The Signs of Conversion

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This is a sermon given by Pastor Les on July 31, 2016 and it discusses baptism, communion and transformation as being three of the signs regarding conversion.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

There is a word in the Bible that is a very important part to understanding the whole concept of salvation.

That is the word convert, along with it various forms of usage – converteth, converted, conversion, etc.

The word is a part of our everyday secular vocabulary and the dictionary gives the following definitions and examples of how the word can be used.

Convert - verb (used with object)

1. to change (something) into a different form or properties; transmute; transform.

2. to cause to adopt a different religion, political doctrine, opinion, etc.: to convert the heathen.

3. to turn to another or a particular use or purpose; divert from the original or intended use: They converted the study into a nursery for the baby.

4. to modify (something) so as to serve a different function: to convert an automobile factory to the manufacture of tanks.

5. to obtain an equivalent value for in an exchange or calculation, as money or units of measurement: to convert bank notes into gold; to convert yards into meters.

6. Finance. To exchange voluntarily (a bond or preferred stock) into another security, usually common stock, because of the greater value of the latter.

7. to change in character; cause to turn from an evil life to a righteous one: to convert a criminal.

The Bible uses the term in a spiritual context in various ways such as found in these passages:

Matthew 18:3 [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Acts 3:19 [Peter said] Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Acts 15:3 And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

James 5:19-20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; ²⁰ Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

As we consider these and other references regarding conversion, we can see that it is a word that basically describes the same thing we mean when we speak of salvation.

For a little while this morning I want to talk to you about the topic of conversion and how it is manifested in the life of a believer.

I.    The Meaning of Conversion.

As you can see in the bulletin, the title of the message today is, “The Signs of Conversion.” We are going to discuss those signs in just a moment, but first of all I want to describe what conversion really means as used in the context of Christian faith.

Author and professor, Keith Drury, said this about conversion, “When we speak of the church seeing conversions, we mean something more than witnessing the moment when a person prays to ‘receive Christ.’ We mean the entire process of conversion. When a child is born, we record on the birth certificate the first moment when he or she took a breath. But the mother and father realize that the moment of birth is just one part of a much longer process, including the discovery of pregnancy, nine months of expectation, physical changes in the mother’s body, birth, naming, announcing, and dedicating the child. Birth is a package deal. Likewise, spiritual conversion is a total package. The process starts when God’s prevenient grace draws a person toward Christ and he or she senses a growing conviction of sin and need for God. Like a fetus, this conviction grows until the moment of new birth… the instant when God forgives the person’s sin and the Holy Spirit enters in and regenerates the soul, creating a new life.

The process of conversion does not begin with the moment of regeneration, and it doesn’t end there either.”

I want you to especially notice two or three words or concepts that Professor Drury mentioned, which also happen to be important biblical concepts.

A. God’s prevenient grace draws a person.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

B. Senses a growing conviction of sin and need.

John 16:8 And when he [i.e., the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove (NKJV, convict) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Eventually, there will come a time when the conviction grows to the point when the unbeliever/sinner recognizes the need to repent and begins to do so. Repentance means to have a complete reversal or change of mind/thinking. Conversion means to have a complete change of life. My observation is this: there are too many people trying to come to Christ without ever having been convicted over their sin.

If I never realize and recognize the horrible condition of sin in my life and the judgment I deserve because of it, then I’ll never truly understand exactly what Christ has done for me and offered to me. In that case, “getting converted” or being “saved” means nothing more than deciding to change political parties on my voter registration. (Oh, I guess I’ll become a Christian today.) I can never experience a real conversion if I’ve never genuinely repented, and I’ll never repent if I’ve never sensed genuine conviction about my condition and my need.

When an individual places his/her faith in Jesus Christ and is truly converted, there are at least three outward signs that communicate that change to others.

II. The first sign is Christian Baptism.

I am excited that we have the first baptism scheduled since I have been the pastor here. I assume the responsibility/ blame for that. I should have been more diligent to stress the importance of it.

What is baptism all about anyway?

Well, in the short explanation, it is an outward sign and testimony to the fact that the baptismal candidate has been converted and is identifying with Jesus Christ and His followers/disciples.

It is a tangible way for the individual to say, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”

(Keith Drury) While conversion can happen in private as a result of personal evangelism, baptism is always public. It is the sacrament ordained by Christ to make conversion a public matter… It is true, technically speaking, that the new convert was saved when he or she “prayed the prayer” at the altar or in [some other place]. But that person is publicly received into the body of Christ when he or she submits to baptism….

Baptism is a public affair. There is no such thing as secret discipleship. When people try to follow Jesus in secret, one of two things eventually happens. Either their following of Jesus eliminates their secrecy, or their secrecy eliminates their following of Christ. Baptism makes conversion public.

Philip the evangelist in Acts explained the Scriptures to the Ethiopian Eunuch. At the end of their conversation, the Ethiopian requests to be baptized. Why? To publicly, physically and outwardly demonstrate the inward conversion that had just taken place in his life.

III. The second sign is Christian Communion.

Communion is a sacrament just as baptism is. It is a physical and outward sign, as well as baptism is.

We have repeatedly noted what the emblems of communion represent – the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ. We’ve tried to share a number of different truths about communion over the past few years as we have shared communion together.

One thing I want to say today in regards to communion that I don’t think I have ever said before, relates to this issue of conversion. If baptism is the sign that conversion has happened, a new life in Christ has begun, and I’ve been admitted into the family of faith (the church), then I think we can view communion as a sign that faith is still active.

The person who partakes of communion is essentially testifying, “I’m still believing in Jesus Christ and His shed blood for my sins. I am still a part of the church as a follower of Jesus."

IV. The third sign is a life transformation.

Baptism and communion are essential sacraments that every Christian believer should practice. There is one other sign of conversion that is not a sacrament, but it is no less necessary.

The third sign of conversion is the transformation of one’s life after they have put faith in Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians and said, … if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Cor. 5:17)

New attitudes; New behavior; New vocabulary; New affections; Making amends/restitutions, etc. These are all traits that indicate transformation has taken place and is continuing to happen.

Conclusion:

Have you been converted? Has there been a time in your life when you committed your life to Christ and new spiritual life began? If so, come to the Lord’s Table today and once again identify with the family of God as we commune together.

Before we share the elements, let us sing two verses of the hymn,  I Will Sing of My Redeemer