"And when Moses saw that people were unruly and unrestrained (for Aaron had let them get out of control, so that they were a derision and object of shame among their enemies),"
Exodus 32:25
Wow, what a scripture! Moses had gone to the mountain to get the Ten Commandments from God. Suddenly, God told Moses he needed to go back down and take care of the unruly people. The leadership, Aaron, had allowed the people to go crazy and worship idols and other gods. This enraged God, so it also enraged Moses.
There are examples throughout history of bad leadership. Although everyone has the ability to lead, many do not have the training and practice to lead people. Those who lead people successfully study and practice leadership skills. As a leader in the church, it is important to study the Word, pray, and learn leadership skills. If we are leaders in business, we need to know business skills as well.
Every leader has to go through a period of being a follower, first. When they learn their job well as a follower (subordinate), they are able to lead people and teach people in their field. As a minister, it is extremely important to work with a mentor to become a great minister. Eventually, the minister will become good enough that they can mentor someone else. This is how churches grow spiritually and establish a large membership.
To become great mentors, we need to understand the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:18-23):
"Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:
While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;
Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom we ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.
As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty."
Matthew 13:18-23
There are several reasons why seed is sown on bad soil. One reason that the seed does not land on good soil is lack of Biblical principles. When we do not base our lessons on the Bible, the people we mentor can be led astray by the enemy. The Bible is truth, so we have to mentor people in the Bible's truth. If we do not use the Bible, the seed can land on the roadside.
The second reason that the seed can land on bad soil is our attitude when we mentor others. If we have a bad attitude, we hurt the people we mentor and stunt their growth in whatever area they are being taught. Many times, people are turned off from church, because people who they admire hurt them. It is important to humbly lead other, and mentor others without an arrogant attitude. This happens in the church, because, sometimes, we forget that we have been a young Christain and need to gently help others grow spiritually. Criticism is a big problem in mentorship. We need to remember that we do not want others to criticize us, so we don't need to criticize others.
The third reason that the seed lands on bad soil is the lack of commitment on the mentor's part. As a mentor, we need to commit to helping others. If someone needs us, we need to find a way to help them. It is important to remember the benefits of helping others. There are times when we may not feel like helping others, but helping others will also help us grow. When we teach others, it helps reinforce the information for us.
The fourth reason that the seed lands on bad soil is the lack of confidence. If the mentor is not confident in his/her abilities, we are not able to instill confidence in others. Confidence is not hard to increase in our lives, but it takes a lot of work. When we are trying to increase our confidence, we need to read God's Word and write down everything God says about us. How does God feel about us? He created us and sent His Son to die for us. This means we are very valuable to Him. As we get this truth in our heart, we will see our confidence grow.
The fifth reason that the seed lands on bad soil is pride. As my sister-in-law, Teadran, said in our Woman's Bible Study, sometimes, we are afraid that the person we mentor will become better than us. This is a prideful spirit that can ruin any mentoring opportunities. Mentorship can make us feel very vulnerable, because we must be honest about our lives. This includes honesty about our mistakes. Some of us do not want to admit weaknesses, so we back off from mentoring others.
Biblical Mentoring Examples
There are two famous examples of mentoring that I love to read. First, there is the story of Elijah and Elisha, and then there is the story of Paul and Timothy. Each of these examples shows amazing journeys that the mentor took with another. This is what we need to do. Find someone who we can take on our journey and train them to do the same.
"So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him."
I Kings 19:19
This is an amazing scene, because Elijah was giving Elisha cloak and inviting him to join him on his adventure. Between the times that Elijah selected Elisha and the time Elijah was taken up to heaven, the pair went on a journey that developed Elisha into a prophet. Elisha knew what to do and how he wanted to live, because he witnessed God using Elijah to help the people of Israel. He wanted his own journey, so he was ready to sacrifice everything to get the double portion.
"When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
"You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours- otherwise, it will not."
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
Elisha en picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. "Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over."
II Kings 2:9-14
Elijah gave Elisha instructions on how to get a double portion of his anointing. Due to Elisha's obedience, he was able to go on and serve as a prophet without Elijah. This is how we need to mentor. When the mentoring is over, the other person should be able to serve without us looking over their shoulder. In many circumstances, the student becomes better than the teacher and eventually does more.
I Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God's work- which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
I Timothy 1:1-5
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
II Timothy 1:1-2
The letters to Timothy were Paul mentoring and instructing Timothy. He knew Timothy was young and wanted to give him the instruction he needed to preach the gospel. Timothy had potential, so Paul decided to develop that potential and use it for the kingdom of God. Paul thought of Timothy as a spiritual son.
Challenge for the week:
The first thing we need to do is learn from a mentor. That way we can grow from someone more experience than us. Once we are able to grow on our own, we can help others grow. It is a cycle that can be repeated over and over.
Some other things that we need to remember about mentoring is that it will require us to give others the materials they need. There are books and other materials that will help reinforce what you are trying to teach. My husband, Brenton, has given tons of books away. He gets some of his books in a box, and gives the whole box of books away.
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill