By Chad Stillwell
As Catholic missionaries began to make a big impact on the population of Japan in the 17th century, many of the traditional Japanese cultural warriors noticed that each Catholic church was extremely dependent on the local priest. In an overwhelming move, local Samurai warriors methodically and quickly killed off the local priests throughout much of Japan. Without their leaders, the vast majority of converts to Catholicism quickly reverted to their native Japanese belief system. The Catholic church in Japan had not allowed their priests to spiritually multiply themselves by training and equipping native Japanese catholics.
As we work with college students today, many of us are guilty of the same lack of foresight and wisdom. As leaders of Christian college students one of our primary responsibilities is to help students learn to be spiritual multipliers. Students need to take what they have learned of Jesus and the Christian life and pass that along to other students.
In John chapter 14 when Jesus says, “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” It is possible, in some ways He is referring to a multiplication effect - our ability to mentor/disciple others, who in turn can do the same.
So, as college leaders what can we do to help students be spiritual multipliers?
First, expose students to the need and concept.
We all know that students like to do things for Christ. They like causes – causes that they see as important and helpful to others. Expose them to the need. Steve Shadrach says, “You cannot produce disciples or disciplemakers in bulk.” [1] There is a great need among college ministry leaders to take time to really invest in a limited number of people and help them along in their life with Christ. College ministry leaders are not the only ones who need to do this. Students can and should do this. There are great benefits for students who embark upon spiritually multiplying themselves. They will be helped, encouraged, valued, and loved. In turn they will look for other students to invest in. There is also great benefit for the student that serves as the discipler. He or she will be given the chance to rise to a real challenge. Helping someone else along in the Christian life requires our own walk with God to be progressing and alive. Students will feel responsible to others for the way they live their life and it will help them. One of the big trends among students today is a refusal to acknowledge that they are an example. Many Christian college students ignore Paul’s teachings on living life as an example to the people around us. Asking, encouraging, and motivating students to multiply themselves helps correct that attitude.
Exposing students to the need to spiritually multiply themselves begins by talking about it. Talk with students about the spiritual mentors that helped you grow. Ask students to share about their spiritual mentors. Ask them to specifically share about spiritual mentors that they had growing up that maybe weren’t adults. As I reflect back, my group of friends in high school had one strong Christian. The rest of us were generally trying to not do bad things, but were not living vibrant Christian lives that were a witness to those around us. Shannon was an exception to that. She was the conscience for our group and she often led us away from bad decisions and toward discussions about God and what was important in life. I still remember her as a real influence on me and others. Force students to think about the impact that their life will have on others. This can be done through constant discussion, sharing, and testimonies from students both inside and outside the group that had their lives radically changed because of another Christian’s mentoring presence in their lives.
Students need to be challenged to do the impossible – to multiply themselves spiritually. After years of working with students, I have found that students are always able to do more and less than I think they can do. In the past there have been students for which I had high expectations that faltered and never really pressed on in their relationship with Christ. At the same time, many of the students that I never really thought were capable of much for God have turned out to be real leaders for Christ. Some are on the mission field and some are serving very faithfully in their local church. My point is that we as leaders are probably not as good at predicting the life path of one of our students as we believe we are. Take time to challenge all of your students to invest in others and multiply themselves and you will be surprised at what Christ will do in and through many of them.
Start small. Our dreams and vision should be grand and our action should start small. With multiplication – things begin slowly. At first, there is one investing in the lives of two others. Then those two are investing in four and so on. Christ himself used this method in choosing twelve men to change the world. Challenge students to find one or two other students that are maybe younger than they are in their faith that they can come alongside and lead closer to a sold out life for Christ. You may be thinking that you don’t have students that are ready to do this. This may be true in your situation, so ask God to reveal two students to you that would benefit from time with you.
Tim Elmore says that “if you are faithful to invest yourself in another student as a lifestyle, your legacy for the Kingdom will outlive you.” [2] I believe that this statement is not only true for ministry leaders, but also for students.
There are dangers in this type of challenge. Some students, because of immaturity and sin, will become prideful and maybe controlling. Others may attempt to fake spiritual maturity. However, fear of the possibility of failure is not a good enough reason to avoid this very Biblical model for Christian living. There may be problems, but we are only free of problems when we are free of impact.
As you think through and pray through this challenge for students, please remember that this model is Biblical. It appears to be a model used by Christ with His disciples as well as His disciples with their helpers.
The challenge is open, the methods are limitless. In addition to scripture, there are countless good resources to assist you in discipling students and to assist them in mentoring their friends. I have listed a few excellent resources below.
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Teaching Students to Be Spiritual Multipliers
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