Mentoring Minutes

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching…one another.” Paul  (Colossians 3:16a)

Love and Lordship in Focus…Teaching others…and being taught by others…is central to our maturing in Christ as His disciples and how we make disciples. A once-a-week message is not nearly enough teaching for His Word to dwell richly in us! We need time with Him daily…and with other disciples/believers…teaching and being taught!

We continue our “one anothers” in loving, sharing and working out God’s plan for the Body of Christ as Paul has more for us in his letter to The Church at Colossi. In Colossians 3:16 he tells us to “Teach…[one another].”

Remember loving “one another” has to do with helping each other grow in Christ. Paul states in Ephesians 4:14-16 that this comes about both individually and collectively as we “speak the Truth in Love.” So teaching each other…and being willing to be taught by each other…is a major part of us growing as disciples and together as Christ’s Church.

This is partially done as we gather to hear messages from preachers but that is not nearly enough. This is evidenced by our culture where our churches have allowed folks to simply come, sit and hear a 20 to 60-minute message and think that’s getting the job done. We are losing the culture wars at every turn because we are not teaching to make disciples who make disciples of Jesus Christ who can stand in the face of this pagan culture.

Preaching in our weekend services is needed…but it’s not enough…it is just the beginning of teaching. How can God’s Word dwell in you richly with that little amount of preaching/teaching? Let’s teach one another and be willing to be taught by one another in line with God’s Word and by His Spirit.

This is the only way that The Word of God can and will dwell richly in us as we are willing to teach one another and personally follow through with our own studying of His Word. Only then will we be disciples who stand strong in the face of adversity and be The Church against which the gates of hell cannot prevail or stand against!

Food for Thought…This is our message and our hope…all our preaching, teaching and discipling must be rooted and founded in The Cross and The Tomb…the sacrificial death of Christ and His Victorious Triumph in rising from the dead! This is our greatest teaching and we must never think that anything else has the power to change lives for Eternity.

Love in Action…

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this message as a way to start.
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
3. Be sure you have someone (or more than one) who is teaching you and pouring into your life.
4. As you mature, be sure you are teaching and pouring The Word and Life of Christ into others.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, forgive us for thinking that a few minutes of teaching each week makes disciples. Forgive us for failing to find mentors and teachers to take us deeper and make us disciples of Christ. Forgive us for not reaching out and teaching others, discipling them to be His wholehearted followers. Thank You for Your grace and patience as we teach and train others to be disciples of Christ who make disciples of Christ for Your Kingdom and Glory! In His Name. Amen.

“…forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.” Paul  (Colossians 3:13b)

Love and Lordship in Focus…Unforgiveness in your life breeds bitterness and hatred…not just for those whom you’ve failed to forgive. It will fester until it rears its ugly head toward any and all who have any disagreement or conflict with you. Choose forgiveness and love!

First of all, I pray that you know Christ as Savior and Lord and are able to rejoice in and receive by faith His incredible gift of grace and sacrifice of His Life for the forgiveness of your sin(s) and the promise of eternal life to all who would believe in Him as Savior and Lord!

It is only because of Him that we can even know Love and how to love Him and “one another.” Last week we looked at the command to “bear with each other.” In that same verse, the Apostle Paul shows us what must be done in order to follow through with that command. He continue in Colossians 3:13b with, “…Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

As long as you are holding onto any grievance, sin or wrongdoing that someone has brought against you, it is impossible to bear with them if you do not first forgive them. In the same light of Truth we must be willing to ask for forgiveness when we have wronged others.

None of this is easy. As a matter of fact it is impossible without the forgiveness of Christ in our lives, the love of God in and through us and His Spirit that enable us to choose humility to both give and ask for forgiveness. In this way we can “bear with one another” and “forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

Holding onto any wrong suffered at the hands of another only adds to your burden which makes it eventually impossible to help carry the burdens of others as we are commanded to do as Christ followers.

Food for Thought…What grievances are you still holding onto that are weighing you down? What wrongs have you committed against another that you need to ask forgiveness for? These must happen, and by the grace we have in Christ they can, in order for us grow in Truth and Love for “one another” so more and more can truly come to know Christ as Savior and Lord.

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this message as a way to start.
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
3. Who do you need to ask forgiveness of in order to be obedient to Christ? Go to that person in humility and ask.
4. Who do you need to forgive in order to be obedient to Christ? Lay it before The Lord and as He leads let that person know that you’ve forgiven him/her.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, first of all thank You for the gracious sacrifice and gift of Your Son on the Cross. Without this there would be no way that I could know You, know love and love others. It is only by His death that my sins have been forgiven and paid for so help me to do the same in my relationship with others, pointing them to Him as Savior and Lord. In His precious Name. Amen.

“…bearing with one another,…” Paul  (Colossians 3:13a)

Love and Lordship in Focus…What does it mean to lovingly “bear with one another?” It literally means that we empathetically and patiently build relationships with (relate to) one another in humility and gentleness. If you haven’t noticed this is not always easy…but it doesn’t change God’s Word and how we are to live and relate in Christ!

Remember when Paul told the Ephesians to “be patient and bear with one another in love.” Well this must be pretty important and The Holy Spirit knows we’re going to need to have patience and forbearance…longsuffering with each other because He inspires Paul to tell the believers at Colossi basically the same thing.

In Colossians 3:13a, right after he’s told them not to lie to one another, he writes, “Bear with each other…” There it is again and he tells us how to do this in v. 12, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;”

Notice how these traits that we’re supposed to put on (and I would say mature in) are right in line with the fruit of The Spirit in Galatians 5:22-24. We are capable of doing this in a very limited fashion in our flesh because we are created in the image of God. However, it is only by The Spirit that we can consistently put these virtues on and mature in these fruits so that even in the difficult times and with difficult people (not that we’re ever one of these) we can “bear with one another.”

Of course it’s not like we’re every unbearable and need others to bear with us…RIGHT! God knows that in a fallen world we are going to need to have others help bear our burdens and walk through difficulties with us and we need to be there for them to do the same.

Who’s helping bear you up and lift your burdens? Who are you bearing with and making their load lighter and their life more bearable…even blessed?

Food for Thought…Christ calls us to build loving relationships that require humility and patience with those that are different from us but far too often are much like us. How are you doing when it comes to getting along with (bearing) with others to show them His Love?

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start.
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
3. Who are you daily bearing with to show them more of Christ?
4. Who do you struggle to “bear with” and what do you need The Holy Spirit to change for you to be lovingly obedient in this “one another” command?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, most of the time it’s easy for me to help others. It is even easy for me to allow others to come alongside me and help bear my burdens. However there are times when it is difficult because of pride, insecurity, fear or other things my flesh, the world and the enemy would remind me of that I struggle to bear with others and even allow them to bear with me. Your Word tells us plainly that we are to do this in the character and fruit of Your Spirit in Christ. May we do so today and each day you give us for Your Kingdom and Glory. In Jesus Name. Amen.