I read
something years ago which was attributed to George Ingles. He said that there are really “…three
conversions in a man: First to Christ;
Second to the church; and Third back to the world.”
Let’s look at them:
#1 Conviction for Christ
Those who
believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about
3,000 in all. Acts 2:41
(NLT)
Peter’s sermon was Jesus-centered. The convicting power of that sermon was
not Peter’s clever words; the messenger is never the message. Peter was no public speaker; whenever he
opened his mouth it was usually only to exchange one foot for the other. The convicting power of that retelling of the
Gospel story was the Holy Spirit working on the hearers to produce
conviction.
Conviction – a holy
conscience – is a powerful thing. It can
change everything. The difference
between a false or genuine conversion is in a changed life; it is when all the priorities
change that you know the conversion was genuine.
#2 Conviction for the Church
All the believers
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing
in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A
deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many
miraculous signs and wonders. And all the
believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and
shared the money with those in need. Acts
2:42-45 (NLT)
In true conversion to Christ, conviction for the
Church is what naturally follows. You
read about Paul’s love, his conviction for the church in Scripture.
How does it come
about that Paul, a man who hated and tried to exterminate the church, became
one who loved the church? The answer is
that he was linked to them by love. I’ve
heard it said before that everyone who belongs to the Lord belongs to
everyone who belongs to the Lord.
Love will make you like that!
There is a third
conversion, back into the world…
#3 Conviction for the Christ-less
They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes
for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying
the goodwill of all the people. And each
day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts
2:46 - 47 (NLT)
The disciples
continued meeting in the temple area; that’s like our church meetings. But it also spread to the homes where
fellowship and sharing became the norm.
But, understand this clearly – it did not stay within their “holy
huddle”. Doctor Luke tells us (v.47)
that they began to enjoy the goodwill of all the
people.
Those are two very important
words. The meaning of the word “goodwill”
is, the
divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude.[1] The word is actually charis or grace. And the
word “people” indicates those different from their own
folks. This means they didn’t keep Jesus
to themselves! They went to outsiders
and treated them like insiders! And when
they did so, they experienced the grace of God as they went.
Those people without
Christ were glad to have the Christians around. Unbelievers looked at their Christian
neighbors and saw their Christian Master!
That’s what it is like for people who have a genuine conversion to Christ
and His church.
When you are truly
saved by grace, converted to Christ, his church and even to the Christ-less:
·
You’ll be a
blessing to those who are without Christ
·
You’ll be kind,
generous and a really good neighbor.
·
You’ll take a lot
of “shots” and overlook a lot of obnoxious behavior just so someday you will
have the opportunity to share Jesus with someone who needs to know.
When Jesus told his
disciples to go into all the world and preach the good news, He knew that the journey around the
world begins at our neighbor’s doorstep.
For You, Today…
Have you allowed holy
conviction, that internal voice telling what you ought to do,
to lead to conversion? Or more correctly,
three
conversions – to Christ, His church, and those without Christ?
If so, has it occurred to you that the grace you
experienced when you came to Christ, will be all over you and your neighbors when
you tell others.
If not, why not?
And, if not, will you now?
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