I recently posted a thread titled
Top reasons for deconversion and how to counteract them? (feel free to check it out). One member made a very insightful comment on post#3:
"I don't think you can reduce real Christianity to a mind game that comes and goes.
Real conversion establishes a permanent change in our identity, we are transferred from one spiritual kingdom to another and given the power to become son's and daughters of God.
His indwelling presence seals our salvation.
It is much more than giving mental assent to a philosophy.
For this reason I conclude that real faith cant be lost - it is a relationship with Jesus Himself and nothing can seperate us from His Love."
This has led me to ask the follow-up questions of this thread: How to have a real, genuine conversion? How to have a real, genuine repentance? And how to have a real, genuine relationship with Jesus Christ?
How to have a real, genuine conversion?
Beloved one, let us consider what our Lord Jesus Himself have said, that we may understand a real, genuine conversion:
“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 KJV
Beloved one, from what we heard our Lord have said, — what should be converted?
The first parentheses, He started with the heart, then said about the eye and the ear. In the second parentheses, He started talking about eye, ear, and ended talking about the heart and said about being converted?
Beloved one, our Lord is not talking about heart, eye, and ear separately but as one, that is, the heart.
So what should be converted is the heart. So what should be healed ? Also, the heart.
So as to have a real, genuine conversion, the ear of the heart must NOT BE DULL OF HEARING and the eye of the heart must NOT CLOSE, that the eye of the heart may see and the ear of the heart may hear.
How then the ear of our hearts should hear and the eye of our hearts should see ? This is what we have heard our Lord said:
“that seeing they may see, and not PERCEIVE ; and hearing they may hear, and not UNDERSTAND; lest at any time they should be CONVERTED, and their sins should be forgiven them.”
Mark 4:12 KJV
So the eye of our hearts should see PERCEIVE and the ear of our hearts should hear to UNDERSTAND, and our hearts should understanding, that our hearts APPLY this understanding.
But with what we should be CONVERTED?
So before Mark 4:12, our Lord said :
“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in PARABLES:”
Mark 4:11 KJV
So with THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, the eye of our hearts should PERCEIVE and the ear of our hearts should UNDERSTAND, and our hearts apply this understanding, and our sins should be forgiven them, and our hearts should be healed as our Lord have said.
So WITH THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, our hearts BE CONVERTED - that the ear of our hearts NOT BE DULL OF HEARING
but BE BRIGHT OF HEARING
and the eye of the heart must NOT CLOSE, but BE OPENED.
What THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, our Lord HAVE SAID :
“Verily I say unto you,
Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”
Luke 18:17 KJV
How we BE CONVERTED, and become as little children, we shall enter into the kingdom of God ?
This is what we have heard:
“This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a TEACHER come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.””
John 3:2-8 NKJV
So our hearts, that is, CONVERTED, the hearts that understand the mystery of the kingdom of God, we became little children by giving ourselves to born again, that is, to be born of water and the Spirit, that we may enter the kingdom of God. So the kingdom of God is the kingdom of the Spirit, for we are born of the Spirit of God.
So everyone who is born of the Spirit, have entered the kingdom of God.
Beloved one, let us also consider our Lord have said to Simon Peter:
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and WHEN thou art CONVERTED, strengthen thy brethren.”
Luke 22:31-32 KJV
Lord said to Simon, Simon ; the meaning of the name of Simon as one who heard, and have heard the mystery of the kingdom of God to behold Satan had desired to have him, that Satan may sift him as wheat:
but the Lord have prayed for him, that one’s faith fail not: and when one Be CONVERTED, that one strengthen one’s brethren.
So we also should pray for those who have heard the mystery of the kingdom of God, that their faith fail not: and when they Be CONVERTED, that they strengthen their brethren.
So when we BE CONVERTED ? When we heard the mystery of the kingdom and that our faith fail not.
So how we heard the mystery of the kingdom and that our faith fail not ?
This is what we have heard:
“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and UNDERSTAND ALL MYSTERIES and all knowledge, and though I have all FAITH, so that I could remove mountains, BUT HAVE NOT LOVE , I AM NOTHING.”
I Corinthians 13:2 NKJV
so though we may understand mystery of the kingdom of God and have all faith, but have not LOVE, we are nothing.
For we heard:
“LOVE NEVER FAILS. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”
I Corinthians 13:8 NKJV
So when we BE CONVERTED ? When we heard the mystery of the kingdom of God and that our faith fail not because we have LOVE of Christ that never fails.
So what must we do to BE CONVERTED? This is what we have heard:
“REPENT therefore and BE CONVERTED , that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”
Acts 3:19 NKJV
So to be converted, we should first REPENT. So we need repentance, and be converted SO THAT OUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT.
Having REPENTED and BE CONVERTED, brought to us TIMES OF REFRESHING that come from THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
Beloved one, we are CONVERTED is WHEN we CONTINUOUSLY hear the mystery of the kingdom and that our faith fail not because we CONTINUOUSLY have LOVE of Christ that never fails.
That we love the Heavenly Father as little children through Christ and have entered the spiritual kingdom, that is, the kingdom of God, for we are born of the Spirit of God.
Having repented and BE CONVERTED, so that TIMES OF REFRESHING OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST that comes to us from the presence of God.
So having the love of Christ that come from the presence of God, that refreshes the eye of our hearts to perceive and the ear of our hearts to understand the mystery of the kingdom of God, and apply this understanding.
And let us be CONVERTED, and our Lord heal us.
Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen