RETRY

Matt. 28:18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Making a disciple takes time, effort and relationship.

Before I received Christ inside I was like the light brown saying, "don't come near me, you don't mean good for me". I so badly wanted Jesus, not religion, not a formula but the real Person. People would approach me and tell me how to get to heaven by accepting Jesus and my stock answer was, "I've done that". Our salvation is so precious, so awesome and so much more than a scripted prayer which makes us think we have fire insurance. It is a committment to the one who paid the price for all our sin and suffering. He paid with the ultimate sacrifice of His life. He suffered for every sin since Adam to the last man/woman who is ever born. His love encompassed all of us.

He has sent His Holy Spirit to continue having relationship with us, to lead us, to guide us. We are to make disciples not get a notch in our spiritual belts that says "I've led so many people to Christ". I believe in leading people to Christ but there are times I have seen manipulation, badgering, guilt trips, anger, and on it goes, used to get people to say the sinners prayer. I've seen people do it to get someone to just shut up. They didn't mean the prayer because they didn't see the Love of Christ coming from the person. There was a cold impersonalness to the way Jesus was shared. They didn't see or experience salt and light. Intellectualism produces pharisees who produce more pharisees. Truly knowing God makes the Word come alive.

I like the way The Message puts the verses that began this writing:

18-20Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Becoming a Christian is more than a prayer. It is a true changing of direction and learning and being trained in a brand new life.