Practicing Christian Leadership, Mentor's Guide, MG11

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P R A C T I C I N G C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S H I P

Remind the students of the words of Christ:

John 16.13 - When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 14.26 - But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Again, in the questions below you will find the focus is upon mastering the data and the facts associated with the claims made in the first video segment, which focused on the nuts-and-bolts of bringing a new believer into the family of God. Our ability or inability to welcome new believers can dramatically impact whether or not they continue to grow to maturity as God desires for them. Help your students come to grips with the significance of this challenge, and spend much of your discussion time concentrating on all the various issues related to the healthy transition and welcome of a person into the body after they have placed their faith in Christ. Of course, as always, make certain that you watch the clock here, covering the questions below and those posed by your students, and watch for any tangents which may lead you from rehearsing the critical facts and main points. If you have time to cover extra material, you might want to concentrate some discussion on the first two chapters of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. Perhaps no epistle in the NT so forcefully and powerfully gives us a picture of what it means to be a spiritual parent than these chapters. Paul’s deep burden for them extended to his likening himself to their spiritual mother (2.8), their father (2.10ff.), and their brother (chapters 3-5). The principles to be gleaned here on the nature of the kind of affection and care that an authentic Christian leader has for newborn and immature believers are priceless, and cannot be over-emphasized. You may want to review these chapters in 1 Thessalonians, and use some of the ideas you glean from those chapters in the discussions you lead with the students.

4 Page 58 Student Questions and Response

5 Page 70 Summary of Key Concepts