Many
of you may know that I have written a book entitled: The Three-Strand Cord
of Active Relational Christian Mentoring. The subtitle is: “Women mentoring
women with Christ at the center.” What you may not know, though, is what the
title of the book stands for or what the service of Christian mentoring can
mean for all true Christians. First and foremost, the complete title of my book
was chosen to represent another way for Christian Women to bless and worship
the Lord, as well as another way to receive personal blessings from the Lord. For,
besides attending church services we can also worship and bless the Lord
through our specific Christian service for Him that expresses our love of Him
and the love that we have for other people.
Christian
mentoring, which requires lovingly reaching out to other women to help,
instruct, inspire, and empower them to be all that they can be, is a way that
women can serve the Lord and help each other. Moreover, Christian mentoring
does not require a large study group, or hours of time. It simply requires two
women occasionally getting together to discuss, learn, converse, care about,
and support each other. But in Christian mentoring it also requires Christ to
be at the center of the mentoring relationship. Indeed, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name,
I am there among them.” -- (Matthew 18: 20. HCSB).
The Three-Strand Cord
There
are two important phrases within the title of my book. The first phrase is “The Three-Strand Cord.” The second
phrase is, “of Active Relational
Christian Mentoring.” I want to discuss today what both of those phrases
represent and why I put them together to form the title of my book on Christian
Mentoring. I also want to discuss how Active
Relational Christian Mentoring is a service that honors, glorifies, and
gives worship to the Lord.
Let’s
start with the first phrase within the title of my book. So, what does the
phrase “The Three-Strand Cord”
represent and why did I choose this phrase to be a part of the title of my book?
Well, a strong braided cord is usually created by taking three individual cords
and intertwining them. This intertwining of the cords then creates a braided
cord, which is much stronger than just one individual cord. But, it takes at
least three individual cords to produce this single braided cord. In this case,
the mentor, Christ and the mentee make up the three cords that are braided
together within a Christian mentoring relationship. In fact, God’s Word, within
the book of Ecclesiastes, tells us about the strength of such a braided
cord.
King
Solomon, who authored the book of Ecclesiastes, wrote:
“Two people can
accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their
labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are
alone when they fall are in real trouble … A person standing alone can be
attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are
even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” --
(Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10, 12. NLT). So, two
people, a Christian mentor and her mentee, can stand together against the
problems a mentee might encounter. However, the standing together doesn’t just
have relate to problems, but can be based upon the needs of the mentee as well
as her desire for growth in some particular area. This support or strength from
the Christian mentor can encourage, empower, and enable the mentee to become
strong, and perhaps she may even develop a desire to live closer to God as she
sees the mentor’s Christ-like light shining out upon her. But, whether the
woman mentee is a Christian or non-Christian, for the relationship to be strong,
Christ has to be one of the braided cords within the relationship in order for
the mentee to grow spiritually and in the strength of the Lord.
The
New International Version of the Bible (NIV) translates the above same verse 12
from the Greek and Hebrew, but gives this verse 12 an little clearer
understanding. For, in the NIV translation, verse 12 says: “Though one may be overpowered, two can
defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Thus, I have used the phrase: “The Three-Strand Cord” within the title of my
book to represent the importance of having Christ at the center of any
Christian Mentoring Relationship. For, with Christ as the center cord within the
braided Three-Strand Cord, there is a greater strength, spiritual awareness,
and Christian caring than can be acquired with just two cords representing the
mentor and mentee. Therefore, I chose the phrase “The
Three-Strand Cord” to represent the most important part of all
Christian mentoring relationships. In fact, each of those cords individually will
represent the three individuals within the Christian mentoring relationship
(ARCM). However, when taken together as a braided three-strand cord, they
become even more powerful and strong.
I
then used verses 9-10 from chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes as the foundational
part of the title of my book, because in a Christian mentoring relationship there
has to be at least two people to stand back to back and support each other in
order for one or both of them to learn and grow. Moreover, even though one
person, i.e., the mentor, within the mentoring relationship may have the strength,
talents, gifts, or information, etc. to share with the other person, i.e., the
mentee, in order for true fruit production and spiritual maturity to occur within
the mentoring relationship Christ needs to be the connecting cord. For, Christ
is the One who connects and provides love, wisdom, and Salvation for the other
two people within the mentoring relationship. So, it was important that the meaning
of verse 12 also be incorporated in the developing of the title of my book.
Within
a secular mentoring relationship, it only takes two individuals to stand back
to back just as King Solomon said, “Two people can
accomplish more than twice as much as one … If one person falls, the other can
reach out and help….”. However, within a Christian mentoring
relationship there needs to be the third person of Jesus Christ within the Christian
mentoring relationship. So, to help us fully understand verse 12, I looked at another
translation of that verse which says: “And if one can
overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is
not quickly torn asunder.” –
(Ecclesiastes 4: 12. NASB).
Within
a Christian mentoring relationship, Jesus Christ is the one that binds the
other two cords together into a strong braided cord which cannot easily be torn
asunder. Moreover, only with Christ at the center of a Christian mentoring
relationship can there be a true spiritual and godly relationship. Indeed,
Christ must be the third person within the relationship if true Christian mentoring
is to occur. Furthermore, without Christ at the center of the spiritual relationship,
there can be little to no spiritual growth for the mentee. For, Christ is the
truth, trust, faith, love, wisdom, and hope that binds them together. On the
other hand, without Christ at the center of the mentoring relationship there may
be a lack of understanding between the mentor and mentee, as well as very little
spiritual growth. That is why it is important for the mentor to know Christ
personally and why it is so important for the mentor to bring Christ to the
forefront of the mentoring relationship. Moreover, Christ is the cord that
binds or braids the other two cords together and then gives them the strength
to accomplish even more than they could ever hope to accomplish if standing alone
or together by themselves. Furthermore, Christ is the cord that not only binds the
two individuals in a godly relationship, but He is the cord that also produces
trust, insight, love, understanding, truth, hope, faith, and wisdom within the relationship.
But, most importantly, Christ also offers eternal Salvation to the mentee, if
the mentee has not yet found Christ as her Savior.
Without
Christ at the center of a Christian mentoring relationship, the two individuals
within the mentoring relationship will not be able to accomplish all that God
wants them to achieve. For, Christ is the glue that binds or braids the
relationship together. Christ is also the hope that permeates the relationship,
while Christ gives the Christian mentor the words to say that can touch the
heart of a non-Christian mentee for Him. However, if both the mentor and mentee
are true born-again Christians, Christ will also be there to speak into their
lives and to give the mentor the perfect words needed to encourage, teach, and
uplift the mentee, as together, the mentor and mentee learn even more from
God’s Word. Additionally, no matter the type of help that is needed by the
mentee, Christ will be there to give the mentor the needed words of encouragement
for the mentee as well as godly insight into every issue. To be that godly
mentor, the mentor just needs to pray, study the Word, and know that Christ
will intercede before God for her/him.
Worship is part of
Active Relational Christian Mentoring
The second phrase within the title of my book is
“of
Active Relational Christian Mentoring.” It is this phrase that describes
the actual fruit-producing service of Christian mentoring for the Lord and for other
women whom Christian women are to help. But, this service to the Lord is also an act of worship
for the Lord. In fact, it is through the mentor’s prayers, biblical study, and within
the actual service of Christian mentoring that the mentor is actually blessing,
worshiping, and honoring God. She is doing all these things as she teaches,
informs, supports, encourages, and empowers the mentee to be all that she can
be for God, herself, her family, and her friends.
“Worship is
God-centered, aware of one another only in that deep, joyous awareness of being
caught up together in God.”
-- (Anne Ortlund). Christian mentoring can become that deep, joyous awareness
of worshiping God when both the mentor and mentee focus on learning more about
God and His Son, and when what they are doing or learning reflects back upon
the world the light of Christ in all that they do. Indeed, helping another
person is the epidemy of living out the commandment that Jesus gave to us when
He said, “I command you to love each other.” -- (John 15: 17. NLT),
because it takes truly loving another person in order for us to give up some of
our personal time to help her.
