The
Wednesday evening Outflow meal had just ended and people were in
there seats chatting and waiting for the weekly bible study to begin.
I was finishing up my usual preparations when something unusual
happened. Behind me a voice spoke out, "Pray for me. Pray that
the devil don't get me." I turned to see a man who had been
staying at our shelter asking for prayer from a Christian lady
sitting on the other side of the room. The room went silent.
Something serious was happening and it seemed everyone knew it. The
lady assured the man that she would pray for him and encouraged him
to pray to God himself. "I need Jesus to save me", the man
said with a look of desperation on his face. It was as if they were
the only two people in the room. I watched as the lady walked over to
where the man was sitting and began to pray for him. Everyone in the
room was now in silent prayer with them. Then it happened. The man
interrupted her prayer with his own. A prayer of repentance and faith
in Jesus as his Healer, Rescuer and Master.
In
the old days Christians would call this a "conversion".
This term gives some people the willies nowadays and I can definitely
understand why. When I hear the word conversion I automatically have
this image in my mind of a 1950's Pastor with thick black rimmed
glasses and a giant bible talking of how many conversions there were
on Sunday morning. Of course this is a bit of a caricature with
probably some truth to it, but I'm wondering if the word conversion
is as bad as I thought. Conversion is simply the act or process of
changing from one state, form or belief to another. That doesn't
sound so scary. The fact is that people are converting all the time.
Some are converting from one way of thinking to another, one brand to
another, one faith to another, and so on.
The
fact is, while we don't really use the word conversion at Outflow, we
do believe in the truth of it. We love it when people see Jesus for
who he is: the resurrected and reigning Son of God who loves them and
gave himself for them. We love it when people not only see these
truths, but also want this Jesus and love him. This is what the bible
calls genuine faith. They move from unbelief to belief. From death to
life. From seeing themselves in charge of their lives to Christ being
in charge. From an enemy of God to being his child. This is good.
This is conversion.
Philip
