Posts Tagged ‘conversion’
Is it a sin to leave the church you were born into?
Question: I’m currently a member of the old-order Mennonite Church. I have come to the conclusion recently, upon studying the Bible, that Jesus has asked everyone to be of one mind and there be no divisions at numerous places in his word. I want to leave this group, but they say leaving a church that…
Read MoreJust as I Am (Hamilton)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/JustAsIAm.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 51 I. “Just as I am! Without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me, and that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, Oh Lamb of God, I come! I come!” A. When each of us come to Christ, we have no argument to offer that we deserve…
Read MoreA Jew on the Day of Pentecost
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/JewOnTheDayOfPentecost.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreLay Aside the Old Self
by Dennis Stackhouse Addressing the Christians in Ephesus, Paul wrote: “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind” (Ephesians 4:17). The apostle begins by aligning his authority with that of the Lord; in other words, this is God’s…
Read MoreI thought I had changed, but then I sinned and had sex
Question: Hello, I’d like to ask a question. But I must first tell you that I grew up going to the church of christ and my grandfather was a preacher. I got into drugs at a young age as my stepfather abused my mother and I when I was growing up. I finally surrendered all…
Read MoreThe Conversion of Saul (Miller)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ConversionOfSaulMiller.mp3 by Rob Miller
Read MoreMy mother won’t let me change churches
Question: I am 16 years old and I don’t want to attend the same church as my family does. For a long time, I’ve wanted to change churches for my own personal reasons, but after going to this camp, I feel like God wants me to go to this certain church. Honestly, I would like…
Read MoreI prayed to God to change my heart but nothing has changed
Question: I prayed to God to change my heart but nothing has changed my way of thinking or my attitude to show love and not anger. I tried to read the Bible, but I don’t feel anything. Please help. Answer: It appears that you are looking for something outside of you to change you, instead…
Read MoreConverting a Soul
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ConvertingASoul.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 2:1-7 I. When dealing with people, it should not surprise anyone that there will be disagreements. A. Being people, each individual has his own mix of ideas and desires. B. The true difficulty comes in getting others to do what needs to be done when they aren’t inclined to do…
Read MoreI want to change from being a sinner to living a holy life, but I don’t know when or how to start. Can you help me?
Question: Hello, I want to change from being a sinner to living a holy life, but I don’t know when or how to start. Can you help me? The thing is I’ve asked God for repentance two or three times before, and then there comes along a test, and I always fail them. Suddenly I…
Read MoreHas Becoming a Christian Changed You?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/HasBecomingAChristianChangedYou.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 12:1-8 I. The Barna Group has done several surveys on the impact Christianity has on people’s lives. A. In May, 2006, a survey showed that 51% said that they had been greatly transformed by their faith. 1. I found that interesting because of what Jesus said – Matthew 7:15-20 2. An…
Read MoreShould becoming a Christian and getting married be postponed until people are at least 20?
Question: Hello, I looked at a page dedicated to questions and answers about baptism. Could you read these two verses please, Numbers 32:11 and Deuteronomy 1:39, and tell me what is your understanding? Did you know them before? It seems that 20 years old was considered by God the age to know what is good…
Read MoreWhat can you offer me if I leave the Mormon Church?
Question: What can you offer me if I leave the Mormon Church? Answer: The truth. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Read MoreI think I need to stop sinning, get baptized, and follow Jesus
Question: I appreciate what you have written, and I agree with you. Honestly, I’m a Catholic, but I don’t practice a lot of things that Catholics do. I consider myself a Christian because in my heart I have to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and his teaching. Of course, I’ve not always been successful. I’ve…
Read MoreI’ve lived such a sinful life. I want to be religious, but I don’t know if I can be
Question: Hello, I think I am a sinner. Will God ever forgive me? I am not a religious person, though I want to be. But I am not sure if I will ever be religious because I have done a lot of sinful things. I used to have a problem with drug addiction which led…
Read MoreBeing Made New
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/BeingMadeNew.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 42:1-12 I. It is that time of year when we begin thinking about the new year. A. Sure, it is just a date, a marker in the sand, but it becomes an opportunity to look at what was done and resolve to do better. B. Paul talked about that in…
Read MoreHow do you change to be a Christian? It seems so hard
Question: Hi! First, just let me tell you how much I have learned from your site alone! I have had so many questions and found so many answers to many of them here. My thanks to you for answering them, as well as those brave enough to ask them. I don’t know how to articulate…
Read MoreIs the reason I fell away so often because I wasn’t truly converted in the first place?
