Every Christian Needs a Guide
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord, thank you that I have been blessed by great guides (mentors) in my Christian walk. Amen
Acts 9:26-28 NIV
“When he (Paul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.”
Acts 11:24-26 NIV
“He (Barnabas) was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
Acts 13:42 NIV
“As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.”
REFLECT:
Dr. Mark Moore, Teaching Pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Arizona, defines a mentor as: “One who represents the divine, preparing a young person for the battles ahead.” Examples in Scripture are Jethro who mentored Moses, Moses then mentored Joshua, Barnabas mentored Paul, and Paul who then mentored Timothy.
Reading through the focus Scriptures above you can see Barnabas guiding Paul from his conversion to the point where Paul became the lead in their ministry. A strong guide is willing to coach someone to the point they can be turned loose and needs to be able to say, as John the Baptist did in talking about Jesus, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30)
As Barnabas was to Paul, and Paul was to Timothy, each of us needs to have someone who is guiding us in our Christian walk, and we need someone for whom we are doing the same. 2 Timothy 2:2 commands this, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”
An excellent example of this concept at Pathway is Gene Carlson who mentored Bob Coats throughout high school and college and for several years Bob has mentored young high school and college male students.
APPLY:
Mark Moore lays out some guidelines for being a good coach:
Be a coach, not a teacher- Your most valuable asset is life experience.
Create a circle of disciples- A circle of disciples is much more powerful than a single mentor-disciple relationship.
Give practical assignments that stretch them- Mentoring is about coaching, not counseling.
Rebuke- When disciples disappoint, rebuke them—hard. You should fear their future more than their hurt feelings.
As you begin a ministry of guiding others, these would be excellent guidelines to follow.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord, lead me to be a wise mentor when you give me this responsibility. Amen
WORSHIP: