Memorise :
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
Read : John 13:12-17
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
Message
In the contemporary Christian church, there is a problem of lack of practical mentoring for new believers. Practical mentoring involves a mentor at the fore-front of practical Christian living, instructing the mentee to follow after his or her example. Such an arrangement faces two problems in today's world. First, some so- called spiritual mentors teach and point their mentees to the narrow path that leads to eternal life, but they themselves are not on this route. They tell disciples the truth about Christian living, but they themselves do something else. Such cannot say what Paul said in Phillippians 3:17:
'Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.'
On the other hand, so-called spiritual mentors compromise the truth of the scriptures so that they can be "free" to exhibit their lusts and unethical dispositions. The youths they ought to give a sense of direction are the same ones they copy under the guise of encouraging them to come to Church. An African adage says : "The wife you marry from a dancing hall will eventually abandon you for sightseeing in the very near future." Another adage also says: "The house you built with spittle will be demolished by the mere dew of heaven." In other words, it does not require a tornado or tsunami to wipe away such spiritual houses built with worldly ideas. This is the reason our younger generation of Christians are easy prey to the devil.
In today's Bible reading, we see Jesus practically teaching, mentoring and furnishing his disciples with gems of leadership. He demonstrated to them in a practical way what He had taught them in Matthew 20:27-28:
'And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.'
Are you a Christian mentor, doing or teaching what is wrong? Beware! One dangerous consequence of wrong Christian mentoring is found in the words of Jesus in Mathew 5:19:
'Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'
Action Point :
Say to the Lord: Father, I Thank you for giving me perfect spiritual mentoring through Jesus. Please make me a perfect spiritual mentor as well.' Pray for me on this my birthday , that the Lord will continue to make me an avenue of blessing to this generation.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 27:1-28:24 and REVELATION 11
AUTHOR : Pastor E.A. ADEBOYE
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