No such thing as Mass Production

So often in youth ministry it's tempting to fall into the trap of being focussed on the numbers.  It's tempting to try to measure success by the number of teens who show up to an activity.  It's tempting to try to put on a show that everyone will like. Recently I have been challenged to remember that the numbers don't matter nearly as much as the faithfulness of those who show up.  When those that were following Jesus left because His teachings were challenging and hard He didn't go running after them begging them to stay.  They liked to follow Him "when he filled their stomachs with bread and fish, but when Jesus started talking about the true spiritual quality of the Kingdom and the sacrifice necessary in achieving it, many of his followers walked away" (Coleman).  He knew that He was training leaders for the Kingdom, and if they were going to be His disciples then they were going to have to count the cost.  They had to be FULLY committed.


We have been called to make disciples just like Jesus made disciples.  You don't mass produce disciples!  When I read and think about Jesus's ministry I see how He poured himself into 12 men, and even one of those men turned his back on Jesus.  He made disciples by sharing His life with those who followed Him.  He knew that He had to train men who would be able to lead when His time on earth was done. "His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow" (Coleman).


My fear is that we are too concerned about drawing huge numbers into our churches and not concerned enough with actually making disciples.  My fear is that our churches are full of believers instead of full of disciples.  My fear is that we show up to church on Sunday and Wednesday so that we will feel good about ourselves yet our faith costs us nothing.


I pray that I will live out Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him. 


This isn't easy.  The cost is high.  I love what David says in 1 Chronicles 21:24.
But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

May we delight in sacrificing everything to the God of the universe!

My prayer is that God will teach me and use me to disciple those He has placed in my life, and that I will allow His Spirit to speak through me boldly.  May I NEVER water down His perfect message to make it easier or more comfortable to hear.


Jesus's method for getting His name known throughout the whole world was to train up men and women as His disciples who would be fishers of men.  He wanted to make men and women who would make disciples who would make disciples who would make more disciples.  Jesus knew you don't mass produce disciples.  He knew they had to be committed and that they needed to know the cost.


Jesus shared His life with those He called to follow Him.  He showed them the cost of true discipleship.  He never asked them to give up anything that He hadn't already given up.  He told them they would be homeless....He already gave up His home.  He told them they would have to leave their families....He already left His father to be with them.  "They saw how their Master denied himself many of the comforts and pleasures of the world and became a servant among them.  They saw how the things they cherished - physical satisfaction, popular acclaim, prestige - He refused; while the things which they sought to escape -poverty, humiliation, sorrow, and even death - He accepted willingly for their sake" (Coleman).


His life was the classroom.  He didn't have to work up different teaching situations.  He just took advantage of the ones that arose.  His disciples were learning constantly from Him just because they were present with Him.  He knew 1 hour of preaching 2 times a week wasn't going to produce disciples.  He invested in those 12 average men whom He chose to follow Him.  Class with Jesus was never dismissed.  He knew that you don't mass produce disciples.


I pray that 2,000 years later we can still see the importance of making disciples.  It takes time and tons of patience, but it is what our Savior has commanded us to do.  It is what He showed us how to do!  I pray that we will realize that sometimes our best lessons are our lives.  We need to invite people to share in our lives with us.  Paul told people to follow him while he followed the Lord.  I pray that we will do the same.  I pray that we will be disciples who give up EVERYTHING for the sake of the kingdom.  May we never sell our Jesus too cheaply. The cost of following Him is high, but so is the reward. May we remember the command that our Jesus gave to us to make disciples, and may we follow in His footsteps as He teaches us how to spread His name throughout the WHOLE world!