Monday, October 1, 2007
Altogether Different
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
—2 Corinthians 5:17
The Ethiopian official’s conversion in Acts 8 shows us what happens when someone becomes a Christian. A radical and immediate change took place in this man’s life. He went instantly from being a miserable, empty, unhappy man to a man who was overflowing with joy.
This shows the essence of the Christian life. It serves as a reminder that when someone becomes a Christian, he or she is not simply a little better off than before. His or her life has not improved just a little. Becoming a Christian changes a person completely. Jesus described it as being born again. The apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
What really happens behind the scenes when a true conversion takes place? According to the Bible, it is turning from darkness to light and from the power of the devil to God.
Many people experience God in a way they can feel profoundly, but not everyone does. Others may have no idea how significant it is when they put our trust in Christ. When I asked Christ to come into my life, I felt no emotion whatsoever. And because of that, I was convinced that God had turned me down. It wasn’t until later that I realized the significance of what I had done. It had nothing to do with my emotions.
That is not what conversion is about. Rather, it is about the change in your lifestyle that will result. If you have really met Christ, then you will be altogether different.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions,