Evangelization and Conversion
Jesus personally calls everyone to conversion, but it’s the job of faithful Christians to invite others to heed His call. When we evangelize, we are essentially inviting others to change their lives, or rather, to let themselves be changed by Jesus. The goal of evangelization is to lead people to conversion.
What is conversion? Conversion can be described as the change of heart man experiences when he receives God’s grace through faith and repentance, and it is something that is necessary for salvation (CCC 545). This call to faith and repentance was at the center of Jesus and the Apostles’ preaching (Mk 1:14-15; Acts 2:38; CCC 981). By refusing or ignoring Jesus’ call to faith and repentance, man puts himself in a very dangerous position in which he could quite possibly cut himself off from God permanently (CCC 1034).
Jesus warns us that the unconverted will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 18:3). This is why we need to do all we can to share the Gospel with others. The Gospel message has the power to change the hardest heart. Our job as Christians is to get the message out there. God will do the rest.
See also CCC 1036, 1427-1432