How technical should we get?

I puzzle over this one a bit.  It's pretty much accepted Christian dogma that to be saved we need to accept Jesus by confessing with our mouths and believing in our hearts that Jesus was the Son of God who was crucified, raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God.  If we do that our sins are forgiven and we get eternal life.

I can come up with all of the Scripture references that support this.  But I also see several Scriptures references like the one below of Jesus speaking and it makes me wonder just how much of a stickler we need to be here?  It's almost as if we have become a bit like that Pharisees on the issue.   Take a look at the following Scripture and I'll continue on the other side.

Mark 6:12-13(NKJV)

So they went out and preached that people should repent. 

And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

This is the part where Jesus sent them out the first time with just the clothes on their back and told them to spread the Word and trust God.  Jesus sends them out to tell people to repent.  I can't find where Jesus said that they had to say anything in particular or that they had to "accept" Jesus.  What I see is Jesus says they need to repent.  With Jesus it always seemed to be more of a heart issue than uttering a particular phrase.

When I read what Jesus said here I sometimes wonder if it applies to the issue at hand.

Mark 7:6-7(NKJV)

He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:      ‘This people honors Me with their lips,     But their heart is far from Me.

    And in vain they worship Me,      Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 

The reason it is an issue that I wonder about is because of the way I invite people to accept Jesus in my writings.  My invite usually goes something like this. 

If you haven't accepted Jesus yet, why not do it right now?  Just have a conversation with Jesus.  Let Him know where you are at and what you are looking for.  "Dear Jesus…."

I don't suggest that they need to say it in any particular way.  I guess my feeling is that if I can get them to start a conversation with Jesus, Jesus can take it from there!  :)

Anyway I've prayed about this more than once and the Holy Spirit has never told me to change it.  In fact the answer I keep getting is don't sweat the small stuff, you are doing just fine.  But I still puzzle over it occasionally.