all you say and do?
What might help you become more Christlike?
Godshaped Mentoring is the site where Rev Viv records material shared in the Mentor Training events held in a partnership between two Baptist Churches in Auckland New Zealand in 2012 and 2013. The blog has been set up to ensure people who missed some aspect of of the training can catch up on the themes covered and skills taught, and so we can add insights and feedback as the programme takes shape.
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