Oswald
Chambers in his devotional “My Utmost for the Highest” also wrote about
worshipping the LORD. Chambers said that “Worship is giving God the best that He has
given you.” So, what wonderful blessings has God given you to share
with others? Obviously, God has given us life. He has also given us His love. Moreover,
because of that love, He gave us His Son to die for our sins, as Christ took our
sins upon His shoulders upon the cruel cross. All of that occurred so that God’s
Son, Jesus Christ, could arise on the third day conquering eternal death for
us. Because of Christ's resurrection, humans no longer have to spend eternity in hell. For, God has given to
us, through His Son, the opportunity
to receive Salvation and to be blessed with eternal life once our physical life on this earth is over.
Among
the many other blessings that we have received from God while we living on this
earth, God has created and blessed us with a glorious world on which to live; i.e.,
an earth that produces food, animals, shelter, and beauty beyond imagination.
God has also given us the ability to exceed in many of our personal undertakings,
if we so desire. He has also given us creative brains to make our world an even
more comfortable place to live. In addition to our creative brains, God has
given us emotions, companionship, and relationships that can sustain us and
enrich our lives. But the greatest blessing God has given us is Salvation through
His Son, Jesus Christ. And for those who are truly Saved, God has given us the
Holy Spirit to guide us in every way and in everything that we do, if we will just
listen to Him. However, it is each person’s choice as to whether or not they
will believe on Christ as the living Son of God and then whether they will
listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit within them. In fact, God loves us so
much that He will never force us to love Him back or force us to worship Him.
In other words, it is totally up to each person as to the amount of blessings
that that they will receive from the Lord or as to whether or not they will
spend eternity with God.
The
list of the blessings that God has given to each of us is endless, but being
the selfish people that we are, we often forget to recognize the blessings that
God has given us. Remember, "Worship is giving God the best that He has given you." Unfortunately, we often fail to give God our best in return. Moreover, in
failing to recognize our blessings, we often fail to worship, honor and glorify
God.
How
can we fail to worship, honor and glorify our Lord, if we go to church and
worship God there? Well, the worship of God should not only include our Sunday
worship, but it should also include times of quiet wherein we meditate upon God
and His Word. For time spent with God in prayer, meditation, and study, returns
blessings to God. Moreover, our worship and honoring of God should also include
active fruit producing services for Him, which then honors God and His Son,
Jesus Christ, through our representation of God and His Son to others. So, whether
it is through evangelism, teaching Sunday school, or any of the other numerous Christian
out-reach programs we are often engaged in, women should also engage in the fruit
production and worship of our Lord by reaching out to other women through Active Relational Christian Mentoring. For,
we can become great fruit-producers for the Lord by reaching out to other women
who may need our help, which means that we are in turn worshiping, honoring,
and glorifying the Lord in our service to other women.
Jesus
told the Samaritan woman at the well: “But the hour is
coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. God is
Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
– (John 4: 23-24. HCSB). Are you a true worshiper of God?
Active Relational Christian
Mentoring is just one of the many ways that
we can worship God through our personal fruit producing services for Him and
others. In fact, it is one of the easiest ways to honor God and bless Him back
for all the blessings He has bestowed upon you. Indeed, this particular ARCM service is a blessing to God, because
in Christian mentoring we are either telling others about God, or we are
shining the Light of Christ on other women through our personal Active Relational Christian Mentoring. In
other words, we are then worshipping God through our active service of selflessly mentoring another.
Active
Notice
that there are four very important words within this second descriptive phrase
that I used for the title of my book. The first important word within the
second phrase of Active Relational
Christian Mentoring is the word “Active”, which denotes a positive
action such as being energetic, dynamic,
enterprising, lively, working, achieving, and accomplishing things all within
a person’s active efforts.
