Word In Life Study Bible
DISCIPLESHIP—OR MENTORING?
Acts9:26-30
But closely related to the making of disciples is the mentoring of leaders. Here in Acts 9 Saul’s conversion starts one dynamic chain of mentoring that extends through the rest of the New Testament (see the accompanying diagram, “Kingdom-Style Mentoring”).
“Mentoring”
has become a buzzword among Western business and professional people. But the
concept is as old as Homer’s Odyssey (c. 900–810 a.d.), in which Odysseus
entrusts to his friend, Mentor, the education of Telemachus, his son. A mentor,
then, is a trusted counselor or guide—typically an older, more experienced
person who imparts valuable wisdom to someone younger. Countless figures throughout
history have recalled the powerful influence of mentors on their development.
The Old Testament is filled with mentoring relationships: Jethro, a wealthy
livestock owner, helped his overworked son-in-law, Moses, learn to delegate
authority (Ex. 18:1–27); Deborah, judge over Israel, summoned Barak to
military leadership and helped him triumph over Jabin, a Canaanite king, bringing
forty years of peace to the land (Judg. 4:4–24); Eli, a priest of the Lord
(but a failure as a father) raised young Samuel to succeed him (1 Sam. 1:1–3:21);
the prophet Elijah, who oversaw the evil end of Ahab and Jezebel, passed his
office on to young Elisha, who received a double portion of his spirit (2 Kin.
2:1–15).
Barnabas, a wealthy land owner in the early church, became an advocate and guide for Saul, the former enemy and persecutor of the movement (Acts 9:26–30). Over time, with Barnabas’s coaching and encouragement, Saul (later called Paul) became the central figure in the early spread of the gospel.
Close observation
reveals four key functions of a kingdom-style mentor:
(1) Mentors care about those who follow them. Their primary interest is not
what they can gain from the relationship, but with what they can give to it.
They also realize how much they have to learn from their protégés.
Ultimately, they fulfill Paul’s admonition to look out not only for their
own interests, but also for the interests of others (Phil. 2:4).
(2) Mentors convey wisdom and skill. Through modeling and coaching, and eventually
by turning over responsibility to their followers, kingdom-style mentors seek
to make their disciples more capable than the mentors have been (Matt. 10:25).
(3) Mentors correct their followers when they are wrong. An excellent example
is Barnabas’s challenge to Paul over taking John Mark along on the second
missionary journey (Acts 15:36–39). Later Paul changed his perspective
and asked Timothy to bring John Mark to him (2 Tim. 4:11). Kingdom-style mentors
do not avoid confrontation.
(4) Mentors connect their followers to significant others. As Acts 9 shows,
Saul’s entrée into the early church was Barnabas. Kingdom-style
mentors introduce their protégés to relationships and resources
that will further their development and increase their opportunities.
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