Lesson 15

GOD'S CALLED-OUT ASSEMBLY
THE CHURCH

To Become a Member of the Church I Must Be Converted

[To see an organizational outline of these lessons, click here]

CONVERSION involves a CHANGE OF DIRECTION.

"To be converted" means " TO TURN, TURN AROUND, CHANGE DIRECTION." The word is used of a person who TURNS AROUND and faces a DIFFERENT DIRECTION:

1. Matthew 9:22: "But Jesus ____________      _____________."
    
2. Mark 8:33: "But when He (JESUS) had _______________     _____________"
    
3. John 21:20: "Then Peter,   ___________     ____________, seeth the disciple."
    
4. Acts 16:18: "But Paul, being grieved, _________________."
    
5. Revelation 1:10,12: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day (Sunday, the day the Lord rose again from the dead), and heard behind me a great voice... And I  ________________  to see the voice."
    
6. Matthew 24:18: "Neither let him who is in the field _____________    ____________   to take his clothes." Here is a time when God says, "Don't turn back!" When the Antichrist sets up the abomination of desolation (an image of himself) in the Jerusalem temple (see Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation chapter 13), the Jews living in Judaea are told to F_________ (see Matthew 24:16). Should they take their time (Matthew 24:17)? ______ Once they start running should they turn back (Matthew 24:18)? ____ Does Luke 17:31 teach the same thing? ________ When these events take place and the Jews begin to FLEE, which Old Testament person should they remember (Luke 17:32)? __________________________ Read Genesis 19:17 and 19:26. Should they do what she did? ______  When God tells us to go a certain direction, don't turn back!  God's way is always best!

Please MATCH:

When a person is converted, he first must realize he is going the wrong way and then he must turn to the living God and start going God’s way. In Luke 1:16 we learn that many Jewish people would be converted under the ministry of John the Baptist: "And many of the children of Israel shall he __________ to the Lord, their God." The prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10) wrote about a people who refused to change their direction, but they continued in their sinful ways:

MAN'S WAY   DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

GOD'S WAY   SPIRITUAL HEALING (Matt.13:15; John 12:40; Acts 28:27) FORGIVENESS OF SINS (Mark 4:12)

Is CONVERSION really necessary? Do people really need to change their direction? Read Matthew 18:3. Those who do not turn to God and change their direction will never _____________________________________ (Matthew 18:3). In fact, God commands men to be converted: "REPENT (change your mind), therefore, and  _____   _________________________ (change your direction), that your ________ may be  __________________   _________" (Acts 3:19; compare Mark 4:12 and Acts 26:18 where the forgiveness of sins is also mentioned in connection with conversion.)  In Acts 3 Peter was speaking to Jews who recently had crucified their Messiah-King (see verses 13-14). Certainly these Jews were going in the wrong direction and they were in desperate need of conversion (verse 19).

Throughout the book of Acts we have examples of people who were converted:

1. Acts 9:35: "And all that dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they  ______________  to the Lord."
    
2. Acts 11:21: "And the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great number  ____________________, and  ___________________ unto the Lord."
    
3. Acts 15:3: "They passed through Phoenicia and Samaria declaring the  _______________________ of the Gentiles." Many Gentiles changed their direction and turned to Christ!
    
4. Acts 15:19: "That we trouble not them, who from among the Gentiles are ____________ to God."
    
5. Acts 26:20: "That they should ________________ (change their thinking) and , ___________    _____    ________ (change their direction)."

In 2 Corinthians 3:15 we learn that the Jews even today have a veil upon their hearts so they cannot understand the books of Moses when they are read. But verse 16 says that when their heart shall   _________   to the Lord, then the veil shall be taken away. So before we can understand the Word of God, we first must turn to the God of the Word.

CONVERSION involves two things: 1) TURNING FROM   and    2) TURNING UNTO

When a person changes his direction, he must turn away FROM the way he was going, and he must turn UNTO a new direction. Now let’s see this in the following verses:

TURN FROM __________________	Acts 14:15	TURN UNTO ____________________
What were these "vanities" that they needed to turn from (see Acts 14:11-12)? ___________________________________________________________
TURN FROM _________________ TURN FROM THE POWER OF __________________	Acts 26:18	TURN UNTO ___________________ TURN UNTO THE POWER OF __________________
TURN FROM _______________	1 Thess. 1:9	TURN TO ____________________
TURNED FROM GOING ASTRAY AS LOST SHEEP (see Isaiah 53:6)	1 Peter 2:25	TURNED UNTO _________ _______________________ _______________________    Note: The word "bishop" means "overseer, one who watches over and protects someone, even as a Shepherd watches over his sheep."

Sometimes it is possible for a person to turn in the wrong direction (see Galatians 4:9; Acts 7:39 and 2 Peter 2:21-22).

Sometimes it is even necessary for a believer to change his direction!  Peter is a good example of this. Read the Lord’s words in Luke 22:31-32. Did Peter fall and fail and start going in the wrong direction? (Read Luke 22:54-60.) _______ But Peter changed his direction, and 53 days later he boldly preached Christ before thousands of Jews on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)!

DENIED CHRIST BEFORE MEN (Luke 22:54-60)

PETER

CONFESSED CHRIST BEFORE THOUSANDS OF MEN (Acts 2:36)

Read James 5:19-20. The expression "BRETHREN" in verse 19 refers to (circle the correct answer):

1. the unsaved
2. brothers and sisters in Christ (BELIEVERS)
3. the Gentiles

If a Christian brother should err from the truth (go the wrong way), then he needs to be converted (go the right way). This means that you need to tell him he is going the wrong way so that he might change his direction. By doing this you might save his soul from ___________ (verse 20). Sometimes when believers are going the wrong way, God brings them to an early death (see 1 Corinthians. 11:30 and Acts 5:1-10). Don't play games with the Living God!  When you are thinking the wrong way, REPENT! When you are going the wrong way, BE CONVERTED!   See Acts 3:19 and Acts 26:20 (both of these verses speak of repentance and conversion).

Go to the Next Lesson--Lesson 16