Relational
The
Second Word within the phrase Active Relational
Christian Mentoring is the word: “Relational”. This word is used
because God created relationships. In fact, God wants us to be in relationships
with each other and in a relationship with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed,
we discover early in the first chapter of Genesis that God was first and
foremost in a relationship with Himself, i.e., within the Trinity of God: The
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Later, God created a mentoring
relationship between Adam and Eve and Himself to teach them, to encourage them, and
to bless them in their life on earth. But, most importantly, God wanted Adam
and Eve to be in a relationship with Him. He wanted them to know Him and
Worship Him.
It
was unfortunate that Adam and Eve decided not to trust the Lord by accepting
Satan’s lies instead of God’s Truth. Consequently, they lost their close
relationship with God. Even so, in order to survive outside the Garden of Eden,
God blessed them with other relationships, and now He blesses us, too, with a
myriad of different kinds of relationships. These relationships include the
relationships of husband and wife, parents and children, grandparents and
children, as well as relationships with extended family members, relationships
with friends, and relationships with other people, to name just a few. These
relationships allowed the human race to not only survive, but thrive. But, it
wasn’t until God sent His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, into the world to take
upon His shoulders the sins of the world that mankind could again have a
personal relationship with God. Because of God’s grace and mercy, we can again
have a relationship with God, if we believe in and accept Christ as our
personal Savior.
Once
a person, through personal acceptance of and belief in Christ as the living Son
of God, has come into the Salvation relationship, she will forever have a
personal relationship with the Trinity of God. But, it is this personal relationship
with Christ that entitles people to be called Christians. Moreover, God not only wants
Christians to have a personal relationship with Christ, He also wants
Christians to develop godly relationships with other Christians and to even develop
acquaintance relationships with non-Christians in order to tell them about His
Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior. In other words, Christians are to share with the
rest of the world the Good News or Gospel message of Jesus Christ as the living
God and Savior of the world, in the hopes that others will come to know Christ
as their Savior too.
Every
time we share the Gospel with someone that has of yet to come to the saving
grace of Christ, we are worshiping God and blessing God for all that He has
done for us. But sharing the Gospel message with another person is not the end
of our responsibility. For, if the Gospel message touches the heart of a person
in such a way that the person comes to know Christ personally, i.e., they
believe on and accept Christ as their Savior, our time with them is not over.
This should just be the start of an Active
Relational Christian Mentoring relationship with that person. Because now we
have not only a responsibility to mentor that new Christian in the knowledge of
the Bible, but we also have the responsibility to mentor them in how to walk as
a new Christian for the Lord. In other words, we are to be there to help them
and to disciple them in living for the Lord.
Have
you helped anyone come to know Christ as their Savior? Have you helped anyone
learn how to develop a closer walk with the Lord? Or, perhaps you have helped a
fellow Christian when they needed moral support, help, spiritual guidance, coaching,
etc., or you have helped a friend when they were down and out? If you have, you
have indeed not only blessed that person, but you have blessed, honored, and
worshiped God with your active Christian mentoring relationship by helping someone who
needed your help or expertise.
Christian
The
third Word in the phrase within Active
Relational Christian Mentoring is the word “Christian” which explains
or describes the type of mentor that you are and the type of mentoring that you
will be doing for the Lord. This word, “Christian”, also describes who you
are in Christ. Obviously, there are many people out there in the world who are
willing to mentor another person on many different topics or subjects, but
there are not many people who actually represent Christ and His Father within
their mentoring relationship with another. Christians on the other hand, should
have at the forefront of all their mentoring activities, the representation of
Christ to their mentee and their willingness to share their knowledge of Christ
with another. So, whether a woman is mentoring another woman on budgeting or on
some specific emotional need, she should be representing Christ and using the
Bible, God’s Word, and prayer as her resources. We can bless and worship God
when we read the Bible, share the Bible Scriptures with others, and when we use
God’s Word to guide us in all that we do.
Mentoring
The
last word in the phrase Active
Relational Christian Mentoring is the word “Mentoring”. What is
mentoring? Well, the basic definition of mentoring is that is the transference
of knowledge, skills, insight, wisdom, values, and laws from one person to
another within a relational format or setting. In other words, two people get
together with one being the instructor and the other being the student, mentee,
or recipient of the information that is being dispensed by the instructor or
mentor.
