Week Four — Intentional Mentoring and Equipping
“Who Are You Helping Become More Like Jesus?”
Primary Text: Matthew 28:19–20
Supporting Scriptures: Matthew 4:19; Mark 3:13–15; Luke 6:40; 2 Timothy 2:2; Ephesians 4:11–13; Titus 2:3–5; 1 Corinthians 11:1
CONGREGATION SERMON NOTES
1. SOMEONE INVESTED IN YOU
Who helped you become the Christian you are today?
Someone probably:
- ____________ for you.
- ____________ you.
- ____________ you.
- ____________ you when you needed it.
- Showed you what it looked like to ____________ Jesus.
Key Thought:
What somebody did for us, God is asking us to do for ____________ else.
Discipleship is: ________________________________
Mentoring is: __________________________________
Equipping is: __________________________________
2. JESUS DIDN’T JUST CALL PEOPLE TO BELIEVE — HE CALLED THEM TO FOLLOW
Read Matthew 4:19.
Jesus said:
“__________ me.”
Following Jesus means:
- Walk with ____________.
- Learn from ____________.
- Watch ____________.
- Listen to ____________.
- Let Him ____________ you.
- Eventually help somebody else ____________ Him.
Think About It
Jesus didn’t simply teach His disciples in a classroom. He taught them while they were:
____________________________________________
Key Thought
Discipleship is ____________________.
3. WE ALL NEED SOMEBODY
None of us have ____________.
We are all still:
Sometimes we need someone who will say:
“I’m ____________ for you.”
“Don’t ____________.”
“You can do ____________.”
Biblical accountability isn’t about ____________ someone.
It is about caring enough to help someone ____________.
Read Proverbs 27:17
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
God uses ____________ to shape people.
4. SOMEBODY NEEDS YOU
Now turn the question around.
Who are you helping?
Who are you:
- ____________?
- ____________?
- ____________?
- ____________?
- ____________?
Personal Reflection
Who are you helping become more like Jesus?
Write the name of one person:
________________________________________
5. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT
You don’t have to be:
- Perfect
- A ____________ graduate
- A ____________
- Someone with twenty years of Christian experience
You simply have to be willing to say:
“I’m following ____________, and I’d love for you to walk with me.”
Read 1 Corinthians 11:1
Paul said:
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of ____________.”
Important Principle
We don’t point people toward ____________.
We point people toward ____________.
6. JESUS INVESTED IN A FEW TO REACH THE MANY
Read Mark 3:14.
Jesus appointed the twelve:
“that they might be ____________ him and that he might ____________ them out.”
Two important ideas:
WITH HIM
Jesus:
- Taught them
- Corrected them
- Encouraged them
- Let them ____________
- Answered their questions
- Helped them ____________
SENT OUT
The pattern of discipleship is:
Come → ____________ → ____________ → ____________ → ____________
7. THE GOAL IS CHRISTLIKENESS
Read Luke 6:40.
“Everyone who is fully trained will be like their ____________.”
The goal of discipleship is not simply more:
- Information
- Bible verses
- Church attendance
The goal is:
__________________________
We want to become:
- More loving
- More forgiving
- More patient
- More compassionate
- More faithful
- More obedient
- More ____________
- More willing to serve
- More willing to sacrifice
- More like ____________
Nazarene Holiness Emphasis
God doesn’t simply want to ____________ us.
God wants to ____________ us.
He wants to make us ____________.
He wants to fill us with His ____________.
He wants the character of ____________ to become increasingly evident in our lives.
8. YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE
If God has brought you through something, you have a:
________________________
If God has taught you something, you have something to:
________________________
If God has answered your prayer, you have something to:
________________________
If God has forgiven you, you have a story of:
________________________
Remember:
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You simply have to be willing to share what ____________ has done in your life.
9. THE CHURCH SHOULD BE A SPIRITUAL FAMILY
Pastor’s vision for Anna First:
The church should be a place where:
- People are ____________.
- People are ____________ for.
- People are ____________.
- New believers aren’t left ____________.
- Older believers pour into ____________ believers.
- Young people have godly ____________ investing in them.
A person should be able to say:
“I ____________ here.”
“Somebody ____________ about me.”
“Somebody is helping me ____________.”
And eventually:
“Now I’m ready to help somebody ____________.”
10. EQUIPPING PEOPLE TO SERVE
Read Ephesians 4:12.
God gives leaders to:
“__________ his people for works of service.”
The church isn’t supposed to create a handful of people who do all the ministry.
The church is called to:
________________________________________
The question isn’t:
“Can God use me?”
The question is:
“Am I willing to let God ____________ me?”
What might God have gifted you to do?
☐ Teach
☐ Encourage
☐ Pray
☐ Work with children
☐ Disciple teenagers
☐ Visit the lonely
☐ Help someone understand Scripture
☐ Sit with someone who is hurting
☐ Other: __________________________
11. THE CHAIN OF DISCIPLESHIP
Read 2 Timothy 2:2.
