Your Mentor Is the Difference Between Poverty and Prosperity
Dr RJ Sing, 1 hr 5 min
Originally preached as “The Love of God and the Recognition of a Mentor”
Sermon outline
God's love and wisdom are passed on through relationship, and honouring a trusted mentor is the master key to wisdom, promotion and prosperity.
Main text
- John 13:35
- Proverbs 4:7-9
Opening
He opens in prayer, calling Jesus the over-shepherd of the church and the pastors under-shepherds, and welcomes those watching on YouTube and other media. He warns that he has a lot to say and may have to finish another day, then lays John 13:35 as his foundation: God is in the business of making disciples, not converts.
Love: breaking down one word
Don't read Scripture superficially; break it down and ask God for revelation. The word love carries four meanings: eros, romantic love; storge and phileo, which he describes as love for family; and agape, God's love without condition, which sees you through your faults and sin because the price was paid on the cross. Staying home instead of gathering is not the biblical pattern, because you need God's teaching.
Illustration: It took Jesus and twelve disciples to take Christianity to the world; imagine what can be done today with so many believers and with the media that Christians were once told was a tool of the devil.
“God is not in the business of making converts. God is in the business of making disciples.”
- John 13:35
Wisdom
The Hebrew word chokmah means wiseness and skilfulness, with God as its starting point. God's wisdom is higher than the world's and includes a moral sense, and we seek it so that we learn how to love God the way his word shows us. He notes that the word appears 156 times in the Bible.
“We need not the wisdom of the world to understand the word of God. We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to understand the word of God.”
Understanding
The world sees understanding as a faculty of the mind, and education is good, but understanding from God is far superior when you don't know which way to turn. Understanding of the heart keeps you humble. By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established, one of his favourite scriptures. Fear God, not people, and let your life be a letter people read.
“When you have understanding of the heart, then you'll always walk in humility.”
- Job 38:36
- Proverbs 24:3-4
- James 1:5
- 2 Corinthians 3:2
Knowledge: practise the laws of God
Knowledge is what God wants us to know and heed, and it opens doors: what you sow in relationships, you reap. Jesus said the children of this world are wiser than the children of the kingdom because they practise God's laws; he calls the church to reverse that. Carnal knowledge from school, university and technikon is good, but spiritual knowledge is above it, and the Spirit of wisdom and understanding in Isaiah 11 rests on believers too.
Illustration: A young serpent hides in the rocks from predators until it is grown and strong enough to defend itself. You would not want an untrained pilot or an unskilled surgeon.
“Knowledge is a door opener.”
- Galatians 6:7
- Matthew 10:16
- Luke 16:8
- Isaiah 11:1-2
Walk in wisdom's way
God promises that when you walk you won't be held back and when you run you won't stumble, so the chains the devil placed on you are broken. God gave man dominion on the earth. Even sincere Christians can speak wrong words through lack of understanding, as Peter did, so be careful who you listen to and don't follow the path of evildoers.
Illustration: When Jesus spoke of going to the cross, Peter said 'Not so, Lord', and Jesus answered, 'Get thee behind me, Satan'.
“The chains that the devil had placed in your life is now broken.”
- Proverbs 4:10-14
- Genesis 1:26
- Matthew 16:23
- Matthew 16:19
Two ways to receive wisdom: mentors and mistakes
You learn either by being taught and doing what you were taught, or by the hard knocks of life. A mentor is a trusted teacher and a protege is someone guided by an older, more experienced person. When God places you somewhere, don't move; follow a mentor who sets an example, as Paul said, 'follow me as I follow Christ'.
“Your mentor is the difference between poverty and prosperity.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:1
1. A mentor is the master key to your prosperity and success
What you don't yet understand, shelve it; God will give you the revelation afterwards.
“A mentor is the master key to your prosperity and success.”
2. A mentor transfers wisdom through relationship
We are not experts at everything, so stay teachable. God hates rebellion most of all because it began with Satan. Walk with the wise and you become wise. Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses laid hands on him, so be careful who lays hands on you, and lay your hands on your children to bless them.
Illustration: Lay hands on your children before exams and pray for a spirit of wisdom and understanding over them.
“Your hands must be used for blessings, not for spanking.”
- Proverbs 4:7
- Proverbs 13:20
- Deuteronomy 34:9
- Romans 10:15
3. A mentor guarantees your promotion
If you prize wisdom she will make you great, honour you and place a crown on your head.
“A mentor guarantees your promotion.”
- Proverbs 4:8-9
4. A mentor can determine your wealth
Different ministers carry different anointings: for worship, healing, financial deliverance or evangelism, so a pastor cannot be everything. He says the two things he has seen most in his own life are the spirit of healing and prosperity.
“The two things that I found predominant in my life is the spirit of healing and prosperity.”
- Proverbs 8:18
Putting it into practice
- Read Scripture slowly and ask God for revelation.
- Seek God's wisdom, understanding and knowledge above the world's.
- Practise God's law of sowing and reaping in how you treat people.
- Stay planted where God places you and learn from a trusted mentor.
- Remember and honour those who have mentored you.
Closing
He stops, promising to finish the message another time, and leads communion, first telling how he gives a priestly offering every month to an older pastor to whom he owes where he is today. He prays over everyone facing a crisis, leads a salvation prayer and speaks a blessing, then uses a clip of Neymar's dribbling to ask why we don't applaud God the way crowds applaud a goal, and invites the church to the Wednesday Zoom meeting.
Declarations he led
- Dear Lord Jesus, I believe this morning that you are the Son of God. I accept you as my Lord and my Savior. Thank you for washing me with your blood. I now believe with all my heart my sins have been forgiven and I'm now a child of God.
In his words
- “God is not in the business of making converts. God is in the business of making disciples.”
- “Knowledge is a door opener.”
- “Your mentor is the difference between poverty and prosperity, decrease and increase, loss or gain, pain or pleasure, deterioration or restoration.”
- “Your hands must be used for blessings, not for spanking.”
- “Thank you sir, I wouldn't have been where I am had it not been for you.”
Every scripture in this message
- Isaiah 42:8
- Romans 8:1
- Psalm 34:7
- John 13:35
- Job 38:36
- Proverbs 24:3-4
- James 1:5
- 2 Corinthians 3:2
- Galatians 6:7
- Matthew 10:16
- Luke 16:8
- Isaiah 11:1-2
- Proverbs 4:10-14
- Genesis 1:26
- Matthew 16:23
- Matthew 16:19
- 1 Corinthians 11:1
- Proverbs 4:7
- Proverbs 13:20
- Deuteronomy 34:9
- Romans 10:15
- Proverbs 4:8-9
- Proverbs 8:18
- Matthew 26:26-28
- Psalm 103:12
- Mark 11:23
- Numbers 6:24-26