A Disciple and Their Mentors and Friends

April 1, 2026

A DISCIPLE IS COMMITTED TO PURSUING VITAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH A FEW OTHERS, UNDERSTANDING THE NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER KEEP THEIR PROMISES

One Sunday morning in 1984, while sitting in the congregation at Church On The Rock (COTR) where I had been attending for about a month, I had the following thoughts as Senior Pastor Dr. Larry Lea was sharing about how one’s involvement in the local church mattered. The thought that came to me was, could God use an individual with a checkered past as mine that included sex, drugs, and even divorce? Could such a person really have purpose and meaning in the Kingdom of God let alone the Church? Could a theology that was embedded in one’s thinking that says that a history of depraved living would be offensive to God and, therefore, could never be used by Him. Could a belief system that believed that divorce was an unforgivable sin, as I had been taught, suprisingly in the church, preventing them from following the call of God in their life? Could eeven grace and mercy together ever be enough to make room for a person who left that lifestyle and is now living and starting a new life in Jesus Christ?

At that very moment, I believe God heard those thoughts, and He sent an answer. A young woman invited me to attend the Single Adult Sunday School Class at COTR. When I asked the rhetorical question: “Why should I attend such a meeting?”, she explained that the Single Adult Pastors Bob and Sue Farrar, were having a tremendous impact on many of the single adult men and women in the church through their dynamic teaching on relationships. Their insight, caring, and personal involvement conveyed dramatic changes to their lives.

In my mind, it seemed unthinkable to become involved in a group of single, mostly divorced individuals who were apparently, like me, without purpose, or were looking for the next failed relationship. The mention of the Farrars continued to come up during a cell group meeting of a group of an older single adult woman whom I met while I worked at “The 700 Club” as a phone counselor. They were members from COTR and also mentioned the names of the Farrar’s. Dr. Lea also mentioned them a few times or during announcements at services. 

After several weeks, I became curious to see what was going on in this Singles Group and with the Farrars. The ministry of this couple became pivotal for my life when Sue Farrar gave a prophetic word of knowledge during the first meeting that I attended. 1 Corinthians 12:8 refers to this ability of the Holy Spirit to know facts about a situation or a spiritual principle that could not have been known by natural means. This was during my first visit on a Sunday morning in the Single Adult meeting when Pastor Sue Farrar spoke the following prophetic word:

“I would like all of the men named James to stand up. God has a specific word for several of you, and He has a word, especially for someone named James or several men named James. Today, the Lord is calling you out of your death, like the call to Lazarus, who was bound up and dead. His hands and feet were bound with grave clothes, and his face also. I am this day saying to you put off those grave clothes, be set free, and come forth out of the grave. He is crying out to you, just as He did to Lazarus, to come forth. If that is you, I want you to come to the altar; I want to pray for you.”

This was a specific, penetrating word. It felt as if she had looked inside of my thoughts. I couldn’t believe it could possibly be for me. I did not even think I should even have stood up, since it was my first day in the meeting, but she was talking about my life and how I felt. I was new to the charismatic movement, so the gifts of the Spirit were new, but it was also refreshing to hear my situation as a concern of God through the Holy Spirit. Pastor Sue definitely called me out when she asked us to come up for prayer. As a result of this word and the prayer I received, I became more involved in the class and the single adult’s ministry at COTR.

Pastor Bob Farrar later cemented my turning point when he challenged everyone in the singles ministry to become disciples. He asked us to make a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and to each other. This sealed the prophetic word given by Pastor Sue and prompted me and others to make a covenant change that would require hard work in prayer, scripture reading, and memory lessons. The literature they used was, The Design for Discipleship, published by The Navigators and was one of the premiere pieces of teaching on discipleship in the churches at the time. It was being used as our model to learn and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. [1]

While we were participating in the Navigators course, I became involved with a cell group with another James (Jim) Schwartz, who was one of the James’ who stood, and became one of my close friends. After several months, Jim began to see that I had the potential to be a cell leader. So, I multiplied a new group out of Jim’s group. Several people went with me in the multiplication process from Jim’s group. This principle of multiplication is a fantastic tool that Jesus knew would implement the growth of the church as we see in the book of Acts 2:42-47

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)

I am reminded of Jethro coming to Moses when he was trying to minister to the millions of people who were with him in the wilderness. The idea of divisions of the tribes that Jethro gave to Moses of groups was an awesome process that all churches should begin to see as an Old and New Testament pattern for care of the body and for church growth. Read Exodus 18:13-23 as it will help you to understand the principle that Jethro gave Moses.

