We end this week having remembered the September 11, 2001 (9/11) and the assassination of Charlie Kirk (9/10/2025). On these days we remember the sacrifice so many made. We remember the service of fire, police, EMT’s, and others who ran toward disaster. We remember the brave passengers who chose to cause their own plane to go down rather than have it used as a weapon against our nation. The service and sacrifice of people in the attempt to save others.
We also remember Charlie Kirk. Not just as a political activist, but as a committed Christian, speaking out to young people encouraging them to turn to the Lord and to apply the Christian faith to their everyday living. He traveled and spoke extensively. Sacrificing personal time and ultimately his own life so that others might know his Savior.
Serving is by its very nature sacrifice. Noah Webster defined service as, “labor of body or of body and mind, performed at the command of a superior, or the pursuance of duty, or for the benefit of another. service is voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary service is that of hired servants, or of contract, or of persons who spontaneously perform something for another's benefit.” Biblically we can understand service as, “acts of assistance, labor, or duty performed for God, others, or the community,” (bible.hub.com/topical encyclopedia).
The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:3-5, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” Serving others by nature is sacrifice. Our Savior served the Father by sacrificing Himself to pay for the just penalty of our sin. He served us by taking on flesh and dwelling among us, fulfilling all the demands of the law, while we could not.
He did not look out for His own interests, but the interests of the Father’s perfect holiness. He looked out for our interests of eternal damnation we deserve because of our sin. His service required that He give up time in the heavenly dwelling. He gave up the presence of the Father while paying for our sin. He gave up the perfection of heaven for the pain of the earth. He gave up privilege, honor, and glory to be ridiculed, mocked, and crucified by men. He gave up His life for the salvation of the elect.
Yes, making disciples means we must serve others. Serving others is a sacrifice. It will cost you time. It might cost you money. It might cost you emotionally. You will serve those who will not follow through, who will not be appreciative, who will take advantage of you, who will break your heart. The costs are real and we should not make light of them. But in comparison to the sacrifices made on 9/11 or that of Charlie Kirk, and especially compared to that made by Jesus, those costs are small. Even if our service for the sake of discipleship costs us our life, it will be small compared to what our Savior has done.
Discipleship is the primary call. When Jesus calls us to follow Him that means we join the army of disciple makers. We are not signing up for tickets to heaven and then waiting around on the earth like it is our personal playground before the heavenly ride departs. We have joined a movement, an army, and a cause. We are to perform a labor and a duty at the command of a superior. We are enlisted into service. Yes, count the cost, Jesus said that, but know the cost of sacrificial service is worth the glories that await in heaven.
