I want you to think back to your childhood and specifically to your early church experience. Many of you may have attended Sunday School, VBS, Awana and other children’s activities as a child. If church attendance was not part of your childhood life then think about the elementary school you attended.
Now do this. Identify in your mind one or two memories that really stand out from all others in your childhood, whether good or bad. What is it that you remember the most about going to church or attending school? Now let’s do a quick survey.
• Raise your hand if you remember a craft that changed your life? Crafts can be fun and cool but rarely are they life changing.
• Raise your hand if you remember a particular Bible story or lesson from school that forever touched you? Again, these are important but are not what we tend to remember.
• Raise your hand if you recall a special event or field trip that was a top memory maker for you. Events, both good and bad, do play a significant role and often are when major life decisions are made. But I’m willing to bet that the last choice is the memory most of us have.
• Raise your hand if your most vivid memory was a person. It could have been a teacher or a pastor or a friend. It could have even been a bad teacher, pastor or friend.
As we think about the defining moments of our life most often they center on a person. Ask me my story and I would tell you about George. The Rev. George Reese was my pastor from the age of 0 – 13. He was a compassionate man, full of energy and always had a smile on his face. He was the reason why I wanted to learn to play guitar. He would, on occasion, bring his guitar out during Sunday morning worship and do songs like “He’s Got the Whole World” and “It Only Takes a Spark”. One year he took the time to show me how to play a song for a church camp talent show. Ultimately, as a Jr. High kid, I would tell my parents that I wanted to become a pastor someday and this was due to George’s influence on my early life.
I would also tell you about Dr. Hunt. Paul Hunt was professor of trombone at a nearby college. In 6th grade I began to play trombone started excelling on it. As an 8th grader I attended some college concerts and met Professor Hunt. He took me under his wing and for the next 4 years would teach me the trombone inside and out – for only $10 and hour. Granted this was almost 20 years ago, but even for then that was a great price for lessons with a college professor. He invested in me. He helped me through some very difficult musical issues of which are still paying off today. He also cared for me and desired to see me succeed.
These two men were mentors to me early on in life.
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As I became a Christ follower and grew in my faith, I didn’t always have someone there to disciple and mentor me. And looking back, I realize how much that would have helped me avoid some major mistakes. But as I continued in my journey, other men eventually came into my life. Jerry Fliger, a youth pastor at a church I was attending, asked me to become a youth sponsor and then invested in me as we worked together to serve the youth. Later on, he would be the one to marry Summer and I and he and his wife became our pre-marital counselors and our first marriage mentors. Their investment help establish strong foundations for our marriage. Mark Blake, a senior pastor, was skilled in the art of leading worship and mentored me in constructing worship services which gave glory to God and edified the church.
In seminary, Alan Mezger, a church elder and chairman, mentored me as I myself became a leader in the church. Terry Boyle, my pastor in Dallas, and his wife, took Summer and I under their wings and mentored both of us into becoming a solid partnership in ministry, praying for us and encouraging us so that when God called us to Cary, we were nervous, but confident in His empowering strength. They still pray for us to this day.
The list goes on as we moved to Cary. Pastor Don, Omar Sutherland, Pastor Doug Friesen, worship pastor at Crystal Lake Evangelical Free Church, and Glenn Jorian have all served in a mentor role to me as I started full time ministry work.
Of course, it goes without saying that I consider my own father and mother as mentors. Their mentoring was not in something specific, but in general, practical living. Naturally, out of anyone, they have invested the most in me, through their steady love, adoration, discipline and encouragement. Their work ethic and faithful stewardship of the blessings which God has given them will always be a mighty example to me and has positively affected the choices which I make in my own life today.
To all these people I am eternally grateful and I feel as if I can never say enough in gratitude for how they have invested in my life. I’ve tried and it always comes out as being shallow because there is nothing I can say that would be adequate enough. The best thing I can do is pass on what they have taught me. I really don’t know where I would be without learning from their wisdom and their experiences that they have imparted to me. I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I think that I might have made a few more along the way if it would not have been for my mentors.
Certainly there is plenty of scripture we can turn to that calls us to seek wisdom from those who are our elders and that calls us to impart wisdom and the gospel to those who are younger in the faith. Certainly one of the most famous calls to disciple people is in Jesus’ last command to His disciples recorded by Matthew in chapter 28 and simply put: Go and make disciples of all nations.
Today I am not going to look at any particular command or call to discipleship but I will instead look at the stories of mentors and their mentorees. The Bible is full of stories of mentors doing the same things which my mentors did for me. These true stories are set up as examples of how we are to live our lives investing in others. There are four Biblical examples which I would like to look at in detail:
Moses and Joshua
In the book of Exodus we find our first example. Moses and Joshua (Mentor and Mentee) aptly illustrate a successful mentoring partnership. Joshua was a younger Jew who demonstrated integrity and Moses with great wisdom decided to delegate an important task. He placed Joshua in command of a battle and demonstrated trust in Joshua’s gifts and leadership potential. He opened the way for their ongoing teamwork. Joshua became a frequent companion of Moses. Even though he was called a servant, he was actually more of a colleague. Moses even allowed Joshua to accompany him to an important meeting with God on the mountaintop and eventually Moses commissioned Joshua to become the leader of the Israelites as they entered the Promiseland.
