Releasing the Mentored to Mentor
Once one accepts Christ as his savior our work has not ended. As a matter of fact our work has only begun. Now begins the work of disciplining the new convert. One of the greatest failures of the church today is the lack of discipleship. Due to our lack of discipleship our churches are filled with babes in Christ. Some of those babes in Christ have been babes in Christ for decades. The lack of true discipleship has led to the lack of evangelism resulting in the moral decay of our society. Jesus told us not only to go into the world and baptize, He told us to make disciples, and the way we make disciples is teaching them all that Jesus commanded.
Although there is value in every bible study, true discipleship isn’t offering a class on Sunday evenings calling it discipleship training. True discipleship is walking with someone. It is taking an individual or a small group under your wing for a period of time for the purpose of showing them how to walk, and teaching them what it truly means to be a disciple. Once one is taught and equipped he is then released to continue the process of witnessing and discipleship for another. It is an unending process of the mentor releasing the mentored to then be a mentor.
This is clearly the biblical model. We first see this modeled through the ministry of Jesus. Jesus assembled twelve disciples spending three years with them to then send them out for the purpose of fulfilling the great commission. Jesus spent time preaching the truths of the kingdom to the masses. Yet, at the same time, He had an inner circle of disciples that He would teach and equip on a personal level. Moments from is ascension He basically told the disciples, “Okay, now it’s your turn.”
After Paul’s conversion he went to Jerusalem only to find that the church of Jerusalem wouldn’t accept him. They didn’t trust him. They knew he was the one who was, not that long ago, trying to shut down the church at any cost. However, God sent Barnabas, the son of encouragement, into his path to take him under his wing and introduce him to the church encouraging the church to accept him. (Acts 9:26, 27). Imagine what would have happened to Paul had Barnabas not stepped in to encourage him.
Eventually Barnabas and Paul went their separate ways. Barnabas ended up in Antioch where God began to move mightily. Many were being saved and brought into the church. Barnabas knew that they needed help discipling all these new believers so he went and found Paul to bring him to Antioch to help in the ministry. After Paul arrived in Antioch Barnabas and Paul spent a year working side by side discipling the new converts. (Acts 11:23-26).
While Paul and Barnabas where still at Antioch the Holy Spirit spoke to the church telling them to send Paul and Barnabas out to the mission field. Up to this point Barnabas had been presented as the leader. However, once they stepped out into the mission field Barnabas took a back seat allowing Paul to lead. Thus we read in Acts of Paul’s missionary journeys rather than the missionary journeys of Barnabas. The mentor released the mentored to mentor.
Eventually, Barnabas and Paul separated ways once again. Barnabas went on to disciple Mark. Mark, who failed in the beginning eventually became a great asset to the kingdom. After all, one of the Gospels is the Book of Mark. We don’t have a Book of Barnabas, but all Christians owe a debt to Barnabas for being a mentor to Mark.
Paul was never alone on his missionary journeys. He worked with a mission team. Paul seamed to always have someone in his inner circle that he was mentoring. One of those was Timothy. Timothy eventually became the pastor of the church of Ephesus. Paul adopted Timothy as a son in the faith. (I Timothy 1:2). When Paul knew his death was eminent he encouraged Timothy to stay faithful to the ministry. This was the purpose of Paul’s second letter to Timothy.
Not only did Paul encourage Timothy to stay faithful to the ministry, he encouraged him to encourage others. Paul said to Timothy in II Timothy 2:1, 2, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Paul was telling Timothy, now that I have mentored you mentor others so they too can be released to mentor others.
