Misguided Zeal

In my zeal to win souls and provoke others to be just as zealous, I failed to understand that God had never commissioned me to make converts, he commissioned me to make disciples. God does the converting, convicting and the drawing to himself when I witness or give testimony to his saving grace. But I have not been called to “convince” people to join a cause or church. I have been called to abide in Jesus, cling to him intimately, and the result will be—more fruit.

Once I shifted from frenetic witnessing to soaking myself in his Word, my focus shifted from scalps to disciples. I then began to bear fruit that remained because I became a disciple—a devoted, adorer of Christ. Falling in love with him—more than the love of witnessing—helped me to develop more patience, more love, and less of a critical spirit. I no longer measured and compared everyone to what I thought they should be doing. I let God bring the candidates along who saw Christ in me, became inquisitive, and then God drew them to Christ rather than a religion or cause.