In his book The Call to Conversion, Jim Wallis points out that the most commonly asked question in evangelism today is, “What can Jesus do for me?”

 Potential converts are told that Jesus can make them happier, more self-satisfied, better adjusted, and more prosperous.  Jesus quickly becomes the supreme product, attractively packaged and aggressively sold to a consuming public.  Complete with billboards, buttons, and bumper stickers, modern evangelistic campaigns advertise Jesus in a competitive market.  Even better than Coca Cola, Jesus is ‘the Real Thing.’… Modern conversion attempts to bring Jesus into our lives rather than bringing us into his.

  This approach to evangelism was personally illustrated for me by the Youth Evangelism Conferences I attended as a teenager.  Thousands of young people would gather in a large auditorium.  There they would experience a fast-paced, super-slick, and highly energized sales-pitch for Jesus. The high point for the gathering would always be the testimonials of satisfied customers—usually Joe Jock and Cherie Cheerleader.  These two attractive, articulate, and popular young people would talk about the struggles of being a teenager and how Jesus had helped them to be so incredibly successful. 

  Now I never was the most athletic kid on campus.  I never was the most articulate, best looking, or most popular kid on campus.  This being the case, sometimes I wondered what was wrong with me.  I had done what the preachers told me to do.  I had acquired the product.  I had made Jesus mine—but is wasn’t working.  I was neither successful nor satisfied. 

 Do you know what the problem was?  The problem was that some well-intentioned church leaders had accommodated the gospel to the prevailing wisdom of the world.  As a result I had been sold a worthless bill of goods. I had been told that the gospel was about making Jesus mine.  In reality the gospel is about Jesus making me His. 

That’s grace!