WRITER: Phil Bray POSTED: MARCH 5, 2024
Following Jesus can be hard. Not hard in the sense of complex or complicated, but following Jesus can be hard in the sense of not knowing exactly how to do it. When Jesus issued the command, “Follow Me” to the disciples in the gospels, they literally got up, left their jobs and families behind, and spent time day and night with Jesus. These first disciples were able to listen to Him teach day after day. They regularly asked questions for clarification or helped with spiritual activities like prayer. They listened and learned. They also watched and learned. They learned compassion by watching Jesus heal and care for the least important people in society. They learned to lead and love by watching His interactions with religious leaders, lepers, tax collectors, and sinners. They were the students, and He was the teacher. Following Jesus was about learning the words and ways of Jesus by listening to and observing Jesus.
How can we do that? Jesus has ascended to the heavens. He has filled us with His Spirit, which is amazing and life altering! Now, our wants begin to align with His wants. We can commune with Him in prayer and we can listen to His voice in the Scripture; yet, at times, there still seems to be a bit of a disconnect. I want to do what He commands. I want to understand how to put His instruction into my life, but I just struggle with the how. It’s like unclogging a drain or putting together a piece of furniture with those instructions that read “Easy Assembly.” We know what to do, but we struggle with the specific and concrete action steps that comprise the doing, which is why YouTube videos can be incredibly helpful. Watching and listening to someone navigate the “how” can be extraordinarily helpful in accomplishing a task.
So, how do we follow Jesus? Who can we listen to and watch step by step in the life of following Jesus? The answer is finding a mentor, someone who is navigating the how and who can show us how. In a way, Mentoring is the YouTube on how to follow Jesus. By pairing believers up with one another, so that a younger believer can listen and watch a more mature believer explain unclear concepts in the Bible is incredibly helpful. A mature believer also provides a living breathing example of what to do, step by step in the life of a follower of Jesus. Paul mentored Timothy, taking him along on his missionary journeys (Acts 16:1-3). I think this is also why pastors are qualified by their character and ability to teach. When you look at 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, you see a clear picture of Christlike character. The emphasis of these lists is on the character. Pastors, as the lead mentors in any given church, teach by word and deed. They are living breathing examples of what it looks like to follow Jesus in contemporary life.
Yet, disciple making, which is what mentoring is, is not limited to the pastors or even the deacons. All believers, all followers of Jesus have the responsibility to teach by word and deed how to follow Jesus. Parents are to teach their children by word and example. Spouses are to teach one another by word and example. Older and more mature believers are to teach younger believers by word and example. Christ has commanded us to make disciples by teaching how to observe all that He has commanded. Look at Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mentoring is how to guide someone by being a living YouTube video, showing others how to do all that Jesus commanded.
So, where do you begin? What I have found to be the most productive in my years of pastoral ministry is intentionally spending time with someone, or even a small group of others, for the purpose of spiritual growth. It will not happen without intentionality. You must make a commitment to them, and vice-versa to walk together for a season for the purpose of growing in a relationship with God. That might be by agreeing to read a book together and meeting weekly to discuss its content and application to life, or getting together over coffee for a Bible study.
At MaconFBC, we have created a six month mentoring program for men and women to walk through. A mentor typically will meet with two mentees of the same gender once a week for six months. Each week’s meeting lasts from 45-60 minutes. There are three segments to a mentorship meeting.
First, we read a chapter of the Bible together. Each person takes a turn reading from the chapter.
Then we discuss the chapter utilizing the following three questions,
What stood out to you in this chapter?
What is the author trying to teach us in this chapter?
What do you think the author expects us to do in response to what he taught us in this chapter?
These questions will help the mentees learn how to read and interpret Scripture gradually as it is discussed each week.
Second, the mentor will spend about 15-20 minutes discussing the spiritual practice of the month. We spend a month learning how to do six key practices that are foundational for living in the presence of God. We discovered these practices in the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 25-31. We also have learned that these six practices could be traced throughout the Bible, even into the New Testament as foundational activities that men and women do in the presence of God. These practices are a foundational answer to the question, “How do I commune with God?” The list is certainly not exhaustive but rather foundational.
These practices are praying, giving, washing, loving, mentoring, and resting. People who live in the presence of God devote themselves to prayer (Col 4:2) to such an extent that as the temple of God, they are characterized as a house of prayer (Mark 11:17). Giving generously and cheerfully severs the root of greed, the idolatrous dependence upon the stuff of this world for sustenance, safety, and joy (Col 3:5; 2 Cor 9:7). Just as the priests washed themselves from the huge basin before entering into the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle proper, so we must wash our hearts and minds day after day with the cleansing water of God’s word. We are clean and holy in Christ, but we need to cleanse the idolatrous and sinful ideas of the world out of our mind, just like we need to bathe ourselves physically each day lest we begin to stink. It is the word of God that God uses to cleanse us (Eph 5:26). Loving others is the practical outworking of holiness. Being holy is loving our neighbor as ourselves and reflecting the character of God (Rom 13:8-9). As Bezalel and Oholiab trained others in the work necessary to build the tabernacle (Ex 31:1-11) so we must continue to build the temple of God through the ongoing work of disciple making. This work is the work of mentoring. Jesus made disciples by calling men to follow him, to listen to his words, to watch his deeds, and to go out and do the same. This is the same idea of Paul, who called the Corinthians to “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). People learn how to do all that Jesus commanded by listening to and observing other followers of Jesus (Matt 28:19-20). Finally, the seventh and last speech of God in regard to the tabernacle construction corresponds to the seventh day of Creation. Both emphasize the importance of Sabbath rest (Ex 31:12-18; Gen 2:1-3). Those who live in the presence of God rest in His presence, trusting in Him to provide and protect. Their greatest desire is to know God in Christ. Christ has come to make all things new and bring about the final Sabbath rest, the paradise of the new heavens and earth (Heb 4:1-11).
Each of these practices is important for the ongoing growth and ever enriching communion with God. The mentor will spend a month on each practice, explaining its importance as well as how to do it. The mentor will provide a visual example of how to pray, give, wash, love, mentor, and rest. Others can learn by listening and observing. The mentoring session will conclude with prayer. Each participant will be encouraged to pray aloud in the group. If at first some are too nervous to pray out loud the mentor will pray on behalf of the group; however, each week he or she will continually encourage the others to try to pray aloud.
Mentoring is one way to help one another learn to follow Jesus, to see how to do all that Jesus commanded. If you are not currently being mentored by another believer I would encourage you to reach out to a more mature believer and ask them to spend some time with you for the purpose of spiritual growth.
If you are a member of MaconFBC, I would encourage you to sign up for mentoring.
May the Lord bless you as you keep following Jesus.
How can we do that? Jesus has ascended to the heavens. He has filled us with His Spirit, which is amazing and life altering! Now, our wants begin to align with His wants. We can commune with Him in prayer and we can listen to His voice in the Scripture; yet, at times, there still seems to be a bit of a disconnect. I want to do what He commands. I want to understand how to put His instruction into my life, but I just struggle with the how. It’s like unclogging a drain or putting together a piece of furniture with those instructions that read “Easy Assembly.” We know what to do, but we struggle with the specific and concrete action steps that comprise the doing, which is why YouTube videos can be incredibly helpful. Watching and listening to someone navigate the “how” can be extraordinarily helpful in accomplishing a task.
So, how do we follow Jesus? Who can we listen to and watch step by step in the life of following Jesus? The answer is finding a mentor, someone who is navigating the how and who can show us how. In a way, Mentoring is the YouTube on how to follow Jesus. By pairing believers up with one another, so that a younger believer can listen and watch a more mature believer explain unclear concepts in the Bible is incredibly helpful. A mature believer also provides a living breathing example of what to do, step by step in the life of a follower of Jesus. Paul mentored Timothy, taking him along on his missionary journeys (Acts 16:1-3). I think this is also why pastors are qualified by their character and ability to teach. When you look at 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, you see a clear picture of Christlike character. The emphasis of these lists is on the character. Pastors, as the lead mentors in any given church, teach by word and deed. They are living breathing examples of what it looks like to follow Jesus in contemporary life.
Yet, disciple making, which is what mentoring is, is not limited to the pastors or even the deacons. All believers, all followers of Jesus have the responsibility to teach by word and deed how to follow Jesus. Parents are to teach their children by word and example. Spouses are to teach one another by word and example. Older and more mature believers are to teach younger believers by word and example. Christ has commanded us to make disciples by teaching how to observe all that He has commanded. Look at Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mentoring is how to guide someone by being a living YouTube video, showing others how to do all that Jesus commanded.
