I Hope None...

“How many have asked Jesus to come into their hearts because of you?”
It wasn’t the first time I’d been asked, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. As I gave a thoughtful sigh and answered 
                   “I don't know”,
                           the look I received in return made me quickly launch into an explanation.

You see, I don't know because no one has come to Christ because of me. 

I may plant a seed, a thought, a piece of truth, but it is 

                                 purely the Holy Spirit doing the leading. 

So, how many have I watched come to Christ through the planting of that seed? 
How many people have I personally been with at that exact moment when they realized that they needed Jesus? 
                               I don’t know.

I don’t know because I don’t keep count. 
Sure, I could probably sit down and name some of them, but why? I’d much rather cling to that sweet memory of when God blessed me in allowing me to witness the moment I gained another sibling in Christ. 

When I start counting, start naming each one off, that begins to trivialize those moments. It dampens the significance of a new name being written in the Book of Life. Numbers aren’t important to me, people are.

I don’t know because when I teach children, 

I don’t ask them if they want to ask Jesus to “come into their hearts”. 

I don’t ask because it’s not biblical.
Nowhere in scripture is it mentioned that in order to be saved you must ask Jesus to come into your heart.
 And while it’s a simple way to explain salvation to a child, nothing about salvation should be simplified. It’s not something that needs to be simplified, because it already is simple enough.

Believe. Repent. Receive. 

When I talk to anyone about Christ, no matter their age, I want them to fully understand salvation. I want them to know that this decision is life-changing. It’s not a decision to be made lightly or out of fear.

The cross was not meant to be a fire escape,

 it was meant to be a bridge to a relationship with a holy God.

I want to them to be absolutely certain of the decision that they are making before they make it.

Matthew7:21 says “Not every one that saith unto me, 

Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…” 

A 2011 Barna study has shown that nearly half of all Americans over 18 have claimed to have prayed a “sinner’s prayer” and believe they are going to heaven 

                                                         despite not going to church,

                                                                           not reading their Bibles, 

                                                                                 or showing any real spiritual fruit in their lives. 

According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, salvation brings about a big change in a person’s life.                                                                                     Where is the fruit? 

                                                                          Where is the desire for relationship? 

When I get to heaven, I want it to be a joyful reunion with those who I’ve seen come to Christ. I don’t want to arrive to find that those I believed to be living for Christ never truly knew Him because they never fully understood that 

salvation is not just meant to be a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. 

This is why I don’t know. 
I don’t know “how many have asked Jesus to come into their hearts” because of me. 

I hope none. 

I hope that I do a good job of explaining salvation fully to all of those little hearts and minds that I’ve been given the responsibility of sharing the gospel with. 
I hope that I never lose the joy that I feel every time I run into someone I’ve witnessed come to Christ. 

I hope I never stop to count.