Everybody needs a mentor?
“Mentoring” is a buzzword these days. The business world loves the term, but what does mentoring mean in the church?
Mentoring is one believer intentionally investing in another believer to help him or her become more like Christ. It’s discipleship the way Jesus and Paul did it.
Jesus and Paul made disciples through mentoring. They prayerfully watched for potential mentees, initiated relationships with them, trained them, corrected them as needed, and then released them to do ministry themselves. They modeled for us what we need to be doing today, especially when we remember how others have helped us grow.
This study focuses on the mentoring relationship between Paul and Timothy. It’s only an introduction to the topic, but you’ll get enough to start mentoring. Someone probably helped you in your walk with Christ; now you can do the same.
MENTORING: HOW TO EQUIP AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
“My mentor told me I should be open to getting remarried,” Tom remarked. That wasn’t surprising, as I knew Tom was lonely after his wife of forty-nine years had passed away. What did surprise me was hearing he still had a mentor; after all, he was more than seventy years old. And his mentor was over ninety years old himself!
Tom is one of my heroes in the faith. I count him not only a friend, but also a mentor and a model of faith. His prayer life is powerful, and his commitment to godliness is deep. He walks so faithfully with God that I invite him to my seminary classes every semester because I want my students to know him.
Tom’s mentor invests in him. In turn, Tom walks beside me as my mentor. I then pour into the students I’m mentoring. Through these relationships, I teach them what Tom has taught me—and I’m trusting they will teach others, too. Mentoring: one person investing in another.
Our look this week at Paul and Timothy’s relationship helps us prepare to be mentors ourselves.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
2 Timothy 2:1-2
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 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.
Mentoring is about relationships, but those relationships don’t happen by accident. They happen because we intentionally watch for God-given intersections and build God-centered friendships.
Before Paul’s Christian conversion, you would not have wanted him as a mentor. He was a zealous persecutor (named Saul at that time) who arrested Christians and sent them to their deaths. While Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, God grabbed his attention by striking him down with a blinding light. Right then and there, Saul believed and was saved (Acts 9:1-19). The first step in being a mentor is intentionally turning from your sin and trusting Jesus to save you. That relationship matters more than any other.
Later, during his second missionary journey through the city of Lystra, Paul saw Timothy, a young man about whom others spoke well of (Acts 16:1-2). Timothy’s mother and grandmother were believers (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-17), but we have no evidence that his Greek father followed Christ. It’s possible, in fact, that Paul had led Timothy to follow Christ during an earlier missionary journey (Acts 14:5-7), and he continued to hear good reports about the young man.
Paul must’ve seen unique potential in Timothy. He wanted Timothy on his team, so he intentionally built a relationship with him. He gave Timothy opportunities to co-write letters (2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Philem. 1). Timothy also checked on churches they had planted. Later, Paul longed for Timothy to be with him as he faced death (2 Tim. 4:9).
The second letter Paul wrote to Timothy could be called Paul’s “last will and testament.” He called Timothy “my son,” showing that he saw himself as Timothy’s father in the faith. He loved Timothy like a son, and their hearts were knit together in the work of proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches. Paul could prepare for his own death knowing Timothy would carry on his work. Paul challenged Timothy to:
- Be strong in grace. Paul knew from his own journey that God could give Timothy all the strength he would need.
- Teach others all he had learned from Paul. Many had learned at Paul’s feet, and they could attest to the truth of his teaching. Paul expected Timothy to find other faithful leaders and teach them all he had learned.
- Challenge them to teach another generation of followers. Paul taught Timothy. Timothy taught others. His students then would teach another generation of followers. That’s exactly the way mentoring is supposed to work!
Think about those who invested in you. Even if no one served as an official mentor to you, others have modeled the Christian life for you. It’s also possible God has already placed someone in your life for you to mentor—so keep looking and praying.
2 Timothy 3:10-13
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Mentoring is about sharing life together. It’s journeying together, encouraging each other in the difficult times and celebrating together in the victories. It’s the mentee walking in the footsteps of the mentor until the mentee is ready to be a mentor to others.