There is a movement happening in the body of Christ as we see great revivals taking place all over the earth right now as I even write this blog. People are getting saved in massive numbers on college campuses, in foreign countries and in neighborhoods worldwide. I believe it is evidence that we are in the last part of the last days, but many hearts are growing cold to the things God has written in His word. As we look around us, we cannot help but notice things are changing at a rapid pace as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24, which we have to believe was the beginning of the end times. It has been 2000 years and it is evidence that time, the Kronos (clock time) of man and the Kairos (season time) of God as I perceive is coming to a close. A few weeks back I heard God say I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it? He prompted me to look it up and the scripture was in Isaiah 43:19 which tells us.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not

perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give

water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen

people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare

my praise.” (Isaiah 43:19–21)

I call you tp remember a day is like a 1000 years to God. Time was given to us to calculate where we are and where we are headed. We can see the elements of time changing and things described in the biblical text for this time are happening. There is a need for the Church to begin to be serious about the discipleship of these new believers coming into the body of Christ as an essential mandate. Without this process as Jesus also prophetically said in Matthew 24, many people will be led astray as we see nation coming against nation, famine, war, and rumors of war. It is time for the disciples coming in to begin to learn how to pray, to learn how to read God’s word with discernment, to have fellowship with fellow Christian believers and become a witness to the world that is in desperate need of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Without this process, I believe we will lose many potential converts.

Leroy Eims in his book, The Lost Art Of Discipleship Making, highlights the need for a discipleship process in the church that will benefit believers growing through regular group meetings and fellowship in the church where they attend. I have labeled these as the, The Big Four Concepts of; Prayer, Word, Fellowship and Witness which can address all of the Church’s needs and will strengthen the discipleship process of its members to both offer and accept a ministry that he describes as essentials required for maturity in one’s Christian walk.

The ministry is to be carried on by people, not programs. It is to be carried out by someone and not by some other thing. Disciples cannot be mass produced. We cannot drop people into a “program” and see disciples emerge at the end of the production line. It takes time to make disciples. It takes individual, personal attention. It takes hours of prayer for them. It takes patience and understanding to teach them how to get into the Word of God for themselves, how to feed and nourish their souls, and by the power of the Holy Spirit how to apply the word to their lives. And it takes being an example to them of all of the above.[2]

He illustrates this fact by comparing the Church with a shoe-making factory that worked assiduously for two years but manufactured no shoes. “That's right, the manager says, no shoes, but we are really busy. In fact, we have been so busy that we are all nearly tired out.”  This scenario aptly describes the church that have been so caught up in producing programs and developing materials they have become complacent regarding the discipling process. The Great Commission calls the Church to make disciples, not just converts.

How disciples are made today will depend partly on each man’s gift and role in society; however, everyone who believes and follows after Christ is called to the function of discipling others, whether it falls within one’s vocation or not. Eims intimates that most men or women have never been in a formal relationship with a more mature Christian who guides them step-by-step in the process of growth as a loyal, learning follower of Jesus Christ. That is the problem this lesson seeks to address.

In 1997 when I finished my thesis, no one wanted any teaching related to discipleship. It was being compared to the Shepherding movement that was devastating to the church, but today it is essential that what Jesus Christ taught has to be rebirthed and given to the church. It is the word of God that is in so many places from Genesis to Revelation. We do not need change what the Spirit has already birthed in the Word of God. It has been placed there for our use specifically designed see that the name of Jesus Christ is glorified in preparation for his return as it says in Matthew 28.

And Jesus came and said to them, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Mat. 28: 18-20).

Reflection:

As Eims intimates, most men or women have never been in a formal relationship with a more mature Christian who can guide them step-by-step in the process of growth as a Chritian Disciple. That is the problem this lesson seeks to address. Here are a few guidelines as a small step-by-step process of growth in becoming that loyal, learning follower of Jesus Christ.

Can you identify the following leadership types in your life?

(One or two people can fulfill all 3 roles)

1.   A Paul: Who is an older person who aids building into your life:____________

2.   A Barnabas:Who is a Soul brother/sister who keeps you accountable: __________

3.   A Timothy: Who is a newbie into whose life you will help build  _______________

Can you Identify the following disciple types in your life?

(One or two people can fulfill all 3 roles)

4.   A Peter: Who Directs You ____________

5.   A James: Who Leads You ____________

6.   A John: Who Loves You ______________

Personal evaluation to discuss with your leader and/or colleagues:

The golden rule applies directly to building strong relationships. To find and keep friends you must be a friend. Jesus said, “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” (Luke 6:31)

a.     Can you identify (1or 2+) close people you can name as a friend? _____________

b.     Can you identify (1or 2+) people that you can reach to be a friend? ___________

We should begin mentoring relationships:

a.     Start  by asking yourself how you would like to be treated.

b. Start to identify people who are inside and outside my comfort zone.

c.  Start looking for opportunities to meet people and at least learn their names.

A Daily Prayer:

a.     Father God, help me to live this day to the full, being true to You in every way.

b.     Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet.

c.     Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do is say. Amen.

[1] The Navigators, Design for Discipleship (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1973). A set of seven books and a leaders guide published by the Navigators.

[2] Leroy Eims, The Lost Art of Disciple Making (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), p. 46.