Every young person, once they have journeyed enough with Jesus to discover who they are “in Christ” and are discipled so that they are mature in the faith and moving forward into embracing a ministry as part of the “priesthood of all believers,” needs a mentor. Usually the young person needs to go looking for a mentor. At times, a mentor will come looking for them.

When looking for a mentor a young person needs to find someone who they like and who is favourable to the idea of getting to know them and then investing in them. This person will not be easy to find because they will be unique qualities that they will need to be able to help a person grow in the faith as they are mentored. And, because each young person is unique you will need to find a mentor who can work with your uniqueness.

When you find a mentor and begin to work one-on-one with them it is good to remember the following “rules”…

1> When meeting you have a one hour appointment so keep the small talk (often called fellowship) short and get right to the things that need to be discussed. You are not there to “chat.”Sharing more of life and general fellowship can happen if and when you begin to travel with your mentor or visit with the mentor in their home specifically for fellowship. This hour is for you to learn and grow.

2> Come on time – in fact, come ahead of time to pick a quiet corner or table out of the general flow of traffic at the coffee shop or restaurant. You want to have a place that is quiet and conductive to talking and sharing.

3> Come with 5 to 10 questions through through, written out, and ready to ask. Keep the conversation moving so that you actually get to ask the majority of the questions that you have written down. And, remember to bring a digital recording device to record the conversation so that you are not having to take notes during the discussion.

4> Remember, you are having the meeting to learn from your mentor – their wisdom and their experience in life and ministry. So, don’t slip into trying to impress them with “I said,” “I did,” God showed me.”

5> Pay for the coffee or the meal. Remember, the mentor is helping you and is not being paid for his time. So, make sure you cover the costs at the meeting.

6> If there was something that was to be worked on before the meeting, have it accomplished. And, do a good job of whatever it was that was assigned at the last meeting. This way you are not wasting their time and are getting maximum benefit from your time with your mentor. It also shows your mentor that you are interested and engaged in the process of mentoring and that you value their time and effort on your behalf.

7> Always end on time.

8> Always thank your mentor for the time he or she has invested and the interest that this shows in your development and future ministry.

9> Set the date and time for the next meeting and determine any pre-meeting work that needs to be accomplished.

 

 

As we continue our look at the “youth today” – some warning to the youth. Things they need to be cautious about…

1> Don’t give up on the “Church.” First, it has been founded and established by Jesus, whom we love and serve. Secondly, He is returning one day for His Church and so we need to be a part of a local church. Thirdly, according to 1 Corinthians 12 every believer needs to be a member of the Body – a local church – connected to others in the local church relationally in such a way that you are engaged with the life of the body. And, never forget, Jesus is able to bring change to His Church through you, the young people.

So, find a church that believes the Bible and teaching the Scriptures and become a member. You can be God’s instrument to bring change to His Church – changing it from the inside out. You can be leaven in then loaf. So, become involved and embrace the life of the local church and do your part to bring the needed changes. And, don’t give up when disappointed or hurt. Deal with the issues and grow.

If there is not a Bible-believing church in your area. Great! Start one.

 

2> Guard your heart against the spirit of tradition and the spirit of religion. Both can defeat any semblance of life and vitality in a local church regardless of the size of the assembly. And, can defeat life in the walk of the believer. God is clearly cleaning house – His house, the Church – and shaking everything that is wrongly connected to religion and tradition. Listen to the author of Hebrews as he writes,

“So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time— he’s told us this quite plainly—he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered.” (Hebrews 12:25-27 The Message Version)

3> Don’t like the world influence you and squeeze you into its mould. Romans 12:1-2 states, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

And, may I add, don’t let the Church squeeze you into its image either. Be yourself because God created you to be unique. This leads me right into the next, and last, point.

4> Be the best you that you can be. This means you need to discover who you are “in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As you begin the journey to discover who you really are “in Christ” there are some things to remember:

A> Remove the baggage you are carrying – the hurt, the unforgiveness, the bitterness, even any resentment.

B> Remove all cultural, generational, and religious baggage that you are carrying. Ask God to show you what needs to be removed and how to become free of all that hinders you as you take a good and honest look at who you are, how you got to this point, and what might be hindering you from moving forward, seeing the things that are anchoring you to your past in some way.

C> Journey with Jesus deep inside and face who you are at this point. He will pour out His grace and bring healing, release, and freedom.