But
when all four of the above individual words are taken together there is a
better definition or explanation for the phrase Active Relational Christian Mentoring. This definition of ARCM says:
Active
Relational Christian Mentoring, rooted in Christian faith, love, and service to
Christ, is the voluntary and sacrificial investment in the life of another
within a relational format for the purpose of sharing knowledge, values, gifts,
skills, laws, and other God-given resources to empower and enhance the life of
the person being mentored.”
ARCM is Faith, Love, Worship, and Service to Christ
The
above definition of ARCM has several important aspects to it. First, ARCM is
rooted in Christ faith, love, and service to Christ. Christian mentoring, then,
is a way to show our faith and our love of Christ through our service to God
and His Son. Notice though, that in order to engage in ARCM, a Christian must
voluntarily and sacrificially invest in the life of another person. How does
one go about investing in the life of another person? Well, she must
voluntarily or willingly offer to and then engage in Christian mentoring, i.e.,
teaching, informing, sharing, listening to, and caring about another individual
by establishing a mentoring relationship.
Taking
time from your own life and family to engage in Christian mentoring is a
sacrifice on the part of the mentor. It is also a way to show another person
that they are loved by God. Christian mentoring is also a service to Christ,
because Christ wants us to care about and be of service to those that are in
need. That is why it is so important to listen to the needs of others and be
willing to help or empower another individual to become all that they can be
for God, themselves, their family and their friends. This may come about
through the sharing of a particular talent, a gifting from the Lord, knowledge acquired
through schooling, information obtained, or wisdom received from the Bible and
God. Whatever, a person has to offer within a Christian mentoring relationship,
though, should be for the ultimate glory of God and the benefit of the mentee.
Then that service becomes a form of worship to God.
Sacrifice
We
all have strengths and knowledge that we can share with another. We just have
to be willing to sacrifice some of our personal time to help another person. If
we are willing to mentor another, we will receive so many benefits and rewards
that we would never have expected to receive. For, God blesses those who are
willing to share their time, energy, knowledge or expertise with others. Indeed, we are
explicitly told that “The one who
blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.”
– (Proverbs 11: 25. MSG).
Jesus
Christ told us “You (that is, His disciples and now all Christians) are the light of the world. A city on a
hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good
deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” --
(Matthew 5:14-16. NIV). Obviously, good deeds include our
service to others in the name of Jesus Christ.
Worship
of God then includes our willing service of sacrifice to Him and to others.
Indeed, every day can be a time of worship when we help others in the name of
Jesus Christ. In fact, we don’t have to just attend church and be led in a
worship service in order to worship God. For, we can worship God with not only
our words and deeds, but also with our sacrificial heart by showing others that
we honor and glorify God in everything that we do. Active Relational Christian Mentoring then is just another way that
we can worship God and also help or empower another person through a developing
relationship with Jesus Christ. Moreover, when we help or empower another
person through sacrificial Christian mentoring, we are shining the light of Christ out upon
them and into the world.
Spiritual Riches
Did
you know that when we fail to worship God for whatever reason, we are
forfeiting the spiritual riches that God has set aside for us? Every day we are
given many opportunities to put God at the center of our lives, but when we
fail to put Him there, we are giving up spiritual riches that we could have
had. Don’t forfeit your spiritual riches. Put God at the center of your life
and then through gratitude for your Savior, Jesus Christ, take every
opportunity to share your faith with others.
If
you don’t know how to start a Christian mentoring relationship, read my book
entitled: The Three-Strand Cord of
Active Relational Christian Mentoring. You can find it on Amazon, at
Barnes and Nobel, at Christian Faith Publishing Co., as well as at iTunes and
Google Play. If you are interested in worshiping God through the service of
mentoring, this is a good and easy book to read. It has personal stories in it as well. It will also help you learn how to
worship God through your love of others. It will also show you that God has Spiritual Riches just waiting for you.
Check
out my book at the following link:
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