A Legacy Through Mentoring

When we become older we start pondering our spiritual heritage and faith in Jesus Christ, and we begin to wonder whether or not the succeeding generations will carry on what we have learned. So, we try to provide young people with exposure to our worship services, hoping that our values and worship practices will rub off on them; however, it can sometimes be difficult to effectively instill our values in another generation. Usually, when separate generations convene together, viewpoints tend to clash. In many churches you will see bitterness built up between young people and adults, leading to generational division.

There are a few examples in Scripture that lead us to conclude that it’s difficult to accomplish the task of ministering to other generations. For example, Acts 13:36 says, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay.” This verse implies that David was only able to effectively reach “his own generation.” There is another example found in the ministries of Moses and Joshua. Commentator Gary McIntosh, in reference to Joshua assuming command of Moses’ ministry, states, “Scripture records that it normally takes new leadership to communicate to new generations. Perhaps the best example in the Bible is that of Moses and Joshua. God selected Moses to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but he used Joshua, not Moses, to reach a new generation in a new land.”(1)

It appears as though we are only able to effectively minister to our own generation, but we still see in the Bible where we’re supposed to try and reach other generations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, David said in Psalm 71:17-18, “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” We can see from these verses that we are not exempt from sharing the love of Christ with the “next generation” and with “all who are to come.” We might not be as effective with another age group as with our own, but we still need to teach the ways of Jesus to the succeeding generations. So, how do we go about doing this task effectively?

One of the ways in which we can minister to succeeding generations effectively is through “mentoring.” So, what is mentoring? First of all, our word “mentor” comes from Homer’s great epic the Odyssey. In this story, “Mentor is a friend of Odysseus who undertakes the education of his son Telemachus.”(2) “Today the word depicts a wise and helpful friend, a teacher and leader who uses his or her experience to show others how best to walk life’s path, and to accomplish goals and meet life’s challenges.”(3) Simply put, mentoring is training up someone beneath us. This morning, we are going to look at a number of verses on the subject of mentoring, but our focal passages are Deuteronomy 1:37-38 and 2 Timothy 2:2. These passages will serve as the basis for mentoring. So, let’s get started by taking a brief look at the mentoring of Joshua, which is found in Deuteronomy 1:37-38:

The Mentoring of Joshua (Deuteronomy 1:37-38)

37 The LORD was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, “Even you shall not go in there; 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.”

In this passage, we are reminded of how Moses took Joshua under his wing as his assistant, and trained and encouraged him, because Joshua, not Moses, was the one who would minister to the next generation of Israelites. Moses himself could not enter the Promised Land, but his thoughts about God, and his experiences and ideas on ministry could, because he instilled them in another person whom he had trained for nearly forty years. Moses “mentored” Joshua, and he did so for quite some time before Joshua was even allowed to become leader. Now, not only do we see mentoring practiced in the Old Testament, but we see it utilized in the New Testament as well. Let’s now take a look at 2 Timothy 2:2, and see what Paul told his young apprentice Timothy:

The Mentoring of Timothy (2 Timothy 2:2)

2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

In Acts 16:2-3, we read that Timothy was well spoken of by the people of Lystra; therefore, Paul decided to take Timothy along with him as his companion and apprentice. Paul wanted to “mentor” Timothy. He wanted someone in whom he could confide, and who would “take the things heard from him,” as he stated, and then “commit them to other faithful men,” or pass them on to his own future apprentices who would one day be under his mentorship.