D> Discover the “real you” and who you are “in Christ” and learn to express “the real and new you” regardless of what people think or say. This can be a fight because others want you to be a certain way and live according to their standards.

Discover the real you, express the real you, be the real you regardless.

Next time – youth and relating to your mentor

 

Youth today are fleeing the church in large numbers in many of the nations of the world. They are looking for a quality of spiritual life, a sense of community, and leadership that has a vision and is willing to include the them in the journey to fulfilling that vision.

In general, the youth of today are looking for …

1> Challenge
2> Change
3> Relevance
4> Reality
5> Experience
6> Transparency
7> Integrity
8> Vulnerability
9> Experience
10> Supernatural

These were covered in some detail in previous blogs in this series. Let’s look at the last two today and then move on to what the youth today need.

11> Life – This is the “it” factor. People, believers and non-believers, know when “it” is there and they are also deeply aware of when “it” is not there. “It” is the Holy Spirit and the very life and nature of God – His presence, His peace, His power. Young people today are looking for this life and will become committed to any group where this is found on a regular basis.

John 1:4 states, “In Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men.” Jesus is not the “light.” It is the very ‘life’ of God in Jesus that was the light. And this ‘life’ draws people to Him and to His Bridge, the Church. And, then, as the youth receive this ‘life’ they too become the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

Young people will not make a committed to a church where life is not available. They will make a deep and permanent commitment to an assembly where ‘life’ is active and can be experienced weekly.

12> Leaders who will not judge or condemn their beliefs or lifestyle. But leaders who will seek to understand them, accept them, and invest in them. Young people are looking for believers who will love, accept, and forgive them. After all, this is what Jesus did to all those who responded to His message … He loved them unconditionally; accepted them just as they were; and forgave them when they hurt Him. Young people today are looking for nothing less than this complete package. And, they can tell when these ‘life’ factors are not present.

What is it that the youth need today – even when they are often personally not aware of the need? Let’s start our look at this area…

1> Wisdom. The young people today are missing the wisdom that can come with age and experience. So, they are in need of wiser, more experienced, older believers to disciple and mentor them as they grow into strong, mature, and reproducing believers.

Although “discipleship” is a hot topic in the Church today there are still few mature believers who are taking the time and making the effort to find and disciple younger believers. And, true, committed mentors for the youth of today are almost non-existent. So, there is a need for older and wiser believers to rise up and begin to share both their learned knowledge and the wisdom that comes with having lived life. Young people will respond if you reach out to them.

More on this tomorrow…

 

As we continue our look at the youth of today, let’s take a brief look at what the younger generations are looking for today. Not what they are looking for in life specifically, but what they are looking for in the Church. They have very specific expectations regarding any local church that they would be willing to join and be seriously committed to. They are not looking for a feel good social club or a place to learn more information about God. They are wanting to experience God and encounter the supernatural. In light of this broad picture they are looking to the Church and to leaders of the Church for:

1> Challenge – Young people today are not looking for comfort, safety, or security. They are looking for a challenge. This means a cause worthy of them investing their time, effort, and their money. They want to be involved in and give their life for something significant. They want their life to count for something and for the world to be different because they were on the planet.

2> Change – Young people are very open to change, even constant change. Not change for the sake of change. However, if the change being considered benefits those involved and moves the project or church forward they will invest in the change and willingly go with it even when there is no guarantee that the change will bring increased success. They are not looking for guarantees. They see much that needs to change in the church today to allow it to be more relevant and have greater impact. And, they are willing to initiate change and work to see new things established and new ways of accomplishing things embedded in the DNA of the organization.

3> Relevance – Young people question everything that goes on in a local church to see if it is relevant. Yes, the Word of God is always relevant. But, the way it is presented, taught, and studied often is outdated and antiquated thus rendering the Word irrelevant. Methods of teaching; ways of presenting the Gospel of the Kingdom; formats for the service and worship; and the way that believers interact with the Word (discussion verses lecture) … must change so that the total experience is relevant to the youth of today. They are looking for relevance.

4> Reality – Does what we are doing in church and through the church have a sense of reality about it? Or are we simply going through some age-old motion without feeling and with no connection to the daily reality being faced in the world of the youth today? Church must bring about life transformation for the youth of today or else they will look elsewhere for their understanding and perception of the world and their worldview.

5> Experience – Young people want to experience God not just hear about Him or receive an education regarding Him. They are not interested in more information. They want to experience God and then take that experience into their world so that others will also encounter the love that God has for each and every individual.

more next time…