FROM THE DESK OF PASTOR SOLOMON NGANGA
MENTORSHIP
Matt 28:19-20 (NKJV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
When I started writing about a Mentor, my mind span around wide and high. I have mentioned frequently how Pastor Phillip Kuria helped me tremendously in my early Christian life.
So who is a Mentor?
1. A mentor is an experienced adviser and supporter: somebody, usually older and more experienced, who advises and guides a younger, less experienced person (according to Thesaurus dictionary)
2. A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor or teacher. Wisdom and trust is an essential commodity that I look for in a mentor.
According to my own experiences with my friend Phillip, I will give you a definition of a mentor.
“He or she is a reliable and trusted person that can help and influence your life. He/she should be your number one friend; a man full of the Holy Spirit, equipped with the Word of God and who inspires and train you in the things of God, diligently and with a passion.”
That is a definition according to Solomon! I do not know how I can put it better than that! However, let us understand what a mentor is according to the Word of God.
Matt 28:19-20 (NKJV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
The duty of a mentor is to make disciples. Go therefore and make disciples.
My friend Phillip, when he became my mentor, he did not just say, “I am going to influence his life. He can only breath when I breathe, go when I go, eat when I eat” Do not ever have that mentality. It is a spirit of dominating a person’s life. It is so unfortunate. It leads to a form of cult, where the followers blindly follow someone. He began by a great desire to make a disciple unto the Lord.
No wonder in my description of what I believe should be a mentor; you have to be a man full of the Holy Spirit. By my experiences, a person who is mentored, usually thrive to learn the things of God with the help of his friend. For the purpose of understanding who a mentor is, I will henceforth term the person as a close friend.
So what characters does that close friend possess?
1. A person who is doing what the Word says,
“Go and make disciples.” If you heart is sincerely in tune with the greatest noble thing we have ever received from our Lord Jesus Christ, then you are in a position to be a mentor as long as you are going to make disciples. People with the mandate of making disciples make the best Mentors. You are assured that whatever they do it is not for their personal gain. They are more interested of doing God’s will than achieving their egos’ pursuits.
2. A person who is able to teach the things of God to the disciple.
A Pastor is a good mentor. He is able to teach the things of God to the disciple. Let there be a desire in your heart to hook up with a person who teaches you the “good stuffs” of the Kingdom! Do not hook up with people who do not nurture and teach you the things of God! It profits you not if you constantly feed yourself things that are contrarily to the Word of God. A true Mentor should be able to teach the things of God to His disciple.
3. A person who is able to recognize the gifts and talents in his friend.
Mentoring is God's way to lift another toward their full potential. I thank God my friend Phillip recognized the gift in me when I did not know what I possessed and helped me nurture it. A mentor is able to identify your greatness even before you ARE AWARE of it. It is the noble duty of a mentor to nurture his or her disciple.
4. A person that can give and take.
The friend should be able to give the person he is mentoring a chance to speak his mind. I have found it very irritating, when a person, because he knows more than you, continue to barrage you with what he knows and rarely gives you a chance to respond. It is usually one sided. Some individuals are like this. Day in day out, they do not give you a chance to grow, though they pour non-stop into your knowledge.
I have found if you want to make a disciple who can listen and grow, give him a chance and listen to him as well. You will be surprised how much that person has caught up with you. Initially when you begin this deliberate relation, you will find your disciple is quiet because he is learning, but as days goes on, his confidence increases.
5. A person who sticks with the person you are helping to encourage their personal growth in Christ.
By that, I mean, a person who does not readily gives up on you when things are not working right! We need more of those kinds of people! A Mentor knows and trusts God and should be there for you in the midst of tough times. He or she should hold your hand and encourage you not to give up!
6. A person who gives extensive time to his disciple.
That is why I said a mentor is a close friend. Only a close friend can sacrifice time for the other. As times goes on, the difference between the mentor and the person been mentored is so narrow. Actually sometimes, you may help mentor someone, and then the person “overtake” you, (for lack of a better term), and you find yourself seeking help and guidance through the same person you mentored. It is usually very easy if that happens, because you still are close friends.
7. An active mentor should be practically involved in the things he is teaching you.
He should not be the kind that says, “Do what I say but not what I do!” He should go ahead of you, setting practical examples! How can you learn right if the person who is your “mentor” does things contrarily to what they say? A mentor should be a person who talk the talk and walk the walk!
8. Mentoring is a relationship and must be deliberate not forced.
You know any relation is doomed to fail if it is one sided. To understand this Truth, raising your children is a form of mentoring. However much I speak of my friend Phillip as my mentor in ministry, my parents were the biggest mentors in my life, as a whole. That is how they were effective in my life and ministry. That is the truth. It is unfortunate some parents have disregarded this noble duty.
I speak a lot of Phillip because he is the one who practically helped me when I was saved. He took me to missions, going to the mountains, in the cave fasting and praying, spending days and nights in the house of God seeking God, speaking the Word of God, introducing me to his friends of like spirit and mission at heart, sharing problems together etc. As I continued to grow in faith, I became a source of strength to my friend Phillip as well, where he could seek my help as well. Do not fear if your student overtakes you. Some things will never change. God used you to make a difference in that person.
Infinity number of mentors
There are an infinity number of mentors. Everybody can be a mentor. I do not want to narrow the scope of been a mentor, because as the Bible says, go and make disciples. I believe a Pastor is number one mentor. Our parents are number one mentor. Counselors are number one mentors. Teachers are very crucial in our lives. All mentors should be close friends. Jesus taught us to go and make disciples because He himself made disciples. He not only mentored them, he was close to them as a reliable and trusted friend! The list is never ending!
I know I have left a lot on the table un-addressed since this topic is wide and extensive, but you now understand the purpose of a finding a mentor who can be of great help in helping you deal with your pains. In the next topic, I will discuss the Importance of finding a Bible believing Church that teaches the Word of God and preaches Jesus as Lord and Savior.
I will finally, give you a scripture that emphasis the continuation of mentorship. This is because, many people would like to be mentored, but those willing to mentor are harder to find.
Tim 2:2 (NKJV)
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.
So friend, do not let your past pains deter you from been effective in helping others. I was taught and now I am committing everything that I have learnt for all those years to faithful men so you can also teach others. I do not want to keep all the “goodies” to myself but I desire in my heart to be a blessing to many.
God bless you.
Pastor Solomon Nganga
