At the end of John Chapter 3 there is a neat little scene that takes place between John the Baptist and a few of his disciples. John's disciples get a little hacked off because people are leaving John and flocking to Jesus to be baptized. John's response to his disciples is basically "I already told you guys that I'm not the Christ." He tells them again that Jesus is the Messiah and that his job was to point people to Jesus. He says something very interesting to sum it all up. John 3:30 says

"He must increase, but I must decrease."

I have read this verse several times before and have even heard others comment about it. I had always taken it to mean that John was saying that in his personal life Jesus needed to be a bigger part of it so that John's desires would become those of Jesus. Now, I'm sure this is part of what John meant. However, it wasn't until a few days ago that I realized the passage is in the context of discipleship. John's disciples are upset that people are leaving him (and presumably them) to follow Jesus. John's response is that the whole point is that people would stop looking to him and start following Jesus. There is a lot of practical application for me in this. The whole point of discipleship is that those following me would more and more look to Jesus for everything and less and less look to me. It is really easy to fall into the trap of making disciples in our own image. The real goal is that at some point they wouldn't "need" us anymore but would be following Jesus so closely that they are identified with Him and not us. Our relationship with them doesn't end, but the nature of it will. I am not saying that a mature believer shouldn't have those they are accountable to or those that they go to for support or encouragement. These are habits that are healthy and prescribed by scripture. I think Paul said what John was getting at in a different way. Paul said "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1) Paul's hope was surely not that his disciples would end up looking like him, but looking like Christ. This means that those imitating him would one day say to others "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." If I am fixated on Jesus then those following me will fix their eyes on Him as well because they see me doing it. My responsibility then, as a disciple maker, is to be ever pointing to Jesus and not myself.