To show true conversion to God and the Lamb, do I need to sit and think about following them for years?

When I served a mission I was confronted by this thinking quite often. Many good people true to their faith, would become convinced of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but would be hesitant to take upon them the Lord's name, join the church, etc. I became very good friends with a family who had been listening to the missionaries for years, went to church often, and lived very Christ-like lives. I still try to emulate the example they gave me. But they just wouldn't budge when it came time to accept the Lord's ordinances, specifically baptism.  They were convinced they needed to show the Lord they could live life without their old vices before they were baptized.  The problem was, they still thought this way after 2 or 3 years!

In scripture, I read of people being changed over night by the word of the Lord. They would be moved by the power of the holy spirit, and accept everything the Lord commands them, including the ordinance of baptism by immersion. Parley P. Pratt, in the 19th century did the same. He read the Lord's word, received a witness from the Holy Ghost that it was true, and immediately acted on that witness by being baptised after just 4 days.

In short, the Lord doesn't need years of conviction to share with us his truths. If he deems us worthy to know he is God, then he deems us worthy to follow him as soon as our hearts are pure and ready.

Thanks,

Tags: Conversion Faith Decision Choice Courage Sheep

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