Cory and Rhonda have spent a lot of time mentoring others, and like most people, they were nervous at first. Find out from them how regular mentoring and disciple-making has encouraged, matured, and blessed them and how it can do the same for you.
Learn About Yourself
Mentoring and discipling other people can teach you much about yourself. Cory and Rhonda learned this after helping other couples. Seeing others struggling made them self-assess. Were the struggles of others work areas in their own marriage? If they were encouraging other couples to develop a regular, healthy prayer life, were they themselves praying together at all?
Helping other people pursue God will not only help them, but you. You’ll gain perspectives you wouldn’t have otherwise. The simple conviction to not be a hypocrite is a big motivator to make positive change in yourself.
Helping Others Helps Us
One of the most important – and most neglected – methods of growing as a Christian is making disciples. This doesn’t necessarily mean going out into the streets with a soapbox and shouting from street corners or knocking on doors to invite strangers to church. It could be as simple as investing in another person who is already a Christian, challenging them, and walking alongside them for a time as a mentor. And if we wait “until we’re ready” to do this, there’s a good chance we’ll never start in the first place.
When we neglect the disciple-making command of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20), we not only disobey God, but we deprive ourselves of the benefits that come from helping others.
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- Does the idea of mentoring other people make you nervous? Explain.
- Has there been a time in your life when helping someone else (even if it had nothing to do with mentoring or discipleship) gave you timely perspective? Explain.
- Are you or have you in the past been a mentor to other people? What were some of the challenges that came with it? What were some of the benefits?
- Why do you think so many people are not involved in making disciples, either by helping Christians walk more closely with God or by helping non-believers trust Jesus for the first time? Explain.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
