Mentoring is the word we use to describe the process of helping someone pursue God. The biblical word is “disciple-making”. Jesus mentored his 12 disciples when he was on the earth and he commissioned them to do the same with others (Matthew 28:19-20). Today, many Christians fail to understand the calling on their lives to mentor the people around them. But the Bible teaches that mentoring others is the single greatest way to grow our own faith (Ephesians 4:11-16). Here are three simple principles will help you to courageously step out and start mentoring others around you:

Principle #1: Mentor a few.

Mentoring begins at home and extends to others in your circle of influence. Jesus changed the world by simply mentoring a few and then teaching them to do the same. This is God’s simple strategy for reaching every generation. If everyone mentored a few in a simple, reproducible way, then eventually everyone would be a mentor and have a mentor. That is discipleship.

2 Timothy 2:2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

[Related: The Mentor Tree and the Law of 2 Generations]

[Related: Three People Lists for Biblical Mentoring]

Principle #2: Speak truth in love.

Transformation starts with truth, and mentoring boils down to sharing God’s truth in a way that people can receive it (Ephesians 4:15). Some people are ready right now to hear about Jesus, but many people are far from interested in “faith” conversations. A mentor knows how to pick the right topic at the right time. We earn the right to speak God’s truth by showing the people around us that we love them. But we can only do our part; we can’t force anyone to pursue God. Our job is to lovingly, consistently help people discover the truth of a biblical worldview.

[Related: Sharing the Right Truth at the Right Time]

Principle #3: Keep moving forward.

The pursuit of God is a journey, not just a destination. The goal of mentoring is to help someone to eventually go “full circle” in their faith: to trust Jesus and honor God in life, and then to turn around and help others do the same. Mentors aren’t better than the people they’re helping; they’ve simply discovered truth that they want to share with someone else. As more people discover these life-changing truths through mentoring, everyone is empowered to move forward and help the next person. That’s how Jesus intended for discipleship to happen.

[Related: Understanding a Full Circle Pursuit of God]

Discussion Questions:

  1. Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
  2. What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
  3. List some words to describe how you feel about mentoring (excited, nervous, unsure, etc).
  4. Read 2 Timothy 4:2-4. What are some of the wrong ideas that “itching ears” want to hear today?
  5. Describe a time someone spoke the truth to you without doing it in love. How did you react? How could they have said it so you would have responded better?
  6. Read Deuteronomy 30:19-20. How is Moses’ message similar to our message when we mentor others?
  7. Read Ephesians 4:15. Explain what “full circle” means by articulating the three truths of Foundations in your own words.
  8. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.

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