Thursday, June 12, 2008
True Conversion
“ ‘Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles, to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’ ” (Acts 26:17–18)
When the apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa and explained what God had called him to do in proclaiming the gospel, he broke it down into one of the most clear presentations I have found anywhere in the Bible.
Paul said that God had called him to proclaim this message, which was to open the eyes of his listeners that they might turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and that they might receive the forgiveness of sin and an inheritance among those who are sanctified.
Here, we see three steps. One, your eyes are opened. Two, you turn from darkness to light. Three, you turn from the power of Satan to God. As a result, you are forgiven and receive adoption and an inheritance among God’s people.
Many people have taken step one, but they have never made it to step two. They have had their eyes opened and have seen there is a God and there is a devil. They have also seen there is a choice to be made.
They have seen that Jesus Christ is the answer to their problems and that they need to trust in Him and turn from their sin. They intellectually agree with these things. But they haven’t taken step two, which is turning from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
And until you have taken that step, you are not truly converted.
Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture quotation is taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
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The Bible says, "If any man be in Christ, he is an altogether different kind of person. Old things have passed away. Everything becomes fresh and new." That is the truth I want you and everyone who reads this book to come away with. And it is a message not just of hope, but also of Christ's redemptive power.
-Greg Laurie
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