People are hungry for the attention and encouragement which comes from an admired mentor. Originally in Greek mythology Mentor was the friend of the hero Odysseus who was entrusted with his son’s education. The term “mentor” has come to mean a trusted counselor or guide. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help to a less experienced person. Mentoring is an ancient and universal practice which ranges from competitive sports, to academic endeavors, to learning to play a musical instrument and other skills. Mentoring is at the heart of enabling another to grow.
The Bible is filled with mentor relationships: Moses and Joshua; Elijah and Elisha; Jesus and Peter; Paul and Timothy are just a few. Although mentoring in Scripture usually takes place between believers, some mentoring actually can bring an unbeliever to faith. Throughout Christian history we see examples of this. The great fifth century theologian Augustine was originally not a Christian but became one through the mentoring ministry of Ambrose. Certainly, this is also true for C. S. Lewis. As a young man Lewis was an atheist who met J.R.R. Tolkien at Oxford. Eventually, the two experienced a bond of friendship largely based on a love for ancient myth and literature.
One evening J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis and another colleague took an after dinner walk where their casual discussion turned to mythology. Lewis had been enamored with ancient Norse myths as well as those of the Greco Roman tradition. He realized that tales appealed to the human imagination in a way that struck squarely at the heart. Then discussion turned to the parallel between ancient myths of the pagans and stories reported in New Testament. Lewis dismissed both as fantasy invented by human imagination. But Tolkien who was a committed Christian and pushed back on Lewis’ idea. Tolkien argued that because man was made in the image of God that story was part of his quest to reconnect with his Creator. Even the pagan myths retain a semblance of eternal truth no matter how corrupted. This argument started C. S. Lewis on a journey which ultimately led to his belief in the historic reality of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament. A believer had mentored an unbeliever to eventually cross the line of faith.
The Bible tells of another evangelistic mentor who led someone to faith in Christ. To be sure, it was a role reversal of sorts. This particular mentor was a younger brother who led his older brother to the Savior. Andrew had grown up in a fishing family where undoubtedly he had seen Peter his older brother take the lead. Peter may have even instructed Andrew in how to rig the boat and draw in the fish. But one day Andrew met Jesus of Nazareth and became convinced that He was the Messiah for whom the Jews had waited so long. He ran to his older brother to report his exciting find and then brought him to the Savior. Clearly, long term trust fostered in relationship was the bridge that drew Peter into his spiritual encounter with Christ. Let’s read the actual account:
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[f]) (1 John 1:35-42).
Who do you know who has been mentored by someone in coming to Christ?