Bay Area Christian Church

What is Mentorship?

"Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning." Proverbs 9:9

Mentorship is practiced by mentors. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a mentor as someone who is a trusted counselor or guide.   The Bible is filled with these types of relationships, the most fundamental of which is the mentoring done by parents with their children.

There are number of mentoring relationships in scripture. Abraham was a mentor to Lot.   Moses was a mentor to Joshua. Naomi was a mentor to Ruth. Samuel was a mentor to both Kings Saul and David. Jesus was the mentor to the twelve apostles.

We will practice mentorship in our church so that everyone receives spiritual and life guidance. New Testament Christianity is impossible without this kind of relationship and guidance.   Proverbs 9:9 clearly states that even the wise and righteous need these types of relationships. Who can claim to be wise, righteous, or a New Testament Christian and exempt himself or herself from mentoring relationships?

How Do We Get Started?

"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen." I John 4:19-20

The scriptures teach that, "We love because he first loved us." This means that God took the initiative. He didn't wait for us to come to Him.   New Testament Christians will imitate God's attitude in relationships and take the initiative. Even though the shepherding spirit of our church leadership will see that everyone has a mentoring relationship, it is important that we neither wait for nor depend upon this leadership effort.

We should examine our lives to determine two things before we form mentoring relationships: 1) What do I have to give 2) Where do I need to receive?

Once we have determined our gifts and needs, we should take the initiative to build relationships of mutual benefit (Romans 1:11-12).

Acts 9:26 -- 28 -- Barnabas bringing Saul to the Apostles
Colossians 4:12-13 -- Epaphras praying for the disciples in Colosse
Numbers 25: 1-13 -- Phinehas dealing with sin
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 -- The Macedonian church
Acts 18:24-28 -- Priscilla and Aquila

How would you define the word initiative?
In what way do these scriptures describe People that took initiative? What concerns could have prevented each of those listed in the above scripture from taking initiative?
How do you think they overcame these concerns?
What goes through your mind when you hesitate to take initiative? Do these thoughts ultimately prevent you from following through?
How do you think Paul's attitude toward the church in 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 affected his willingness to initiate meeting needs or confronting sin?
Name three ways you could initiate today to make a difference in the lives of one or more people today.
The following scriptures are helpful for gaining conviction about initiating in relationships.

Romans 14:19, John 5:44, 2 Peter 1:15, Genesis 4:9, Psalm 133:1, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 18:19, Proverbs 18:24, Matthew 5:23-24, Matthew 7:3-5, Matthew 12:48, Matthew 18:15, Matthew 18:35, Mark 3:35, Luke 17:3, Romans 7:4, Romans 12:10, Romans 15:14, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Galatians 5:13, Galatians 6:1, Colossians 4:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:14, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 2 Thessalonians 3:15, Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 13:1, James 2:14-15, James 5:19, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:16-17, 1 John 4:20-21, 3 John 1:3

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