At the height of the People of Jesus movement in the 60s, I became a Christian. I was not a hippie, but I played rock 'n' roll and so I was in some way in touch with the hippie society, which the Jesus People movement had such a strong influence on.
Fortunately for me, the person who led me to Christ and had a great influence on me clearly understood the importance and high value of the Gospel. He taught us that there is no such thing as "cheap grace." Becoming a disciple means living completely for God, living a life of righteousness and faith that would exemplify word and deed for a world desperate for salvation.
But after two years my mentor left. Over time, we came under the influence of a more popular version of the "gospel" presented by many, but which was somewhat incomplete. His main message was: “Come and get away from reality. Receive Jesus and get ready for the Ascension, because he will return at any moment. "
For a while, I became passive, waiting for the Ascension. I had to wait patiently for at least three weeks until I suddenly began to realize that what I had learned in the first two years of my walk in Christ still applied to my life: I had to do something while waited. Perhaps being a Christian is more than I thought.
Now I know that this "something" that we have to do is to become the image and likeness of Christ, growing in His character. After more than twenty years of ministry, I became convinced that the most important thing that each of us can do as a Christian is to grow up before we grow old. And if we want to succeed in a big cause, helping men and women find salvation, it is very important that reaching maturity becomes part of our goal - for them and for ourselves.
