The Heart of a Mentor

A mentor is focused on seeing others succeed, rather than using others to accomplish something that makes them successful.  This is the heart of a mentor and also of a servant leader.  A mentor develops the person they are mentoring by letting them discover truths for themselves, guiding them and assisting them on that journey of discovery.  Why bother asking questions when you can just tell them what to do?  After all, you are more experienced and you have good answers to give them!

To give them the answers keeps them dependent upon you to solve their problems.  If instead, through wisely asking questions, offering options, and helping them to think about what they can and want to do to solve their problem, you are developing powerful people who will powerfully make decisions to change their own lives and the community they are a part of. 

It can be challenging to keep this perspective and behavior in place, especially when your mentee expects you to give them answers!  But the heart of a mentor is not to help them in the short term and feel good about themselves, the mentor seeks to develop and empower the mentee for the long term.

Jesus had that heart.  It never ceases to amaze me that he said to his disciples that they would do greater works than He did.  He very often didn't give answers, but instead told stories and said "those who have ears to hear, let them hear."  He expected initiative on the part of his disciples and followers.  He wanted them to exercise their minds and spirits to discern truth for themselves. He was developing them for the future- believing in them, that they could be leaders of leaders for His Kingdom.   

Do you get greater joy when you see others you have invested in succeed, or when you succeed?  A mentor, like a Father, delights when their mentee goes beyond them in capacity, influence and success.  We rejoice when our children surpass us; when they get better jobs than we had, when they earn bigger salaries, or when they get promotions at a younger age than we ever did.  Why?  Because we love them and want the very best for them.  We want them to go further and climb up on top of our shoulders to reach greater heights. 

This is what we need in the Christian world.  Mentors who are fathers and mothers in heart. We don't need more bosses and supervisors, those who use people to achieve success and discard them when they fail or when their success threatens to outshine their own.  Pride gets in the way of effective mentoring.  Love makes a way for it.  Love them.  Encourage them.  Stand with them.  Speak truth with grace.  Cheer for their successes.  Affirm them.  Praise them.  Correct them with gentleness and patience.  You'll have the tremendous joy of watching many whom you have mentored go far in the Kingdom, building upon the foundations you've laid, and rising to places in God that you only dreamed of.   

A Major Hindrance to Revival - Living under Old Covenant instead of New

As Good Friday and Easter approach I've been meditating on that amazing afternoon when Jesus died. I've been asking Father for greater revelation as to its impact and implications for me personally, for all of us, and for how we do life and ministry under this radical New Covenant that was initiated on that incredible day.

I've also been asking myself and Father God: what is the foundational belief that needs to be changed in order for us to see a further release of His Kingdom on earth, to see God's will and ways sweep across communities changing and transforming lives?

I'm not content in my heart with what I see happening in the church today.  There is so much more available for us, for the church, for this broken planet!  What did Jesus die to release that we haven't yet taken hold of?

I'm drawn to consider again the description of the incredible events that took place when Jesus died.  Matthew 27:50-54 says that Jesus released his spirit and at that very moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  An earthquake happened, rocks split in two, and tombs opened.  People rose from the dead and were seen in Jerusalem.  Pretty incredible stuff!  What did it mean?

In the Old Covenant, the ordinary person had no access to God's presence.  Only priests could go before a Holy God after many ceremonies of cleansing and animal sacrifices.  This most holy place where His Presence dwelt, that was only for one very special person (the High Priest), one time a year.

When Jesus died...God himself tore open the pathway to come to Him directly.  He tore open what no human hands could tear...and with that action He said "Come!  Come in and meet me, your sin is paid for, you can now enter my Presence."  Wow!

From that point onward priests were not needed.  Ordinary fishermen could become sons, priests and kings.  Every person had access to Father God, Holy Spirit and Jesus.  The price, the punishment, that kept us from God was paid, once and for all.

Oh that this truth would impact our thinking more fully!  We can come to Him freely now!  No matter what we have done, no matter how unworthy we feel or are. The way is open.

As we come, He then empowers us with His Presence, His authority, His anointing, to carry His Presence out into the world. We invite others to go with us into His Presence, to meet Holy God, loving Father.  Sins forgiven.  Identity changed.  As sons and daughters, not orphans.  As priests, not second class lay people.  As kings, given authority to rule on this earth.

Hebrews 10:14 says "by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy."  We are made perfect and we are being made holy.

The new covenant is such a radical shift from the old! In the Old covenant, only special people had access, authority and were commissioned to do God's work. The Levites. In the new covenant, everyone has access, authority and is commissioned by God for a joyful partnership with Him of "ministry" in this world.

One of the biggest hindrances to seeing church planting movements, or true revival, is when we don't understand the implications of the New covenant.  We still live, behave and think as if we are under the Old Covenant.  We still look to pastors, worship leaders or other more qualified people to help us come to God, to pray for the sick, to take the lead in sharing the gospel and discipling others.

We say we believe that everyday, ordinary believers are now sons, priests and kings on the earth.  But our behaviors, traditions and actions often look a lot more like the Old Covenant than New.

Why did the church spread like wildfire in the book of Acts?  Because ordinary believers acted as sons, priests and kings- ministering the gospel, full of His Presence and Spirit, going everywhere with the good news and making disciples.  There were apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists.  But their job was NOT to do all the work of the ministry. Their job was to equip the saints for ministry, to train and send them (Ephesians 4:12).

Until we get our hearts and beliefs in line with the truth that the veil is torn, that we all are now priests of God, we ALL now have access to God, and are commissioned to go, make disciples, baptize and teach others to obey...we will be stuck with limited growth.  We will be stuck with leaders, pastors and full time workers serving as priests and ministers, while ordinary believers sit in seats on Sundays and remain...well...ordinary. 

Will we embrace the extraordinary identity Jesus paid such a price to give us? Will we take on the responsibility to make disciples who know who they are- sons, priests and kings in this world?  Will we see that our role is to train, equip and help those we disciple to fully take hold of their identity and commission? Our job is never to fill churches with believers.  Our job is to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples.  To multiply sons and daughters who are priests and kings.

This is the New Covenant, the radically different worldview and paradigm Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross to bring to us. How He must ache for us to enter into what He already died to purchase!