So, where do you begin? What I have found to be the most productive in my years of pastoral ministry is intentionally spending time with someone, or even a small group of others, for the purpose of spiritual growth. It will not happen without intentionality. You must make a commitment to them, and vice-versa to walk together for a season for the purpose of growing in a relationship with God. That might be by agreeing to read a book together and meeting weekly to discuss its content and application to life, or getting together over coffee for a Bible study.
At MaconFBC, we have created a six month mentoring program for men and women to walk through. A mentor typically will meet with two mentees of the same gender once a week for six months. Each week’s meeting lasts from 45-60 minutes. There are three segments to a mentorship meeting.
First, we read a chapter of the Bible together. Each person takes a turn reading from the chapter.
Then we discuss the chapter utilizing the following three questions,
What stood out to you in this chapter?
What is the author trying to teach us in this chapter?
What do you think the author expects us to do in response to what he taught us in this chapter?
These questions will help the mentees learn how to read and interpret Scripture gradually as it is discussed each week.
Second, the mentor will spend about 15-20 minutes discussing the spiritual practice of the month. We spend a month learning how to do six key practices that are foundational for living in the presence of God. We discovered these practices in the construction of the tabernacle in Exodus 25-31. We also have learned that these six practices could be traced throughout the Bible, even into the New Testament as foundational activities that men and women do in the presence of God. These practices are a foundational answer to the question, “How do I commune with God?” The list is certainly not exhaustive but rather foundational.
These practices are praying, giving, washing, loving, mentoring, and resting. People who live in the presence of God devote themselves to prayer (Col 4:2) to such an extent that as the temple of God, they are characterized as a house of prayer (Mark 11:17). Giving generously and cheerfully severs the root of greed, the idolatrous dependence upon the stuff of this world for sustenance, safety, and joy (Col 3:5; 2 Cor 9:7). Just as the priests washed themselves from the huge basin before entering into the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle proper, so we must wash our hearts and minds day after day with the cleansing water of God’s word. We are clean and holy in Christ, but we need to cleanse the idolatrous and sinful ideas of the world out of our mind, just like we need to bathe ourselves physically each day lest we begin to stink. It is the word of God that God uses to cleanse us (Eph 5:26). Loving others is the practical outworking of holiness. Being holy is loving our neighbor as ourselves and reflecting the character of God (Rom 13:8-9). As Bezalel and Oholiab trained others in the work necessary to build the tabernacle (Ex 31:1-11) so we must continue to build the temple of God through the ongoing work of disciple making. This work is the work of mentoring. Jesus made disciples by calling men to follow him, to listen to his words, to watch his deeds, and to go out and do the same. This is the same idea of Paul, who called the Corinthians to “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). People learn how to do all that Jesus commanded by listening to and observing other followers of Jesus (Matt 28:19-20). Finally, the seventh and last speech of God in regard to the tabernacle construction corresponds to the seventh day of Creation. Both emphasize the importance of Sabbath rest (Ex 31:12-18; Gen 2:1-3). Those who live in the presence of God rest in His presence, trusting in Him to provide and protect. Their greatest desire is to know God in Christ. Christ has come to make all things new and bring about the final Sabbath rest, the paradise of the new heavens and earth (Heb 4:1-11).
Each of these practices is important for the ongoing growth and ever enriching communion with God. The mentor will spend a month on each practice, explaining its importance as well as how to do it. The mentor will provide a visual example of how to pray, give, wash, love, mentor, and rest. Others can learn by listening and observing. The mentoring session will conclude with prayer. Each participant will be encouraged to pray aloud in the group. If at first some are too nervous to pray out loud the mentor will pray on behalf of the group; however, each week he or she will continually encourage the others to try to pray aloud.
Mentoring is one way to help one another learn to follow Jesus, to see how to do all that Jesus commanded. If you are not currently being mentored by another believer I would encourage you to reach out to a more mature believer and ask them to spend some time with you for the purpose of spiritual growth.
If you are a member of MaconFBC, I would encourage you to sign up for mentoring.
May the Lord bless you as you keep following Jesus.