In the midst of this journey, Paul affirmed God had watched over him and rescued him from all his troubles. Timothy may not have been with Paul in every situation described in these verses, but he was watching Paul’s life closely. Paul could say with humble confidence that his life was worth imitating, for he was following Christ.
That’s what mentors do: invite others into their lives, and then show them the way to follow the God who is faithful to watch over His own. Mentoring involves preparing others for the future based on lessons learned in the past. Paul wanted Timothy to be prepared for the persecution he knew his protégé would face.
Making time for others may be one of the most difficult tasks of mentoring. Most of us are already trying to spin too many plates. If we add this call to invest our lives in somebody else like Paul did, it can feel like it’s too much to ask.
On the other hand, we can lose much if we don’t make this effort. We’ll miss opportunities to help others learn from what God has taught us. And we’ll miss seeing believers love Jesus and walk faithfully in the midst of their own trials. Mentoring is about living life together—all of it. It will take time to invest in someone, but it will be worth the effort.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Paul understood the importance of building a solid foundation. He may have been Timothy’s mentor, but he was building on the foundation of God’s Word. Timothy had a godly heritage through his mother and grandmother, and they had taught him the Scriptures from early in his childhood. Those Scriptures ultimately pointed Timothy to Jesus, in whom he found salvation by grace through faith.
Knowing Timothy would face his own struggles in ministry, Paul encouraged him to hold tightly to what he had learned and believed in the Word. Paul affirmed, “All Scripture is inspired by God” (CSB); that is, it was “God-breathed “ (NIV) or “breathed out by God” (ESV) (v. 16) as the Holy Spirit guided the writers (2 Pet. 1:20-21) to pen the words of Scripture. Further, it is profitable for: teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.
By continuing in the Word, Timothy would be thoroughly equipped to be the man God intended him to be. He would be prepared to do all God commanded as he regularly spent time reading and following the Scriptures. Apart from God’s Word, however, Timothy’s work would be fruitless and faithless.
Spiritual growth in Timothy’s life followed this process: his family grounded him in the Word of God, and Paul then built on that foundation. God gave Timothy not only his family of origin but also a mentor to help guide him. Together, they challenged Timothy to obey the Word. At the foundation of his growth, then, was his willingness to follow that Word.
Paul recognized that his own life was coming to an end. In the near future, he would have fully run his race (2 Tim. 4:6-7). No longer would he be around to help guide Timothy in his own work. His protégé would be on his own. Paul could die in peace, however, because he knew that the foundation of God’s Word would long outlast his life.
LIVE IT OUT
How will you help someone else grow in Christ? Choose one of the following applications:
- Pray. Ask God for someone who might help and mentor you in the faith. Keep your eyes open for a potential mentor.
- Invite. Invite someone to share a meal with you. Share your testimony, and learn more about the other person. Trust the Lord in whether that meeting will begin a mentoring relationship.
- Commit. Make a commitment to meet regularly (at least twice per month) with someone. If you need help in the mentoring process, read Mentor by Chuck Lawless (LifeWay, 2018).
The mentoring relationships you form may bear little resemblance to Paul and Timothy’s as far as outside pressures and suffering are concerned. But modeling our lives after theirs and the biblical principles they lived out will bear much fruit now and in the future.
Hope to see everyone this Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
Teacher Notes:
Teacher Notes:
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How would you have liked this relationship to have been more helpful? What can you take from this experience to help others?
How would you define the role of a mentor?
- The word “mentor” is defined as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.”
- The knowledge, advice, and resources a mentor shares depend on the format and goals of a specific mentoring relationship. A mentor may share with a mentee (or protege) information about his or her own career path, as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role modeling.
Name some mentor’s in the Bible?
- Moses was mentored by his father-in-law Jethro, first as son-in-law and then as a leader (Exodus 18).
- The mentoring relationship between Eli and Samuel prepared Samuel for the tasks and responsibilities that were his after Eli’s death (1 Samuel 1–4).
- Jesus mentored His disciples (Luke 9), and both Barnabas and Paul excelled in mentoring (Acts 9–15).
- Businesses benefit when someone with experience walks alongside and trains someone with less experience. Actually, mentoring is nothing new. It can be found even in the early history of the church. In that setting, we call it discipleship: one believer walking alongside another to help him or her grow in Christ. Everyone can benefit from having a mentor; most of us have.
