Preparation: What Are You Aiming For?

In previous posts, we explored how our proper motivation to share the good news of Jesus with others is joyous gratitude, not duty and pride. We also explored some of the religious terms that might get in the way of communicating the good news.

This post is about what you are aiming for. The adage goes, "If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time." We actually have the most compelling goals ever known to mankind wrapped up in the person of Jesus. The reason it's important to have an aim and a vision is so that you aren't trying to just convert people. Let me illustrate this point.

This is what happens a lot of times. People attend a church service or they go to a stadium. They hear an amazing speaker or have a spiritual experience. Then they "convert" by praying a prayer accepting Jesus as their Lord. Then they go home. Then... well, who knows? 

I call this "popcorn conversion". You heat the person up with emotion. They pop and convert into something new. Then .. it's just fluff and stuff that sticks between your teeth, the person isn't really deeply changing or connected to God. Honestly, we who are leading people to Jesus have the responsibility to disciple them. There is no call in the New Testament to just leave people alone after they give their lives over.

The problem is the word "convert" and what that means. It is a one time part of a person's life wherein they convert from being unsaved to saved. Convert is not a word used very often in the Bible; it's used a total of 8 times. The word disciple is used an amazing 296 times in the Bible. Jesus said for us to make disciples, not converts, and there is a mind-blowing difference there. Disciples take time; they are welcomed into the family of God. They learn with this amazing support group how to live in God's presence.

We are hopefully aiming for the full vision of God that sees perfect union between Him and His family, the church. It is something you have to confront culturally, because we are very individually minded people. But the Church is a collective, family-minded people. There should be no such thing as an isolated Christian because we are essentially pack animals. When we think of conversion, we have to think this way. We are not just welcoming people to a relationship with Jesus, but also a relationship with us.

We are aiming for being an entire group of people who are looking like Jesus more and more everyday, becoming closer and closer in unity with the living God.