Question: I was baptized over forty years ago, and in the ensuing years, I have fallen away and came back to the church numerous times. My question is if a person has been truly converted will he or she never fall away and become unfaithful? Is the reason I have been unfaithful to the Lord…
Read More
Concerning One’s Knowledge Before Baptism . . .
How Much Is Enough?
by Jim King How much should a person know before being baptized into Christ? It’s a good question, and one we need to consider as we teach people the gospel. On the one hand, some accounts of conversions in Acts seem to imply a very introductory understanding of the facts about Jesus. Cornelius (Acts 10)…
Read MoreTwo Young Men Baptized
by Mike Willis I recently conducted a meeting in which two young men were baptized on Thursday night prior to the services beginning. It was the highlight of a good meeting. On Friday night when the meeting came to a close, as the father of the two young men came out I said, “This will…
Read MoreIs it a sin to change what I believe?
Question: Is it a sin to change what I believe? Or what if I am just neutral? Answer: Growth means you are going to change your mind about things. “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may…
Read MoreIn Christ
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/InChrist.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 1:24-29 I. What does it take to be successful? A. Earl Nightingale, in The Successful Communicator, told of a time when he was flying to a meeting to deliver a motivational speech to a group of sales people. It turned out that the man next to him on the plane…
Read MoreNeed a New Start?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Have you ever wished you could start life all over again? Cheer up! God is in the people-changing business. He wrote the original life-changing book. The Bible reveals what we all yearn for at times: a fresh start in life! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things…
Read MoreAre We Killing the “Old Man?”
by Robert F. Turner via Guardian of Truth XXX: 18, pp. 551, 567, September 18, 1986 The Roman letter has at least five propositions, affirmed and proven by the apostle Paul: Man stands justly condemned for his sins; Grace, not law, is the remedy; This grace is expressed in the crucified Christ; It is available on…
Read MoreWho was the first negro convert?
Question: Who was the first negro convert? Answer: “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace…
Read MoreHow can I convert my wife who is a Jehovah’s Witness?
Question: My wife is a Jehovah’s Witnesses member and I wanted to ask what I need to do to convert her. She is not yet open for discussion, though she is not yet baptized in their congregation. It seems to me that she’s insisting on defending her religion even though I cite her many passages to…
Read MoreDid the woman at the well change her life?
Question: Did the woman at the well make a change in her life, and if so what kind of change did she make? Answer: After the incidence at the well, we are told, “From that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, “He told me…
Read MoreTo My Generation
by Joshua Visga I know a lot of people our age who are conceiving babies or have conceived in just the past few years. You bore a healthy boy whom I have enjoyed being around. He is a bright young lad. Boys grow into men and men are appointed by God to be the leaders…
Read MorePeople Change
by Donnie V. Rader via Guardian of Truth XL: No. 19, p. 6-7, October 3, 1996 When General Motors came out with the new aerodynamic style Chevy Caprice (1990) I said that I would never have one of those “ugly” things. When cellular phones started getting popular, I thought it was dumb to carry your phone with…
Read MoreI Wanted to Change the World
Author Unknown When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I…
Read MoreDoes “honoring your mother and father” mean following their religious beliefs?
Question: I was just reading the essay on your website about “honoring your father and mother”. I have been doing some research on the meaning of the word “honor”, and I was wondering if you could answer a question for me, or just give me your opinion? Let’s say that a young adult male was of…
Read More