Not long ago, I was having a conversation with a christian (as I tend to do), and I was sharing with him many of the ways that christianity is a counterfeit of the true Gospel of Messiah Yahoshua. And, as I typically encounter in such discussions, he was making every argument he could come up with to prove that his christian beliefs were true.
Now, christian arguments simply can never refute the truths of the Holy Spirit, and when the teachings of christianity are exposed to the light of the Spirit’s truth, they are shown to be the traditions of men that they are.
As often happens, because many of his beliefs were being revealed to be based on false teachings, and many were nothing but christianese that had no basis in scripture whatsoever, he did what folks in that position often do—he tried to turn the conversation away from the truth, and onto the messenger of it.
So, he leveled this question at me: “Well, how many people have YOU led to the Lord?”
The question is meant either to shame someone who just doesn’t have the numbers to show himself to be successful, or it is to make the “salvation” of others a competition (which isn’t all that uncommon in churchianity—numbers, it’s all about the numbers—how many followers do YOU have, how big is YOUR “church”,” how many did YOU dunk in water this year?).
But, the premise of the question itself is just symptomatic of the error of christianity’s “salvation.” By “leading someone to the Lord,” what is meant is getting someone to make a decision, or pray a sinner’s prayer. And, the problem with that error is that neither of those things is salvation. So, any numbers associated with that paradigm have nothing to do with salvation, but only with getting folks to join a club.
As Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, the one who plants is nothing and the one who waters is nothing, because, in the end, only Yah is the one who gives salvation. Salvation is not something anyone can “lead” someone else in, as it is not a decision that man can make. All a believer can do is to share the truths of the Holy Spirit, and he will either be planting or watering, but he cannot do the saving.
The “saving” part comes after a person has believed in Messiah Yahoshua, and has endured in that belief before others—it comes when the Father places His covenant within the one who has believed. Man has no part in that transaction, as it is wholly by the will of the Father.
As for how many people I have been able to share the Spirit’s truths with sufficiently that they started seeking to learn the Spirit’s truths rather than the false teachings they were taught in the “church”? I have no idea, as I don’t keep a record of numbers. I simply share Yah’s truths as His Spirit compels me to do, and I leave the numbers up to Him, for they are not my business to begin with.
My duty is to share the truth. I am not responsible for results. The Holy Spirit is the Word (logos) to the bride, and the Word of God never returns void. So, when I share His truths, I am either feeding Yahoshua’s sheep (either planting the seeds or watering them), or I am providing evidence for someone’s judgment. I don’t choose if I’m planting, watering, or just providing evidence to be shown at someone’s judgment that Yah’s truths were shared with him, but he rejected them. I just share as I’m told to share.
If someone thinks he is leading others to Messiah by getting them to make a decision or pray a prayer, then he’s the one who needs to be led to the truths of Yahoshua’s Gospel.
For more information: How Do You Know You Are Saved?