Converted

Peter spoke the words in Acts 3:19 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit shortly after a lame man was healed at the temple gate in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to use the word converted, which means to turn, to turn around, or to turn back. A person without faith in God is walking in the wrong direction along the road of life. When Jesus comes into a person’s life, He calls that person to make a U-turn, a 180-degree about-face that results in the entire trend of the life heading in a new direction. Faith in Jesus results in a decided change in a person’s life.

Rather than simply modifying the old life of independence from God, faith in Jesus results in conversion. Transformation.

The one who chooses faith in Christ is no longer the same. It isn’t even possible for a person who has genuine faith in Christ to be the same person they were before conversion. Three houses down from the home in which I grew up was a big old house. Even though someone was living there, it appeared for years to be abandoned. One day we noticed that the old house was beginning to change. The worn roof was repaired, weatherboards were replaced, and the entire house was painted. New windows were installed. Today it is a beautiful home, the type you might see featured in a glossy magazine. The house had changed owners.

When a new owner occupied the home, the home was transformed. The decision to allow Jesus into one’s life brings the believer the dynamic, life-changing presence of Jesus through the Person of the Holy Spirit. Surrender to Christ allows Him to do the work He wants to do in the life of a believer.

This is not a work of modification but a work of transformation, the work of conversion. Let Jesus do the work He wants to do and experience His miraculous ability to entirely remake you.