The clear biblical model for every believer is to share the gospel with this lost world. Once one accepts the gospel it is then our responsibility to disciple the new believer. The best time to start the process of discipleship is the moment of their conversion. A new believer will be hungry to learn. As Christians we never reach the point of full maturity. Therefore, we need to continually be discipled. However, a mature believer will be a witness and a mentor. As a continuation of this biblical model we encourage the new believers, or older ones, to share their faith with the lost and mentor the saved. The mentor will then release the mentored to mentor. Although he has been released to mentor he is still in need of being mentored, just as Timothy continued to need Paul after he was a pastor. Rusty Kuhn
Although there is value in every bible study, true discipleship isn’t offering a class on Sunday evenings calling it discipleship training. True discipleship is walking with someone. It is taking an individual or a small group under your wing for a period of time for the purpose of showing them how to walk, and teaching them what it truly means to be a disciple. Once one is taught and equipped he is then released to continue the process of witnessing and discipleship for another. It is an unending process of the mentor releasing the mentored to then be a mentor.
This is clearly the biblical model. We first see this modeled through the ministry of Jesus. Jesus assembled twelve disciples spending three years with them to then send them out for the purpose of fulfilling the great commission. Jesus spent time preaching the truths of the kingdom to the masses. Yet, at the same time, He had an inner circle of disciples that He would teach and equip on a personal level. Moments from is ascension He basically told the disciples, “Okay, now it’s your turn.”
After Paul’s conversion he went to Jerusalem only to find that the church of Jerusalem wouldn’t accept him. They didn’t trust him. They knew he was the one who was, not that long ago, trying to shut down the church at any cost. However, God sent Barnabas, the son of encouragement, into his path to take him under his wing and introduce him to the church encouraging the church to accept him. (Acts 9:26, 27). Imagine what would have happened to Paul had Barnabas not stepped in to encourage him.
Eventually Barnabas and Paul went their separate ways. Barnabas ended up in Antioch where God began to move mightily. Many were being saved and brought into the church. Barnabas knew that they needed help discipling all these new believers so he went and found Paul to bring him to Antioch to help in the ministry. After Paul arrived in Antioch Barnabas and Paul spent a year working side by side discipling the new converts. (Acts 11:23-26).
While Paul and Barnabas where still at Antioch the Holy Spirit spoke to the church telling them to send Paul and Barnabas out to the mission field. Up to this point Barnabas had been presented as the leader. However, once they stepped out into the mission field Barnabas took a back seat allowing Paul to lead. Thus we read in Acts of Paul’s missionary journeys rather than the missionary journeys of Barnabas. The mentor released the mentored to mentor.
Eventually, Barnabas and Paul separated ways once again. Barnabas went on to disciple Mark. Mark, who failed in the beginning eventually became a great asset to the kingdom. After all, one of the Gospels is the Book of Mark. We don’t have a Book of Barnabas, but all Christians owe a debt to Barnabas for being a mentor to Mark.
Paul was never alone on his missionary journeys. He worked with a mission team. Paul seamed to always have someone in his inner circle that he was mentoring. One of those was Timothy. Timothy eventually became the pastor of the church of Ephesus. Paul adopted Timothy as a son in the faith. (I Timothy 1:2). When Paul knew his death was eminent he encouraged Timothy to stay faithful to the ministry. This was the purpose of Paul’s second letter to Timothy.
Not only did Paul encourage Timothy to stay faithful to the ministry, he encouraged him to encourage others. Paul said to Timothy in II Timothy 2:1, 2, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Paul was telling Timothy, now that I have mentored you mentor others so they too can be released to mentor others.
The clear biblical model for every believer is to share the gospel with this lost world. Once one accepts the gospel it is then our responsibility to disciple the new believer. The best time to start the process of discipleship is the moment of their conversion. A new believer will be hungry to learn. As Christians we never reach the point of full maturity. Therefore, we need to continually be discipled. However, a mature believer will be a witness and a mentor. As a continuation of this biblical model we encourage the new believers, or older ones, to share their faith with the lost and mentor the saved. The mentor will then release the mentored to mentor. Although he has been released to mentor he is still in need of being mentored, just as Timothy continued to need Paul after he was a pastor. Rusty Kuhn
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