“In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 HCSB
Just as the elders need to be serving the flock of God freely, eagerly, and being the example so the young men are to sit and learn from the elders. This is discipleship at its core. The best way for someone to learn is to sit under a master for a few years. The idea of learning through mass teaching has lead America to become under the top ten in education. If you want to become a ninja I'm sure that you would not sit in a classroom full of potential ninjas learning from one teacher in a bunch of books, but you would rather be paired up with a low-level ninja with about five other new ninjas. And then after a year or so a few will move up to a more experienced ninja until you were paired with the master ninja. The Christian life is not found in a mass group of people sitting in a classroom but is developed in a small group setting learning from real-life hands-on experience. This mass teaching style has lead the church to become weak and ill effective in the world as a whole. Discipleship is finding someone to be your mentor in living life as a Christian. And then finding a few youths to help them to live life as a Christian. The older men are to help the younger men and the older women are to help the younger women.
“But you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching. Older men are to be level headed, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine. They are to teach what is good, so they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, and submissive to their husbands, so that God’s message will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.”
Titus 2:1-8 HCSB
https://www.bible.com/72/tit.2.1-8.hcsb
This is a humbling process. To submit to another person. To open up to them in your weakest moments. And to share your deepest joys and concerns. Even for the mentor. They feel the heavy weight of trying to help the apprentice. But God has not left us alone in this process. He has given us His Word, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit as our guides. We then have to submit to both to be able to lead the apprentice in greater maturity. If you are proud when mentoring the youth you'll make proud youth. But if you're humble before them that will mold them to be humble. As you learn you'll encourage the youth. And as your apprentice grows they will encourage you.
The Pharisees in Jesus time ad become proud of their actions and not humble before God. Jesus had this to say to them:
““But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and make long prayers just for show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are!
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.’
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,”
Matthew 23:13-16, 23, 25, 27, 29 HCSB
https://www.bible.com/72/mat.23.13-16,23,25,27,29.hcsb
Submit to God. Humble yourself in front of God. Teach youth to follow God. Be a part of God’s ninja training program.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””
Acts 1:8 HCSB
https://www.bible.com/72/act.1.8.hcsb
“Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
Matthew 28:18-20 HCSB
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