Stories of Conversion

In May of 1971, I learned that a friend of mine, who had been involved in drugs, had started attending a prayer meeting in our parish and was turning his life around. Eager to see my friend, I decided to go to the prayer meeting with him. While I was sitting in the back of the room with him, I watched everyone else-about seventy-five people-praying and singing to Jesus. I joined in, but I really didn't know what was going on.

After about thirty minutes, I felt something come over me. It was a rush of excitement that filled me with joy. At that moment, I realized that Jesus was a real person who loved me very much. I was so excited that by the end of the prayer meeting, I had committed my life to Jesus. That night the Holy Spirit moved powerfully in my heart and brought me to conversion. I began to read my Bible every day; I started to pray regularly; and I continued to attend the prayer meeting.

Prior to this conversion, I believed in Jesus because I knew that it was the right thing to do. I knew that my parents expected me to believe, and I thought that Jesus would help me in my goal of becoming a professional golfer. Besides, I didn't want to go to hell. While all of these beliefs had some value, I realized later that they were the basis of a weak faith, not a strong one.

We all Need Conversion. Some conversions, like St. Paul's, are very dramatic shifts from darkness to light. Others, like mine, don't seem as gripping, but they are no less meaningful. The truth is, whatever our backgrounds, we all need conversion to Jesus. Only he can reveal the love of God in our hearts and pour out the salvation that we all long for. Only he can fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit.

My conversion was not from serious sin, nor was it from a troubled life. It was more along the lines of Lydia and Cornelius (see pages 4 and 10). It was a conversion from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. Up to that point, everything in my life revolved around me: my food, my TY my golf, my agenda. But then the Holy Spirit opened my eyes, and everything began to change.

In this issue, we want to look at some conversion stories in the New Testament. First, we will look at the two primary elements of conversion: an outpouring of God's grace and a decision that we make to turn to Christ. Then, we will try to describe the difference between this initial conversion and the ongoing conversion we are all called to pursue. Finally, we will use these conversion stories to help us measure our own experiences of conversion.

If you have not had a conversion to Jesus, perhaps these stories can help you experience God's love in a new way. If you have had a conversion, then perhaps these stories can help you renew and deepen your commitment to Jesus.

Finally, I'd like to ask you to pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out his grace upon the whole church-upon those who are committed, those who are uncommitted, and those who have left the church for whatever reason. May we all draw closer to Jesus.

Joe Difato

Publisher

(joe@wau.org)

Copyright Word Among Us Oct 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved