JESUS REVOLUTIONARIES DON'T CONVERT OTHERS

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Jesus always stood with the common, disenfranchised, non-religious people in His world. He never castigated the sinners in any way. This brought on all kinds of criticism and anger from the religious community. He embarrassed the super-religious community, challenged them, criticized them and was relentless in pointing them in a different direction and emphasis.

Jesus made them very uncomfortable. He even warned His disciples that the world will hate them as much as they hated Him. Then Jesus described their actions of hate, which included disagreeing with the followers of Jesus to the point of throwing them out of their religious assemblies. When followers of Jesus genuinely follow Jesus-doing what He says and does, they will also make the super-religious uncomfortable.

Jesus was so upset with the super-religious that He gave an extensive denunciation of them in Matthew 23. Matthew records eight woes or warnings against them. They are not nice or super-sensitive. Jesus was ticked off and He didn't hide His feelings. A couple of the woes are of interest to me, when it comes to the urge to convert others into your religious system or experience.

Jesus says, "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and then you make that convert twice as much a child of hell as you are."

As I've shared earlier, in the past I have participated in the acts of shutting the door of the Kingdom on a few of my friends and many others. I've also participated in traveling far and wide to win converts-to convert people to my particular religious system or way of thinking about God.

I grew up in a Baptist Church and our goal was to convert everyone into becoming a Christian, not only a Christian but a Baptist Christian, and not only a Baptist Christian but our kind of Baptist Christian. We sent people all over the world to convert people into our faith. We believed that's what God wanted us to do. That was our end game in life-to convert or change the world.

If you think you must change the world, you will create an agenda for every person you approach. If a person is from a different religious persuasion, then your agenda is to talk them out of their religion and into yours. If a person believes in evolution, then your agenda is to argue with him about creation. If a person is doing something you want him to change, then your agenda is to figure out a way to change him. If you think you must change the world, you believe you are "right" and disrespect all others from different backgrounds. If you think you must change the world, then you may not include the only one who can change those in your world of influence-Jesus. If you think you must change the world, then you tend to think you are in charge of the results and actually making the changes happen.

When we observe the life and teachings of Jesus, we see a very different approach. Note this vital interaction between Jesus and His disciples: When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of death will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:13-18) NOTE no one taught Peter that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, but the Father revealed this to him.

NOTE who it is who supernaturally draws people to Jesus: "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me." (John 6:43-45)

If the Father is the one who reveals to people who Jesus is and actually draws them to Jesus, then it is the Father who is doing any converting work. And, if the Father is the only one who can do the converting of a person's life, then what role do we play in the process? It seems the end game of the Father is to draw to Jesus and reveal Jesus to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see.

As followers of Jesus, what ought our end game be? Two observations come to mind. FIRST-The role of converting people has already been taken by the Father, therefore we are not to be into the conversion business. NOTE the Father has no interest in converting anyone to become a part of any religious system or theological set of beliefs. His end game is converting-transforming their lives-to be related to Jesus. The Father's end game is all about Jesus.

SECOND-Since we can't function in the conversion business, we are to be about introducing Jesus to all who are interested in Him. Followers of Jesus need to focus on advancing the conversation of Jesus in every way we can. We are not to concern ourselves whether someone is a Baptist, Buddhist, Christian, Catholic or Muslim; the end game for all followers of Jesus is to introduce people to Jesus. We are to make this our total and only agenda.