Do You Have A Godly Mentor Who Will Tell You What You Need To Hear?

Apollos must have been a man with great humility. Although he was a powerful preacher and extremely well versed in Scripture, Priscilla and Aquila saw a deficiency in his understanding.

No, Apollos was not preaching in error. In fact, he was preaching the truth very powerfully. He simply did not have the complete story (Ac 18:25). Parts of the gospel message were missing in his preaching. To help him, Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos and "expounded to him the way of God more fully” (Ac 18:26).

Outrageously, and against all worldly logic, he accepted teaching from a couple who on paper were not qualified to teach him. What preacher or ministry leader would stand for that today?

- Some would appeal to their education or seminary training as being adequate proof they were teaching correctly.
- Some would say, "How dare you challenge God’s anointed,” or as those Pharisees of John 9:34 once railed, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?”
- Others think their length of time in ministry somehow validates all that they do and teach.

What if Apollos had reacted this way? What if Apollos had let his scriptural knowledge go to his head?

Here’s my point. Our lack of humility may very well be our greatest hindrance to truly becoming great leaders and ministers.

The sad truth is often this: The more we learn, the more we think we know. The more we think we know, the harder it is to receive instruction.

But consider this… Apollos made it into the history books of the New Testament, not because he listened to someone who knew more than he did, he made it there because he listened to someone who knew something he did not know. Priscilla & Aquila had received the fulness of the Spirit and had divine insight into the Word of God in areas where Apollos did not. Apollos graciously received their instruction.

Reading this story of Apollos, Priscilla & Aquila caused me to ask myself several challenging questions. I would like to pose two of those questions to you the reader.
Ӣ Question 1: Who do you have in your life that is telling you what you need to hear, as well as, what you may not want to hear?
Ӣ Question 2: Are you willing to open yourself up to a trusted mentor, or to several mentors who can help mold and develop you into someone truly great?

There are those who would love to speak into our life, but they will not because they don’t think we can handle it. Our self-worth and self-esteem is so often wrapped up in the approval of others that it might just shatter our world if someone actually told us the truth.

However, if affirmation is all we receive and accept, how do we plan to grow or excel in life? Yes, there are cynics and critics and downright mean people; then, there are those who are telling us the truth to help us?

Will we let people speak into our life even if it hurts? This is not an invitation for others to blast or pick us apart; it’s an opportunity to speak health and wholeness into our life and ministries.

If we will accept it, a greater life and ministry will begin to emerge that will not go unnoticed by God and others.

Excellent thoughts, brother!
Thank you for sharing.
It reminded me of a sermon by brother Art Katz wherein he shared a terrible incident in his 'home' fellowship from which he had been gone for some years. Three ladies had inexplicably left their husbands and began living riotous lives.
As you can imagine, brother Katz was heart-broken. He was grieved that no one had perceived and spoken up before this terrible explosion of wickedness.
I remember being struck by the question you ask, 'Did I have anyone who could speak the truth to me, at the risk of offending me?'
I called the sister who I felt was closest to me, spiritually. I asked her quite directly, 'If you perceived something wasn't right with me e.g. my manner of dressing, speaking etc would you speak to me about it?
I was horrified when she hemmed and hawed and finally reluctantly said, 'yes'.
Thankfully, the Lord has shown me mercy by sending me another sister who, though it took a while, is free to tell me the truth about myself knowing I will receive it. And vice versa.

It is a true blessing to have brethren who can tell us the truth about ourselves.

Thank you!

Someone was assigned to me as some sort of spiritual counselor when I was newly converted, but what I learned
from him was a display of christian character. Of being generous and kind, of being a dependable friend, of trusting the Lord for my daily needs, for giving up wordly ambitions for the sake of the gospel. He became a missionary eventually, abandoning a bright career prospect.

I became so spiritually confused too soon in my christian walk, not that I was sinning big time but I drifted away
from church activities.So to speak I grew up in the wilderness where I was almost on my own. I didnt really abhor fellowship, I just lost the energy.

Being alone for many years forced me into periods of dark solitude, and there I think where I was broken into deep
groanings in my spirit, pleading hard that the Lord will not
abandon me in the bondage of sin and vanities of life, and that he will lead me to the right path.

Many years in the wilderness, and the Lord has been very faithful to me, as I realize now, surviving many nightmares and sleepless nights.