Conversion of the Converted

We live in a pluralistic world. India has the most pluralistic society where there are 1652 languages spoken. We are blessed with a wide mosaic of cultures and people groups. How do we effectively play the role of being the salt of the earth and light of the world? In my life I have gone through many reconversion experiences through which God taught me to love and respect diverse people. Here are some Scriptural learnings I had in my faith journey.

Conversion of Peter: Love for All People

In Acts 10, I have always wondered whether the highlight there was conversion of Cornelius or that of Peter! To me it is Peter because he had to undergo three rounds of visions, rather admonitions, to bring him out of his hatred for gentiles. All the three times the same sentence was spoken by God. It was: "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean." (v.15-16) When we read the rest of the story there we see how God loves all people equally. I still struggle to understand the conversion experience of Peter because in Galatians chapter 2 we read about his hypocritical nature with regard to eating with gentile believers (v.11-13). Paul had to oppose Peter face to face for his reconversion again!

How much of this nature is still prevalent in our churches, Christian organisations and families today? God wants us to come out off our hypocritical attitudes and demonic oppressions that divide us on the basis of caste, race and any such divides. Let us not call something unclean that God has made it clean!

God Helps: Love for All Languages

In Daniel chapter 1 we read about how Daniel and his three friends were taken as captives to a foreign land where the culture and languages were all new! But the interesting verse for me there is verse 17 which says: God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. It is interesting that God helps us to respect differences so that we can learn new languages to communicate in contexts other than ours.

God not only takes missionaries of his gospel to lands where new languages are spoken. People in the so-called secular contexts also get transferred because of job and education opportunities to diverse contexts. Let us be rest assures that God will help us to communicate with new friends in places of our influence. In Daniel and his friend’s situation, there was an overarching plan of God for the gentile rulers to know about His sovereignty which eventually happened. Rulers of foreign nations acknowledged the supremacy of Yahweh. One such proclamation is in Daniel 2:47: The king said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the LORD over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret."

God’s Plan: Love for All Nations

The emphasis of the Bible in its entirety is for all nations. One such revealing portion of the Bible is Psalm 67. The formula for blessing for us in this Psalm is to bless the nations. Are we involved in world missions? We need a conversion experience if we are not involved in it. I have always believed in praying for the world meaningfully. Here is a link to do that: http://www.operationworld.org/prayer-calendar. Here is also a story of a woman whom I love dearly who travelled to nations through her knees: http://graceidarajan.blogspot.in/2012/01/precious-person-in-my-life.html. Let us be challenged and let us go through many conversion experiences and be transformed to fullness and glory! Amen.