Are You A Converted Christian?
by Carlton Foster – October 29, 2019
How do you know if you are a converted Christian? We will look for answers in the Bible. Conversion is essential to receive the eternal blessings of God. Jesus gave us an idea who we are, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (Matthew 13:15).”
We are complicated sets of people. Even some of the leaders of the disciples needed conversion. Jesus said to Peter, “So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32 NLT).” When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren, as stated in the KJV. If we are not transformed, we cannot go to heaven. Jesus confirms this in Matthew 18:3, “Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
There are five aspects of your characters that will signify that you are converted:
Love– the love you always show for the ‘least among thee’ – the poor, disgusting, obnoxious people, the ones that you cannot stand; this love will show that you are a converted Christian. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples (John 13:35).” We at times show love to our friends, family, and affluent people, but that is not enough! Jesus said, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? (Matthew 5:46). He stated that if you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else. Even pagans do that. He even went further than all and said that we must love our enemies! That we must pray for those, who persecute us! A true sign that you are converted is when you genuinely care for everyone, especially the needed, and your loving activities (words and deeds) should show that you are converted.
Change– when you are converted, you become a new person; you changed from those ungodly lifestyles to the lifestyles of a Christian. Paul confirms this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things have become new.” Suppose you are still experiencing the ills of ungodly lifestyles. Such as getting regular traffic tickets, missing payments due dates, telling ‘white’ lies, stealing company’s time, lusting secretly, or if you still feel guilty when you come before God to worship – you are not yet converted!
Obedient– If you foster any semblances of disobedience to godly authorities, you are not converted. 1 John 3:22 states, “We will receive from him (God) whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.” We are generally disobedient when we don’t get what we want nor earn our way. Samuel told Saul this, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23).” If children are disobeying parents; if spouses are disobeying the head-of-household; if employees are disobeying the bosses; if Christians are disobeying their leaders; and if you are disobedient to the laws of God, you are not converted.
Witnessing – If you say you are a Christian, but are timid or fromed on the request to witness to strangers in uncomfortable settings – such as going door-to-door, standing on the street, or any unusual occasions, then you are not yet converted. Even after the Jewish leaders flogged them, Peter and John were so excited to spread the news about Jesus; they said, “We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20)”. Paul also said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).” Jesus also confirms this in Mark 8:38, “Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” If you are only attending worship services and are not actively witnessing for Jesus, you are not yet converted. Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you (that is conversion), and you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere you go (Acts 1:8)”
Benevolence– Jesus said, “Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth; they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Instead, give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you (Matthew 6:1-4). If you still have a slight feeling that the church does not recognize your service, gifts, or efforts, then you are not yet converted.
In summary, Jesus said to Peter, and Jesus is saying the same thing to you and me today, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fails not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren (Luke 22:32 KJV). The NLT version put it this way, “So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”