Apr 24 2011 dcfc english Worship [The Master & The Disciple] Luke 24: 28-36



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CONVERSION




Abdul Rahman

Date: 3/2009.101


You might recall this recent news story? Illustration- Abdul Rahman Afghanistan. Muslim religious and governmental leaders had demanded that 41-year-old Abdul Rahman be executed because of his conversion to Christianity more than 14 years ago. Rahman converted to Christianity while working for a Christian aid group in Pakistan in the early 1990s. He was only recently jailed after court leaders learned of his faith in a child-custody battle with his ex-wife. Rahman was freed and went into immediate hiding March 27. He is now in Italy, where officials offered him asylum. Afterwards, hundreds of Afghans protested the release, as did the nation’s parliament, believing that he should be put to death. Question- Now let me ask you a question- who is the hero in this story? Is it Abdul Rahman? Is it the nations and groups worldwide who pressure put on Afghanistan to release Abdul? Question- Or is it the Christian Aid Group who went on a mission trip to Afghanistan? ?surrounded by Muslims- the church is an underground church- found in the cities only ?surrounded by intense persecution- no one who isn't Muslim survives in the rural countryside "only approximately 3,000 total Christians- only in the cities and only in secret Question- What did Abdul see in those Christian Aid workers that would make him renounce his upbringing, risk his life and convert to Christianity? Was It Something Abdul Saw That Made Him Believe- Or Was It Something He Believed That Made Him See? I believe that God put that Christian Aid Group there- to save Abdul ?They were seized with an extraordinary vision ?They served with extraordinary endurance; and Now Abdul will never be the same again ?And it was all because a Christian Aid Group went on a Mission Trip Question- What about you? Is the extraordinary vision limited to Christian Aid Groups in Afghanistan?

CONVERSION




Anne Rice

Date: 3/2009.101


Anne Rice is one of the most widely read authors in the world. Her bestsellers most notably, her series of gothic books called "The Vampire Chronicles" have sold over 100 million copies. After spending most of her adult life a self-described atheist, Rice converted back to Christianity in 1996. She has since focused her writing efforts on religious-themed works. Her newest book is entitled Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. She recently allowed the readers of Time magazine to ask her whatever they wished for an interactive piece called ?0 Questions? When one reader asked about the reasons behind her conversion, Rice summed up her journey in these words: "Americans like to believe we turn to religion because of an accident or the loss of a loved one, but in my case it was simply the culmination of searching. I wrestled with a lot of theological questions, and then one afternoon, I thought, I love you & I want to come back to you.?
CONVERSION

JS – Feelings of conversion

Walking down the street in his high school, John had a new feeling that he was in love with everyone and the world seemed to smile back. “I had no enemies left”

Application:

A feeling of peace and freedom that accompanies conversion. There must be fruit after our conversion


CONVERSION

George Foreman

Date: 3/2009.101

In his book "God in my corner" George Foreman has a chapter entitled "What will people think of Me?" In the chapter his shares his struggle with this common struggle for Christians. He said he wasn't afraid to step in the ring with toughest boxers in the world Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Ken Norton, but he feared being rejected by other. He wanted to be loved and accepted by everyone. After his conversion he quickly discovered that unanimous approval was never going to happen. Friends started avoiding him, and even his family didn't understand what had happened to him -they thought he just flipped out. He had to admit he had felt the same way about church people all his life.
CONVERSION

Hudson Taylor

Oct 16 2011 DCFC English [Jesus came to the world to...] John 3 - Give us second birth

Hudson Taylor was born at Barnsley, England, May 21, 1832. He was born into a godly family, but Hudson became a skeptical and worldly young man. He began to think that for some reason or other he could not be saved and that the only thing for him to do was to take his fill of this world, since there was no hope for him in the next. When he was about seventeen years of age he went one afternoon into his father's library in search of a book just to kill time. Finally he picked up a gospel tract which looked interesting, saying to himself: "There will be a story at the beginning and a sermon at the end. I will just read the story" Little did he know what was going on at that very time in the heart of his mother, who was on a visit seventy or eighty miles away. That very afternoon she went to her room with an intense yearning for the conversion of her son, turned the key in the door and resolved not to leave the spot until her prayers were answered. Hour after hour she continued pleading, until at length she arose with glad assurance that the object of her prayers had already been accomplished. Meanwhile, in the course of reading the tract, Hudson had come upon the expression, "The finished work of Christ." Remembering the words, "It is finished," he raised the question, "What was finished?" He at once replied: "A full and perfect atonement and satisfaction for sin. The debt was paid by the Substitute. Christ died for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." Next came the thought, "If the whole work was finished and the whole debt paid, what is there left for me to do?" Then came the blessed realization that there was nothing in the world to be done but to fall down on one's knees in prayer and in faith accept the salvation wrought out by Christ. "Thus," says Hudson, "while my dear mother was praising God on her knees in her chamber, I was praising Him in the old warehouse to which I had gone alone to read at my leisure this little book

He then went on to be a missionary to China and started China In land Missions when the inland of China was not open to foreigners. And it is probably because of him that Chinese people got the gospel in such large doses. CIM is now Overseas Missionary Fellowship which is the organization which Pastor Sumi is with. When I first read the biography of Hudson Taylor, I was just blown away.


CONVERSION

JS – conversion

New birth is a deep inward revolutionary change of heart effected by the Holy Spirit. How can this change come about? There are three conditions: repentance, faith and self surrender. This claim of total allegiance is one which we all need to face squarely today. Jesus never encouraged half hearted discipleship. He asked for all or nothing. Such self denial is true self discovery.

Application:

True conversion is revolutionary and there must be change.





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