Paul → ____________ → Faithful People → ____________
This is the picture of:
__________________________
When disciples make disciples:
Lives begin changing.
Families begin changing.
Homes begin changing.
Churches begin changing.
Communities begin changing.
Key Thought
Disciples don’t just make ____________.
Disciples make ____________.
12. WHO IS GOD PUTTING IN YOUR LIFE?
Think of one person.
Not ten.
Not twenty.
ONE.
Who has God placed in your life who may need you?
Name:
________________________________________
What could you do?
☐ Pray for them every day
☐ Call them each week
☐ Study Scripture with them
☐ Invite them to serve
☐ Encourage them
☐ Walk alongside them
☐ Other: __________________________
Challenge
What might happen if you intentionally invested in this person for the next six months?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
13. DON’T WAIT FOR A PROGRAM
You don’t have to wait for the church to create a program.
You can start ____________.
Sit down with someone.
Have ____________.
Open the ____________.
Ask:
“How is your ____________ with Jesus?”
Then:
Listen.
Pray.
Encourage.
Follow up.
Do it again next ____________.
Key Thought
Discipleship happens wherever people are willing to ____________ with people.
14. A PERSONAL CHALLENGE
I don’t want us to be accidental.
I want us to be:
________________________
I want us to be able to say:
“I know who I’m ____________ in.”
“I know who I’m ____________ for.”
“I know who I’m helping ____________.”
“I know who I’m sending ____________.”
15. BUILT ON VALUES
A church isn’t built only with:
- Bricks
- Mortar
- Buildings
- Programs
A church is built with:
____________________________________________
We can have a beautiful building.
We can have wonderful programs.
We can have great music.
We can have excellent preaching.
But if we’re not making ____________, we’re missing the mission Jesus gave us.
Jesus said:
“Go and make ____________.”
16. THE FINAL QUESTION
Not simply:
“Who is mentoring you?”
But:
WHO ARE YOU MENTORING?
Who are you:
Investing in? __________________________
Praying for? ___________________________
Teaching? ______________________________
Encouraging? ___________________________
Helping become more like Jesus? __________
Spiritual Legacy
A spiritual legacy isn’t simply:
- A house
- A career
- A bank account
- Possessions
It is:
People who know Jesus because you helped them know Jesus.
MY DISCIPLESHIP COMMITMENT
This week I will intentionally invest in:
Name: __________________________________
I will pray for this person:
☐ Daily
☐ Several times a week
☐ Weekly
I will intentionally connect with them:
☐ In person
☐ By phone
☐ By text
☐ Over coffee/meal
☐ Through Bible study
One thing I will do to help them grow closer to Jesus:
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
My Prayer
“Lord Jesus, show me the person You want me to ____________.”
ANSWER KEY
For Leaders / Review
- Someone invested in you
- Prayed
- Taught
- Encouraged
- Corrected
- Follow Jesus
- Somebody else
- Discipleship = helping people follow Jesus
- Mentoring = walking alongside someone and helping them grow
- Equipping = preparing people to serve
- Jesus called people to follow
- Follow
- Jesus
- Jesus
- Jesus
- Change
- Follow
- Living life
- Personal
- We all need somebody
- Arrived
- Growing
- Learning
- Being shaped
- Praying
- Give up
- This
- Controlling
- Grow
- People
- Somebody needs you
- Encouraging
- Praying for
- Walking beside
- Teaching
- Helping
- Helping become more like Jesus
- You don’t have to be perfect
- Bible
- Pastor
- Jesus
- Christ
- Jesus
- Jesus invested in a few
- With
- Send
- Fail
- Grow
- Walk with Jesus
- Grow in Jesus
- Serve Jesus
- Make disciples
- The goal is Christlikeness
- Teacher
- Christlikeness
- Holy
- Jesus
- Forgive
- Transform
- Holy
- Spirit
- Christ
- You have something to give
- Testimony
- Share
- Tell somebody
- Grace
- God
- The church as spiritual family
- Known
- Prayed
- Encouraged
- Alone
- Younger
- Adults
- Belong
- Cares
- Grow
- Else
- Equipping people to serve
- Equip
- Equip God’s people for ministry
- Use
- Chain of discipleship
- Timothy
- Others
- Multiplication
- Disciples
- Disciples
- Who is God putting in your life?
- Personal answers; the important response is identifying one person and developing an intentional plan to invest in them.
- Don’t wait for a program
- Tomorrow
- Coffee
- Bible
- Walk
- Week
- Walk
- Personal challenge
- Intentional
- Investing
- Praying
- Grow
- Out
- Built on Values
- People whose lives are being transformed by Jesus
- Disciples
- Disciples
- Final question
- Who are you mentoring?
- Personal answers should identify someone the believer is intentionally investing in spiritually.