Kate recently posted some of her feelings about conversion, and I thought I would continue that vein of thinking. This is a topic that I have spent much time thinking about for the past ten years or so, and I am not sure the thinking is finished.
I grew up pretty much in an evangelical type of world. Basically it was my duty to convert as many dirty rotten stinking sinners to the Kingdom of God as possible. Every time I did not preach the Gospel to a heathen, I would feel guilty about it. If my guilt pile was too high I would rationalize to myself, and God, why I could not share my Faith with the untouchable sinner. Most of the time I would conveniently feel that the Spirit was not leading me to "witness."
Eventually I started to ask myself questions, and then God about this whole idea of evangelism. You see I was taught that I was a salesman and had to convince someone to buy the idea of eternal life, and well quite frankly that did not sit well with me. I could not reduce what God has done, is doing, and will do for me into a few points followed by "If you die today will you go to Heaven?"
Those of you with a Southern Baptist upbringing my be a little nervous right now. Many of us have been taught over and over again that our only purpose in life is to convert people to our way of thinking. It is drilled into us week after week that we are better because we are "Christian," and since we are obviously so much better everyone should be like us. When the reality is that most of the time there is no difference between Christians and atheists. We listen to what some man or woman says to us each week, without ever checking with God ourselves. We are told that the Bible commands us in the Great Commission to go out and convert the lost.
What does the Great Commission actually say?
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-29 NIV
Disciples. Biblically speaking, and speaking from my own experience, there is a huge difference between disciples and converts. A disciple follows. A convert believes (or at least acknowledges belief.) When Jesus called Matthew, he did not give Matthew a list of things he must believe. He did not lead him in a sinner's prayer. He simply said "follow Me."
What did Matthew do? He followed Jesus. That choice cost him everything. He left his job, town, position in society, and his religion. What is it costing us to follow Jesus? Are we mere converts or are we disciples?
Missionary to Nakuru, Kenya. Co-founder of A Future and a Hope, a home for girls.
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