-By Dr.Sumeet Manakan J
I have been serving God for over 25 years now, including 17 years in full-time ministry. I am incredibly grateful to my mentors who contributed so much to my spiritual growth. I do not hide this fact but openly acknowledge their contribution in shaping who I am today as a worshiper of the Lord. I do not claim to be perfect, but I am pressing on each day, trying my best to improve myself and stay true to the values and principles that the Lord has taught me and that my mentors have influenced in me.
To begin with, I witnessed the ministry of Layman’s Evangelical and had the privilege of seeing up close the great revivalist and founder of this ministry, late Brother Daniel, through his son, Brother Joshua Daniel, who carried on his legacy. I was deeply impressed by their reliance on God, their walk of faith, and their piety that was so genuine. Later, I met other mentors, most of whom I am still connected with today. Truly, it has been a humbling experience.
I have learned much about spirituality, relationships, and the philosophy of life itself over these years by reading hundreds of books, doing my doctorate in Biblical studies and gaining degrees and chiefly by observing the lives of great leaders—both of the faith and in the world.
I have a deep longing to pass on the legacy of my learnings to my mentees and am constantly yearning and searching for such mentees or disciples who would align with my expectations. The search is ongoing, but sorrowfully, I have not yet arrived. Perhaps someday I may, and God knows best.
This reminds me of Marcus Aurelius, who also yearned for a legacy but never found one during his lifetime. He intended his followers to mentor his son Commodus, but Commodus proved pitifully inadequate compared to his great philosopher father. Yet Marcus himself had learned from his mentor Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, who taught him the philosophy of life.
God is faithful to His generals. We see this as church leaders with great vision continue to influence long after they are gone, through faithful mentees and disciples. A few examples come to mind:
- Marcus Aurelius found his legacy continuing by an unknown General who picked up his diary and published “The Meditations”
- Socrates never wrote any book but his listeners documented his teachings after his death from what they heard from him. Amongst them were his sincere students Plato and Xenophon who later became great philosophers.
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Dick Leggatt carried forward the legacy of Derek Prince.
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Curry R. Blake revived the legacy of John G. Lake. (Though not from his bloodline, he carried a spiritual lineage through his teachings on healing.)
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Paul declared, “I imitate Christ.”
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Timothy, Paul’s true spiritual son, faithfully continued Paul’s legacy.
These are only a few examples.
Jesus Himself was a mentor to twelve disciples, and they truly reflected His values and principles, passing on the legacy of His teachings.
From all the years of my experience, I am carefully documenting below the qualities of a true mentee, his nature, his behavior and his approach to his teacher.
Qualities of a Mentee
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A mentee loves and respects his teacher.
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A mentee resolves to learn from his teacher. Only after receiving well can he fully imitate his teacher.
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A mentee listens to his teacher and walks in his shadow.
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A mentee engages with his teacher—opening up, asking questions, acting on feedback, and growing steadily.
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A mentee always remains humble, obedient, committed, and faithful to his teacher. He is steadfast, not like chaff blown by the wind.
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A mentee reflects the values, principles, and knowledge of the Holy Scriptures as taught by his teacher.
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At times, he even reflects his teacher’s interpretation style, nature of faith, kindness, service, warmth, love, compassion, long-suffering, perseverance, and depth of self-reflection.
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A mentee’s prime character is faithfulness, and his mission is to carry the legacy of his teacher faithfully.
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A mentee is always in communication with his teacher—whether in literal life or in the spirit of his teachings.
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Even in negative circumstances, attacks, or challenges in a teacher’s life, a mentee never loses focus or respect. He continues in gratefulness.
Until now, I have seen many come and go. I have seen the faithful, the unfaithful, and those who came for a reason and for a season. I have seen some who have remained my strength and continue to be so. Over the years, my expectation still thrives, even though my teachings have not yet been fully justified in any one person’s life. Still, I live in hope, and so I keep striving.
Towards this, I have held on to my values so that I can build a legacy of:
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A life of faith
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Dependency on God
- Honest, open, accountable and transparent
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Holding on to self-respect and identity
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Permanence in God’s Word
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Resilience
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Warmth and kindness, with a compassionate approach to all
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Never giving back to anyone for anything or any reason
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Turning pain into prayers
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Holding on to hope and persevering
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Living in peace
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Smiling even in adversity
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Yielding to God
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Sound interpretation of the Scriptures
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Knowing and understanding the Bible in a deeper way
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Contending for the establishment of the Kingdom of God
- Love for God etc.,
And many other principles I have followed in my life.
My quest remains: Can I find a true mentee? Can a disciple arise? Will a son be born? Will I see a legacy?
