Dear brethren,

Jesus said, "You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am."  Two verses later He said, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."  (John 13:13, 15).  Jesus mentored His disciples.  He chose them individually, and mentored them to be able to take on the service and leadership roles that would be needed in the Church He was building.  He taught them the truth and how to live by it, and how to pass it on.  Through His words, by His example, and in giving them opportunities to serve alongside Him, Christ was nearly constantly mentoring His disciples.  He empowered that generation of disciples to become the faithful people who He could trust and commission to engage in His great work.  He prepared them to be able to preach the gospel to the world and to teach those who responded to observe all things that He had taught them. 

I call this style of teaching "direct mentoring," meaning that it is done with intent and purpose, with the teacher and the student being aware of the process that is being undertaken.  It's so much more personal and focused than other forms of passing on of knowledge, skills and responsibility.  This makes it more effective, and this is the approach we are taking in our congregations for all who wish to engage.

The sermon title for this Sabbath is "Direct Mentoring for Service in the Church."  We will briefly consider two remarkable examples of mentoring in the Bible, to help us see the value of this style of teaching and the good results that come from it.  Naomi directly mentored Ruth.  Paul directly mentored Timothy.  There are lessons and principles in these examples that can help the Church grow in our day--to help our congregations become stronger, more spiritually healthy and productive.  We will be focusing on principles that can apply to all forms of service in a congregation, and how those principles can be taught and learned.  And, of course, we'll consider how our Teacher and Lord directly mentors us today.  "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." (1 Pet. 2:21).  Like the disciples before us, we have His words, His example and the opportunities He provides for us to learn and to serve.    

Sincerely,

Roc Corbett