Moses and Joshua probably didn’t sit down and negotiate their relationship, they probably didn’t set up guidelines as mentor and mentoree, yet the ingredients of mentoring were there, and Joshua entered a relationship with a respected man that changed Joshua’s life forever.
Naomi and Ruth – Ruth chapters 2 and 3
The story of Naomi and Ruth provides a different view of mentoring. When Ruth’s husband died, she decided to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi and follow Naomi’s way of life, including her faith. As Ruth, a Gentile, walked alongside Naomi she learned not just how to care for a household and how to respond to tragedy and hardship, she also learned about Naomi’s God. When God presented Ruth with a new husband, Ruth was prepared to meet the challenges of courtship and marriage in this new culture because of the good advice which Naomi gave her. Naomi spent time with her, loved her as her own daughter, and helped Ruth understand how God provides for their needs. Naomi mentored Ruth. And because of Naomi’s investment, Ruth became part of the genealogy of Christ as the great-grandmother of King David.
Jesus and the Disciples – The Gospels
Clearly, one of the greatest models of mentoring and disciple making is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who took twelve men from various walks of life and discipled them into becoming the foundation of our church. Granted, one of them betrayed Jesus according to God’s plan, but the eleven disciples who remained faithful became great examples to all of what investment in one’s life can produce.
Throughout the four gospels there are many principals of mentoring which we can gather. The disciples were at times doubters, jealous, unforgiving, misunderstanding and lacking faith. Yet Jesus saw in them not for who they were, but for how God was going to grow them and use them to establish His church. Jesus spent quality time with them, they hung out together. He encouraged them and prayed for them. He taught them God’s Word, interpreting it in light of His own identity as the Christ. He slowly took them from a place of doubt to a place of faith. Jesus’ investment of time and prayer in His disciples multiplied itself as we see the foundations of the church being built throughout the book of Acts.
Paul and Timothy
And one of the examples of how this investment multiplied itself is the story of Paul and Timothy. If you were to ask Timothy who were the people who personally invested in his life, he would probably give you a few names: his grandmother Lois, his mother Eunice which the Bible describes as a godly Jewish believer who instructed Timothy in the scriptures at a young age, and, of course, the Apostle Paul.
Timothy was a product of much investment by godly people. Scripture indicates that he was not only influenced by his family and Paul, but that he was also surrounded at times by some of the founding fathers of the church, including Luke, John Mark, Barnabas, Silas, and Titus. Paul’s first encounter with Timothy is recorded in Acts 16: “Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”
This passage indicates that Paul immediately took on Timothy as his disciple and began to mentor him in the faith and in leadership. Paul desired to see him succeed and to grow in his knowledge and love for the Lord. But according to scripture, Timothy was not always a strong leader. The letter of 2nd Timothy eludes that Timothy was possibly timid, perhaps fearful of what people may have thought of him because of his age. And at times he may have been fearful to preach the Word with authority. One of Paul’s first solo missions for Timothy probably resulted in failure at the church in Corinth. But Paul did not loose faith in Timothy because of his failure, for according to Romans 16 they came back to Corinth together for a second visit.
In addition to many church planting and preaching activities, Timothy spent time with Paul while Paul was in prison in Rome and apparently, according to Hebrews 13:23, was imprisoned himself and eventually released. Paul established Timothy as a leader of the church at Ephesus and not much more is known after Paul is martyred. According to church tradition, the Ephesian church, while they were deficient in their love, grew in fame because of their great faithfulness and it is possible that the success of the Ephesian church was due to Timothy’s leadership. Tradition also has it that Timothy died a martyrs death.
If there had been no Paul, would there have been a Timothy? If Paul had not taken the time to invest in and to pray for and take interest in this young man, would Timothy have become the leader history recorded?
Here in 2 Timothy we read Paul’s final words to the one person whom he had invested much in. This was Paul’s protégé… the one to whom he had entrusted his life’s work. This is the one person in whom Paul saw great potential, even when Timothy was young in faith and ability and insecure in leadership.
Using Paul’s relationship with Timothy as an example, we can find 5 qualities that mark a mentoring relationship, 5 charges to those who mentor:
1) Spiritual Kinship
Many times, Paul describes Timothy as his son. In verse 2, he addresses the letter to “Timothy, my dear son.” In these four words, we see a deep love. Paul loves Timothy as if he were his own son, his own flesh and blood. Evident in this love we can sense the same kind of unconditional love which parents have for their own children: that of the loving father or mother who still welcomes their children home even when they fail, always available for advice, always available to listen.
We all need someone in our lives who we can always count on if we need them. I am thankful that I can seek out at any time 3 different individuals, who will listen to me, who will pray for me, who will admonish me. These people are kindred spirits in my life – godly people who have made themselves available, who have invested in me. I consider them spiritual fathers, just as Paul considered Timothy his spiritual son. And why not, according to Romans 8 we are all adopted into one family through Christ – as believers we are all children of God.