Furthermore, we all have the opportunity and privilege of being a mentor. God can use anyone of us to equip and encourage another person to grow in Christ.
Let’s take a look this morning at the example of Paul and Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:1-2
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 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.
What words here suggest that the relationship between Paul and Timothy was strong?
- My son. The second letter Paul wrote to Timothy could be called Paul’s “last will and testament.” He called Timothy “my son,” showing that he saw himself as Timothy’s father in the faith. He loved Timothy like a son, and their hearts were knit together in the work of proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches.
What two actions did Paul urge Timothy to take?
1. Every believer has been entrusted with the gospel as a stewardship. Teach others all he had learned from Paul.
2. Every believer is expected to Pass it on. Teach others who teach others, and on it goes.
Wherein did Paul say Timothy could be strengthened?
- In the grace of Jesus Christ.
What would be the outcome of following Paul’s instructions?
- The gospel would spread.
Point #1: Mentoring requires an intentional relationship.
Mentoring is about relationships, but those relationships don’t happen by accident. They happen because we intentionally watch for God-given intersections and build God-centered friendships.
2 Timothy 3:10-13
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Who had modeled before Timothy the kind of life Paul desired he emulate?
- Paul was an example to Timothy of the difference the gospel could and would make in one’s life. Paul also demonstrated what it meant to live by faith in both good and difficult times.
Was Paul bragging on himself?
- In the ancient world, Jewish rabbis were the embodiment of their teaching. A rabbi would urge his pupils to emulate his way of living in every detail. This is why a pupil wanted to become a disciple of a particular teacher or rabbi. He saw a way of life he wanted to copy or adopt.
- This is what it means to follow Christ. It is learning doctrinal truth, yes; but it is being like Him. Paul was confident he was an apt picture of what that meant, so he was comfortable urging others to observe him and live as he did. However, even as he did, he pointed to Christ as the ultimate example. Paul offered himself as a model of Christian living only on the basis of his own commitment to living like Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Paul’s goal was not to re-create a bunch of Pauls, but to lead others to become followers of Christ (1 Cor. 10:33).
- We too are to live in such a way that others can see Jesus in us. We are to be good examples both in doctrine (what we know) and in living (what we do; who we are). Our talk about Jesus is to be illustrated by our walk with Jesus. How do you feel about that? What kind of example are you and I being?
Ever wonder what Timothy thought about the persecutions and afflictions Paul spoke of?
What assurance did Paul give Timothy about facing persecution and suffering?
- The Lord can be counted on to deliver the faithful.
What did Paul say all faithful believers can anticipate by living godly lives?
- The person who chooses to live for Jesus can anticipate being confronted and challenged by evil people and an evil world order.
We do well to remember the words of Jesus and this counsel from Paul. If we are in Christ Jesus, we too ought not to think that living for Jesus will be easy, even in the United States.
We should not confuse cultural Christianity with true adherence to Christ.
We may not have to die for Jesus, but we still may face more subtle forms of persecution like ridicule, rejection, or having to make choices that put us at odds with the generally accepted beliefs and practices of the populace.
Point #2: Mentoring involves walking together in life’s ups and downs.
We need to encourage one another to faithful living during good and bad times. The doctrines of the faith are to be lived out not just learned.
Mentoring is about sharing life together. It’s journeying together, encouraging each other in the difficult times and celebrating together in the victories. It’s the mentee walking in the footsteps of the mentor until the mentee is ready to be a mentor to others.
What do you think the most difficult task of mentoring is?
- Making time for others may be one of the most difficult tasks of mentoring. Most of us are already trying to spin too many plates. If we add this call to invest our lives in somebody else like Paul did, it can feel like it’s too much to ask.
- On the other hand, we can lose much if we don’t make this effort. We’ll miss opportunities to help others learn from what God has taught us. And we’ll miss seeing believers love Jesus and walk faithfully in the midst of their own trials. Mentoring is about living life together—all of it. It will take time to invest in someone, but it will be worth the effort.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
What regular practice did Paul urge Timothy to engage in? What could Timothy point to for confidence that what he had been taught was credible and reliable for faithful living?
