CHAPTER 5

Repentance And Conversion

Repentance

            REPENTANCE involves a CHANGE OF MIND. The word "REPENT" means "to completely CHANGE your MIND about something." When a person REPENTS he must first admit that he was THINKING WRONGLY and then he must CHANGE his whole way of THINKING so that he begins to THINK RIGHTLY (to think as GOD THINKS and to see things JUST AS GOD SEES THINGS).

            The Greek word for REPENTANCE is METANOIA (met-an-oy-ah) which is made up of two parts:

1) META=CHANGE 
2) NOIA=MIND

            Thus REPENTANCE means "CHANGE THE MIND." This word is similar to another Greek word (which is also an English word). This is the word METAMORPHOSIS. This word is also made up of two parts:

1) META=CHANGE 
2) MORPHOSIS=FORM

            Metamorphosis means a CHANGE OF FORM.

            God has created an insect, the butterfly, that beautifully illustrates (pictures) the word "metamorphosis." The butterfly was once a worm-like CATERPILLAR. What a CHANGE has taken place! What a TRANSFORMATION! What went into the COCOON looks completely DIFFERENT from what came out!!

            So, METAMORPHOSIS involves the complete TRANSFORMATION of the body, and METANOIA involves the complete TRANSFORMATION of the ___________. The way we THINK at the time we get saved and after we are saved should be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than the way we used to THINK before we were saved !!

God Commands All Men To Change Their Thinking!

1. Acts 2:38: "___________________ (CHANGE YOUR THINKING) and be baptized, _______________      _________ of you."
    
2. Acts 3:19: "_____________________ (CHANGE YOUR MIND) ye therefore and be converted."
    
3. Acts 17:30: "But now (God) _________________________ all men everywhere to __________________ (START THINKING DIFFERENTLY!)."
    
4. Acts 20:21:  "____________________________ toward God (START THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT GOD)."
    
5. Acts 26:20: "that they should _____________________(CHANGE THEIR MINDS ABOUT SIN AND THE SAVIOUR)."
    
6. Luke 24:47: "and that ___________________________ (CHANGING YOUR WHOLE WAY OF THINKING) and ___________________________ (forgiveness) of sins should be preached in his name among all nations."

            TRUE or FALSE: _______________ God is not willing that any should PERISH, but that every person might have opportunity to CHANGE THEIR MINDS about HIM (2 Peter 3:9).

            What kind of people do not need to repent (see Luke 15:7)? _______________________ How many of these people are there (Romans 3:10)?______________What kind of people do not need a doctor (see Luke 5:31)?___________

            What kind of people DO need a Saviour (1 Timothy 1:15)? _________________ Read Luke 5:30 and Luke 15:1-2 and answer TRUE or FALSE:

______________ These Pharisees were righteous men.
______________ These Pharisees thought they were righteous men.
______________ These Pharisees were righteous in their own eyes.
______________ These Pharisees were righteous in God's eyes (Romans 3:10).
______________ These Pharisees did not need to repent.
______________ These Pharisees thought they did not need to repent.

            In Luke 18:9 the Lord Jesus spoke a parable to certain people who THOUGHT they were _______________________. Were these people THINKING RIGHTLY about themselves? _____ Did they need to REPENT and THINK DIFFERENTLY about themselves? ___________ Which man in the parable (verses 10-13) was THINKING RIGHTLY? ___________________________ Which man was saved (verse 14)? ____________________ Was the Pharisee saved (verse 14)? _____ If a person does not REPENT and think DIFFERENTLY, what will happen to him (Luke 13:3,5)? _______________________ [Note:  "Publican" means "tax-collector."]

            Read Matthew 21:28-30. Did the first son CHANGE HIS MIND? _____ Read Luke 15:11-32 and find the verse where the lost son first begins to repent and THINK DIFFERENTLY. Verse: ______. Read Luke 16:19-31. What did the rich man's brothers really need so that they could repent and be saved (circle the correct answer):

1. They needed Lazarus to come and warn them about the place of torment (Hades).
2. They needed someone to prove to them that the Bible is really true.
3. They needed someone to rise from the dead so that he could tell them to repent.
4. They needed nothing more than the WRITTEN WORD OF GOD which they already had!

            Thus, if a man really wants to THINK RIGHTLY he must pay close attention to God's Word, the Bible. God has given us all the WARNINGS that we need, and these warnings are found in the Bible (see Luke 13:3,5, etc.).

            A CHANGE OF MIND will bring about a CHANGE OF LIFE! If a man THINKS RIGHT then he will LIVE RIGHT: "For as he __________________ in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). This is why TRUE REPENTANCE will result in GOOD W_________ (Acts 26:20) and GOOD F____________ (Matthew 3:8). Just as METAMORPHOSIS results in a brand new way of life for the caterpillar who changes his form, so METANOIA results in a brand new way of life for the sinner who changes his mind!

            And this is a change for the better, not for the worse! Repentance is not something terrible, it is something WONDERFUL!!! It involves some WONDERFUL news: "__________, and believe the ________________ (GOOD NEWS)" (see Mark 1:15). Repentance is the happiest and most joyful thing a person can do!

            It is WONDERFUL to think rightly!! Is the caterpillar sad because he is going to become a butterfly? Of course not!! The happiest thing the little caterpillar can do is to CHANGE HIS FORM!! What a joy it is to hear the fluttering of wings! A new life has begun! Likewise, the happiest thing a person can do is to completely change his mind and begin to see things as God does!

            Whereas REPENTANCE involves a change of mind; 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 (the resurrection day, SUNDAY), 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 in the Jerusalem temple (see Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13), the Jews living in Judaea are immediately 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 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 that 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 Saron (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 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 _________ shall be taken away. So before we can UNDERSTAND the Word of God, we must first TURN to the God of the Word.

CONVERSION involves two things:

1) TURNING FROM  
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.  We can 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 brothers and sisters in Christ (BELIEVERS)--see 1 John 3:14.

            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)

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