If you do not have a person in your life as Paul did Timothy or vice-versa – one you can call your spiritual son or daughter, then find that person. Invest in that relationship. Don’t be tempted to think that you have learned nothing in your walk with Christ that could ever benefit someone else. That is the enemy’s lies. We have been given the gift of faith and the Spirit resides in us. The Spirit is constantly teaching, constantly directing and constantly sanctifying our lives. The lessons we learn in this sanctification process are invaluable and could help those younger than us in the faith. Invest, invest, invest.
2) Prayer
A mentor not only imparts wisdom to their mentoree as a father does to his son, but they also become their number one prayer warrior. A mentor should have at the top of their prayer list the name of their mentoree and should know exactly how to pray for them because of their kindred relationship. In verse 3 we read, “3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” Then Paul goes on to say in the next few verses what he has been praying for Timothy, the things that God has laid on his heart as he lifts Timothy up in prayer. And this was not just a one time, lift them up and forget about it type of prayer. It says that Paul “constantly remembered” Timothy in his prayers. Every time Paul prayed, Timothy was being prayed for. The mentor is the mentoree’s number one prayer warrior.
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3) Admonishment
A mentor’s desire to see their mentoree succeed naturally moves them to point out the obstacles that could get in the way of that success. A mentor admonishes his mentoree. As I watch my son learn to ride a bike, I don’t want to see him get hurt. I want to see him succeed, so I start with the training wheels. I tell him to constantly keep his eyes looking forward. I warn him of what lays ahead so he can navigate the path. Likewise, Paul warns Timothy. Don’t be timid, Don’t be ashamed. Be brave. Preach the Word! Run the race! Paul was able to say these things because he knew Timothy so well. He knew his strengths and his weaknesses. Likewise, I know that one of my son’s weaknesses on the bike is that he likes to look anywhere but in front of him. So I know how to warn him. A mentor who knows his mentoree is never afraid to point out danger because of the mentor’s deep desire to see the mentoree succeed.
4) Encouragement
And the mentor always admonishes in love and encouragement. Before he admonishes Timothy, Paul begins the admonishment with a word of encouragement: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith” in verse 5 and then the admonishment in verse 6: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” and the second admonishment in verse 7: “do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord”.
Paul then follows up with another encouragement, “But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” The Good News and victory of Jesus is always encouragement for the believer to hear when they are down. The mentor surrounds his admonishment with encouragement.
5) An Aim to Reproduce
Finally, the last mark of a mentoring relationship is that the relationship always has as its aim multiplication. The investment never ends with the death of the people involved in the relationship, but continues and builds and multiplies. Look at the beginning of chapter 2: “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
If you have been a Christian for some time, and especially around Chicago, you would have heard of the name Dwight L. Moody. But you may never have heard of Edward Kimball. As a young man, Moody was attending a Sunday school class for the first time. Upon being asked to read from the day’s lesson text, Moody, who was not familiar with the Bible, fumbled nervously through the pages trying to find the verse. As the other boys in his class began to snicker at Moody’s obvious lack of knowledge, the teacher, Edward Kimball, shot a disapproving frown towards the offending boys and exchanged Bibles with Moody; handing him one already marked with the correct passage. Moody later remarked to a friend that he would “stick by the fellow who had stood by him and done him a turn like that.”
Later on, Edward Kimball had the privilege of leading Dwight L. Moody to the Lord in the back of a shoe store where Moody was employed. D.L. Moody went on to become one of the most influential preachers in 19th century America – winning thousands to Christ. It was Moody that impacted a man by the name of F.B. Meyer and Meyer touched Wilbur Chapman. Chapman partnered with evangelist Billy Sunday and Billy Sunday had a major impact on Mordacai Ham. Mordacai Ham would eventually become an evangelist himself and one day did a revival meeting in North Carolina. A sixteen year old boy with little interest in the revival was persuaded to go on one of the last days. That boy’s name was Billy Graham.
How different eternity might have been had Edward Kimball ignored Moody’s embarrassing predicament. Because of Mr. Kimball’s love and investment of himself, thousands, probably millions, have come to know Christ as their Savior.
If we as Christians would stop being selfish and start investing ourselves in others’ lives, then everyone here would have a mentor and would be mentoring someone else. You are never too young or too old to be mentoring someone, to be investing in someone.
The ultimate goal of mentoring is to give ourselves away. To pass on your life to the mentoree. It is taking yourself and becoming vulnerable and saying, “Look – this is what God has taught me. Learn from it. The pains, the joys, everything. Take it to heart. Know what Christ has done for us. Invest it in your own life. Invest it in the lives of others.”
How appropriate it is that today we celebrate the calling of a Timothy into the ministry. In a moment pastor Tim will be coming up to be installed. I have heard from Pastor Tim of his own passion for mentoring and being mentored and I am excited to see how God will use that passion in the life of our students as Tim invests his own life in them.