- To continue in what he had learned and believed. He could trust those in whom he had been taught – mother, Eunice and grandmother, Lois. They not only taught it, they modeled it.
- The authenticity and effectiveness of our spiritual learning is influenced by the credibility of those who instruct us.
What is the relationship between studying the Scriptures and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? Why is Scripture powerful and authoritative?
- All Scripture is also to be trusted and believed because it is God-breathed. It originated in Him.
- The Scriptures teach us about Jesus, that only through faith in Him can we be saved.
What results come to the person who gives himself/herself to the study of Scripture?
- The ability to be thoroughly equipped comes from knowing and applying Scripture.
- We are to engage in regular Bible study to grow in Christlikeness and to be prepared to live and serve Him.
Point #3: Mentoring encourages us to stay grounded in God’s Word.
Paul understood the importance of building a solid foundation. He may have been Timothy’s mentor, but he was building on the foundation of God’s Word. Timothy had a godly heritage through his mother and grandmother, and they had taught him the Scriptures from early in his childhood. Those Scriptures ultimately pointed Timothy to Jesus, in whom he found salvation by grace through faith. Knowing Timothy would face his own struggles in ministry, Paul encouraged him to hold tightly to what he had learned and believed in the Word.
Close:
This lesson reminds us that we need each other.
No one is born a completely mature Christian.
We can teach and learn from each other, encourage each other in spiritual disciplines, and model for one another what it means to live for Jesus in a world of challenge.
Someone helped you grow in Christ; do the same for someone else.
Mr. Holland's Opus (greatest work) was not in his music but rather the people he mentored and influenced along the way.
Mr. Holland's Opus (greatest work) was not in his music but rather the people he mentored and influenced along the way.
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Should a Christian be involved in mentoring? What does the Bible say about mentorship?"
The word “mentor” is defined as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” Although “mentoring” doesn’t appear in the Bible, Scripture does give us numerous examples of mentoring. Moses was mentored by his father-in-law Jethro, first as son-in-law and then as a leader (Exodus 18). The mentoring relationship between Eli and Samuel prepared Samuel for the tasks and responsibilities that were his after Eli’s death (1 Samuel 1–4). Jesus mentored His disciples (Luke 9), and both Barnabas and Paul excelled in mentoring (Acts 9–15).
Jesus made His style of mentoring clear: He led so that we can follow. He said, “If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
Because He is our leader and we are to follow Him, Christian mentoring is a process dependent upon submission to Christ.
Neither the mentor nor the candidate controls the relationship. As such, the process is best characterized by mutual sharing, trust, and enrichment as the life and work of both participants is changed. The mentor serves as a model and a trusted listener. The mentor relies on the Holy Spirit to provide insight, change lives, and teach through the modeling process.
The Apostle Paul spelled out mentoring as his leadership model very simply. “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice” (Philippians 4:9a). In essence, he is saying, “Let me mentor you. Let me be your role model.” He reminds the new Christians at Thessalonica to “follow our example” (2 Thessalonians 3:7). Example. Teach. Model. These are all facets of mentoring which are indispensable in developing fully devoted followers of Jesus and in transmitting the faith from one generation to the next. It goes without saying that if mentors expect others to follow their example, they must be wholeheartedly committed to following Christ. Any hint of hypocrisy — “do what I say, not what I do”—will be detrimental to both the mentor and his charge.
Not only Jesus and the apostles, but elders in the local church also do their work by mentoring. Peter commands, “Be examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3), and Paul explains to the elders at Ephesus, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you” (Acts 20:17). In other words, Paul is telling the elders, “I showed you, now you show them.” In all truth, if a Christian leader is not mentoring someone, to that degree he or she is not living up to his or her calling.
Of course, God has filled the body of Christ with many potential mentors besides those who are named as elders or shepherds. The official church leaders cannot personally meet all the mentoring needs of everyone. While it may not be possible for shepherds to personally, intentionally, hands-on mentor each sheep that needs mentoring, they are to help these needy sheep find godly mentors. To provide for the mentoring needs of their local community of faith, the leaders must be intentional, continually expanding the circle of mentors by “equipping others” to mentor.
