Set the stage for gospel-centered mentoring by becoming a gospel-centered model and finding your own mentor.
In the movie Kung Fu Panda, the wicked snow leopard Tai Lung has escaped prison and threatens to destroy a peaceful civilization. The lazy, clumsy, chubby panda Po is chosen by Master Oogway as the Dragon Warrior to fight TaiLung and save the Valley. The great kung fu Master Shifu is assigned to train Po.
Master Shifu is convinced that Po cannot be the Dragon Warrior who will fight TaiLung. There must have been some accident that allowed him to be chosen. It is impossible to train someone as uncoordinated and goofy as Po. One very important truth that Master Shifu must come to grips with is that the problem with Po’s training isn’t so much the mentee but the mentor. Master Shifu has not prepared himself mentally and emotionally for a non-traditional mentee like Po; in fact, Master Shifu has failed to mentor him before he has even really begun. Master Shifu discovers that he must first to prepare himself to mentor Po before he begins mentoring.
Perhaps when you think of mentoring, you picture two people sitting across from each other at a table, one older than the other. The younger one is asking questions or drafting development plans; the older one is listening and offering sage advice. You are probably thinking of the mentor session which we will discuss in later lessons. However, there is more to mentoring than just that recognizable meeting. It is very important that the gospel-centered mentor first prepare him/herself to mentor.
Some mentors may view themselves as “advisors” or “sounding boards” for their mentees. While these are certainly roles that mentors play, gospel-centered mentors recognizes that they are much more than that. They are not merely walking training manuals or theological encyclopedias, dispensing knowledge to less experienced Christians. Gospel-centered mentors serve as the hands, ears, and voice of Christ for mentees. This is a deeply pastoral role. For that reason, gospel-centered mentors do much more than show up for mentor sessions with a notepad and pen. They actively prepare themselves spiritually for gospel-centered mentoring.
How to Prepare Yourself for Gospel-Centered Mentoring
Become a Gospel-Centered Model
Find Your Own Mentor
Become a Gospel-Centered Model
For many of us growing up, father was the center of our world. His smile made us smile; his frown made us cry. This is perfectly illustrated by a particular photograph of my father and me when I was a four-year old boy. Dad and I are sitting together on the couch. His legs are stretched out and his feet are resting on the coffee table. I am desperately trying stretch myself out in the same way and rest my feet on the same table. The problem is that I am not long enough. So, I look like a rickety bridge spanning a yawning chasm, ready to collapse. I imagine that I was horribly uncomfortable, but I didn’t care; I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to imitate my dad every way I could.
Becoming a Gospel-centered model for mentees is a crucial aspect of preparing yourself to mentor. The medical missionary Albert Schweitzer once said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others . . . it is the only thing.” That may be a bit of an overstatement intended to emphasize a point, but it compels us to consider the importance of modeling, that is, setting an example of what it means to be Christ-centered. Consider Missionary Paul who encouraged the brothers and sisters to imitate him (1 Corinthians 4:16). In Philippians 4:8-9, he wrote, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Even though Paul believed he still was “the worst of sinners,” (1 Timothy 1:15,16) he also knew that God’s grace had transformed him into a model the brothers and sisters could follow (1 Corinthians 15:10).
The reality is that you will certainly influence your mentees through the model of your life and leadership; the question is: will you influence them positively or negatively? That’s why James warned us, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Your role as a mentor is to influence mentees in the development of wholehearted character first by showing them how to rest in Christ and to reflect him with their lives.
You do that chiefly by filling up with the gospel yourself. When you are on a plane, preparing to take off, the flight attendant will tell you, “In the case of a loss in cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling. If you are traveling with a child, please put your own mask on first, and then help them put on their mask.” Why should you put on your own mask before helping others? It seems so selfish. But it is very difficult to help others when you are suffocating. First, you need to fill up with oxygen; then, you can help others breathe. The same is true with gospel-centered mentoring—it is difficult to help mentees breathe deeply of the gospel if you are spiritually suffocating yourself. Look at it a few other ways. One drowning man cannot save another; he will only drag the other down. You cannot give away what you do not have yourself. Remember that spiritual maturity is defined by resting in Christ; if you are spiritually restless, it is difficult to encourage others to rest.
To put it positively, when you are filled up with God’s gospel power, it will overflow to fill others up. Consider these Bible passages:
Colossians 2:7 …rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 1:3–5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
John 4:13–14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
All these passages contain the idea of “overflowing.” As we fill up with the gospel for ourselves through regular time with God’s Word privately, with a few brothers or sisters, and with the whole church, the gospel always overflows. Of course, this does not imply that you will become a perfect model to your mentee like Christ is—not even close. You don’t need to be a Christian superhero; but as you are filled up with the gospel, it spills over into your life, even amid sin, failure, sorrow, and oppression. You naturally overflow with the gospel to comfort and empower your mentees. And, as you overflow with the gospel, you will also naturally model for your mentees what it looks like to rest in Christ and reflect him in the different realms of life. Through that process, your mentees will learn much about wholeheartedness even outside of formal mentoring sessions because they have seen it modeled in your life.
A full study of the devotional life of the mentor is beyond the scope of this book; however, this is a good time to evaluate the nature and quality of your regular time with God in meditation and prayer individually and together with your brothers and sisters. For the sake of your mentees, you want to be regularly filled up with the gospel.
More Training on a Gospel-Centered Devotional Life
An excellent resource for nurturing a gospel centered devotional life is the series entitled, “Reclaiming Our Christ-Centered Lutheran Devotional Heritage,” by Professor Richard Gurgel. According to the website where these tools are hosted, “Professor Gurgel has prepared these four essays for his continuing education classes on a called worker’s devotional life. The essays include Part 1: Drawing Our Devotional Life from the Gospel, Part 2: Growing in the Gift of Meditating on the Word, Part 3: Growing in the Gift of Word-Focused Prayer, and Part 4: Growing in the Gift of Testing.”
These are available at the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Essay File Website or at this link: http://essays.wisluthsem.org:8080/handle/123456789/4298