Mentoring With God: Model Series

Mentoring with God: Model

John 21:15-25

This is the fourth message in our series, Mentoring with God. Here is an excerpt from my recent email to our small group leaders:

"Mentoring can take place between a small group leader and his or her apprentice. Mentoring can improve relationships when a more mature married couple mentors a newly married couple. Mentoring can help younger Christians grow deeper in their faith rather be stuck in complacency or doubt.

Adults can mentor young adults. Young adults can mentor college students. College students can mentor high schoolers."

I mostly mentor 1-on-1. But I also mentor in groups. In the groups, I encourage reverse mentoring, where the younger guys pour into me their excitement, their technology knowledge and skills, their awareness of culture, and much more.

Mentoring with God is pouring your God-given knowledge, experience and skills into another person. And this is the purpose: So that he or she can become more of what God intended. Mentoring with God is an important step to running God's race together and to finishing well!

Let me talk for a moment to those who have served faithfully and believe God has no more use for you. If you think you're done serving God, you're not. If you think you're not needed anymore, you are. If you think mentoring is not for you, it is.

This morning, we'll be looking at Jesus, the model for mentoring with God. Our text is John 21:15-25 (READ)

Jesus showed himself to his disciples multiple times after his resurrection from the dead. In the text we read, Jesus showed himself to the disciples in order to publicly restore trust in Peter. Let me give some background.

Flashback: At the final meal with Jesus and the disciples, Peter publicly stated that he would follow Jesus even to the grave. But soon after Jesus was arrested, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. Peter was afraid of being arrested also.

So we see in John 21, Jesus gives Peter three opportunities to redeem himself. From this narrative, we see Peter become what God intended because of Jesus' mentoring. Let's look together at the model Jesus set for us in his interaction with Peter.

Jesus mentored grace. Jesus mentored growth. And Jesus mentored God's will.

First, Jesus mentored grace.

In John 21:15-17, two different Greek words are used in the conversation between Jesus and Peter. The words are agape, which means “love at all cost,” and phileo, which means “love as a brother.” Here’s how the conversation reads:

Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me at all cost? (as you claimed at our last meal)

Peter replies, “You know I love you like a brother.” (this is the best I can do)

Jesus asks again, “Do you love me at all cost? (are you sure you can't)

Peter replies again, “You know I love you like a brother.” (this is all)

The third time, Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me like a brother?” (I will accept this)

Peter confirmed, “You know I love you like a brother.” (Peter also accepts his own weakness)

Peter learned from his denial of Jesus not to overestimate his love for Jesus. He recognized his weakness and his humanity. He no longer promised to love Jesus at all cost, but to love Jesus as only a human can. And Jesus in the conversation forgave, accepted and restored Peter in front of the other disciples.

Grace is undeserved favor. Forgiveness is a form of grace. We don't deserve forgiveness. But all of us needs forgiveness. Grace gives us what we need; not what we deserve.

Restoration of relationship is a form of grace. So is restoration of trust. And restoration to serve. All these Jesus gave to Peter. Not because of Peter deserved it.

Mentoring with God means to model after Jesus. To mentor grace to your mentee. To not be shocked by sin. But to forgive and restore. To not be discouraged by disappointment. But to be patient and accepting.

Bob Buchanan was my college pastor. He was also my first mentor. He looked like a big burly biker without the beard.

One day I said to Bob, "You know that habitual sin I've been struggling with? I haven't given into the temptation since we last met."

And Bob said in reply, "And you know why? Because if you did I'd punch you out." We both laughed, because we both knew he was joking and that he would love me whether I sinned or whether I stopped.

Steve Brown says, "People will change only when they know they will be loved even if they never change." That's the power of mentoring grace. Most mentors want to see growth in their mentees. The growth happens only over the safety net of grace.