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Perhaps it is only natural --- certainly Martha and Peter begrudged Mary and John respectively (Luke 10:38-42 and John 21:15-23) --- but truly I do not begrudge you your calling, I would that you would not begrudge me mine.

AG I did not know that we had a choice in obeying the word of God , and that we could do it our way.

RnMomof7, I strongly suspect that you are not doing everything entailed in the Great Commission. If you were, you would have sold every possession and given it to the poor, left family and friend long ago and would be now a missionary in some dark corner of the world – going, telling and baptizing. (Matthew 16:4, 19:21 and Matthew 28:19-20)

Instead, I strongly suspect that you are first a steward in God’s vineyard, caring for the children and others He has put in your care, realizing all the time that they are His and not yours – that you look at every dollar you put in a coke machine as His and not yours, that the shoes on your feet as His and not yours and care for all such things – that you take every opportunity to knock on doors or hand out Bibles or speak to people about Christ. I further strongly suggest that you give personal testimony and joyfully reveal that Christ is the only begotten Son of God, come to us from heaven, suffered and died a propitiation for our sins, raised on the third day and sitting at the right hand of the Father.

RnMomof7, I do all of these things too – but with a few differences according to how my calling has changed over the years. I used to knock on doors, hand out boxes of Gideon’s Bibles (I was Gideon’s Auxiliary). The whole nine yards. But God has a different assignment for me in the twilight of my years. Now I sit at His feet, ingest the living Word, worship Him continually and diligently surrender to His will. To help me love Him all the more, He provides me with the opportunity to love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable, encourage the inconsolable and declare Him. This is my joyful calling!

As a final point, you keep asking me whether someone can be saved without Christ. If anyone could be good enough to get to heaven, then Christ died for nothing.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. - Galatians 2:21

On the other hand, God says He will be merciful and compassionate according to His own will. (Romans) Certainly Abraham, Noah, Enoch, David etc. – who all preceded Christ on earth - are saved according to His will. Likewise, if God chooses to save aborted children, young children, severely handicapped people or anyone who has not heard and rejected Christ – who am I to question it?!

Thank you for the discussion, it has been illuminating.

That is not found in the great commission

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Matthew 16;4 is not applicable in the least.

One does not need to travel far to find the lost ...most of the work of the apostles was done in a very small area

I have traveled on a mission out of the country as well as giving presentations to womans groups. But most of all I am not afraid or ashamed to proclaim Christ, I have no shame in my salvation.I have a desire to see men saved and so I will share Christ where I can .

Do you believe one can be saved without faith in the Christ of the bible ?