Intoduction
One important aspect of discipleship that is not spoken of enough is the role of a “disciple maker.” If you are going to invest in the life of another, how should you view your role? Is it one of teacher? Master? Guru concerning all things spiritual? If we are not careful, we can easily fall prey to viewing ourselves as somewhat of an expert when it comes to things of God. We might begin to think of discipleship in terms of position rather than in terms of sacrifice. When we think of discipleship in terms of position, we actually become dependent on our discipleship relationships. We need them to make us feel important or necessary. We begin to view our relationships as “projects” and have no problem sharing publicly that “I am discipling so and so.” Instead, we need to recognize the distinction between position and what God call us to—sacrifice.
Discipleship and Position
Position is all about one’s status. We like status; we like people to think highly of us. So it can be easy for us to make discipleship about numbers—“I have invested in ‘this’ many people” or “I am discipling ‘x’ amount of people right now.” When we let Satan get into our hearts and change our desires to desire position, our ministry of service to others can become nothing more than a status symbol. Just like anything in our lives, Satan can use the good things to control our hearts. Our hearts can easily be turned toward a spirit of self-promoting pride in which we only do spiritual service for recognition—the position. But God wants something more from His followers.
Discipleship and Sacrifice
What God wants is sacrifice. This is the opposite of position. Position seeks the good of oneself; sacrifice seeks the good of others. Position seeks the promotion of self; sacrifice works for a higher cause. Jesus calls those who would follow Him to a position of service and sacrifice, not a position or promotion. Matthew 16:25 reminds us that whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Elsewhere, Christ teaches that the greatest among us will be a servant. In Philippians 2, the well-known passage that speaks of the self-humbling of Jesus Christ, Paul reminds us that we ought to develop the same mindset that Jesus had as He took on the form of a servant. In short, Jesus does not call us to position; He calls us to service and to sacrifice!
Final Thoughts
What is your mentality when it comes to making disciples—position or sacrifice? Do you find yourself developing a desire for position over people as their “discipler” or “mentor?” If so, remember that Jesus does not call His followers to a position, He calls them to sacrifice. I like how one man stated this concept: “I am just one beggar showing another beggar where to find the bread.” We need to all remember that God requires His servants to humbly follow Him. We are not in the business of praising ourselves or lifting ourselves to a place of honor; we are the business of proclaiming Jesus. As the Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 1:23: we preach Christ crucified!
