16/12/10

Conversion

Acts 26:27,28 - King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. And Agrippa said unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian.


Last Sunday in Mumbai almost all churches came together to celebrate the birth of Jesus on a beach. Everything was beautiful, the place, the setup, the singers and most of all the Word which was shared by the evangelist. We had an evangelist named Ram Babu, who was a Hindu before he became a Christian. He is a fearless orator and has been instrument to bring thousands and thousands of people even from remote areas of India into the Lord. He is also lovingly called 'Rambo' of the spiritual world because of the way he operates. The Lord has been taking him international of late.

He was given just 10 minutes to preach and even in those 10 minutes he did an excellent job and touched the hearts of many people as on why they need Jesus in their lives. One of his statements were 'my name is Ram Babu and I was born Ram Babu, Jesus came into my life and change me and not my name, He wants to come into your life, He does not want to change your name but wants to change you from inside, He wants to help you and take care of you'.

There are many people in this world who know what we Christians speak is true and many among them have even experience the power of our words. They know that everything in the Bible is true but yet they do not want to openly accept it. They are worried of the consequence of accepting the Truth.

I have people in my own organization who have experienced the glory of God and when they have problems they do not go to their gods but come to our God. For they know what they do is traditions but there is no truth in it.

People of various religions have many traditions. They traditions are very important to these religions because it is these traditions which bind these people together and keep them in their folds. A person who wants to change cannot because these traditions have become his clothing, his covering and without them he feels naked.

People do not think about what will the consequence after death if they do not accept Jesus Christ but are more concern about how their body will be handled after they die!

People becoming Believers think when my child is born will he or she be baptized or will there be a ceremony? To please them Believer Churches have started 'Dedication of the Child', as if they made their mind after the child was born. Can't we just rejoice on the birth of the child and for the addition into the Church of God, rather than making ceremonies and giving names to it?

No one can convert a person into becoming a Christian. The only person who can is your own self.

Unless you do not accept the Truth, treasure it and be fearless to face the world at all cost to protect it, you cannot become a Christian. To become a Christian you need to change and this change starts from inside and spreads outward.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, when You send us to reach out to the world to give the Gospel, You did not say convert people into Christians but to save them. Unless they do not accept You they can be saved. If they want You, they need to be ready to reject the world, because You and the world do not go along. What the world tells us obstructs the Light and caused darkness within us. When You come your Light overcomes darkness.

Lord we pray that You give courage to all those weak in heart that they be ready to lose the world and traditions of the world and accept You, so that they live and have life...

This prayer we make in your Mighty Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripture ]
Acts 6:8-15
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people.
9 But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen.
10 And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake.
11 Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought him into the council,
13 and set up false witnesses, who said, This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and the law:
14 for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs [traditions] which Moses delivered unto us.
15 And all that sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

Acts 7:57-60
57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Luke 6:22-23
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)