A genuine conversion experience brings genuine change. If there is no genuine change then something has gone awry along the way. Jesus later tells us in the Sermon on Mount, that “you will know them by their fruits.” When a lost person comes to grips with who they are without Christ, becomes deeply convinced of their need for Christ, and cries out to God like one dying of hunger or thirst for His righteousness to come into their life… then a heavenly transaction occurs. The bible puts it many ways; they are redeemed from slavery to sin, they go from lost to found, they move from death to life, they are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, they are forgiven… they are “born again.”
God tells us there is a transformation that takes place and now life should be different. Oh, of course, sanctification is a gradual process and nothing happens overnight, but don’t be mistaken, things definitely change. Whereas before we were self-centered, now we become merciful and feel compassion for the plight of others. This is due to our remembrance of what we were and who we have become, but also due to the Love of God that has invaded our lives and continually spills over on to those around us at the slightest prompting of the Holy Spirit. Before we were walking corpses; lifeless zombies, dead in our trespasses and sins; but now the Son of God lives in us and His purity has become our purity. In these two Beatitudes we see two things highlighted as hallmarks of the true disciple’s life; love and compassion for others (mercy) and inner holiness from God that dictates every aspect of our lives (pure in heart).
What about the people you work with day in and day out? Have you seen a genuine, radical change in the DNA of who they are? The bane of missionary service is that nasty word “syncretism.” It is that person who likes what we have to say and figures the safest thing is to just add it to all that they already do. In other words, adding our religion and forms to their preexisting religion and forms… and in Africa, they often come to us with multiple, complicated, layers of religion and forms from the beginning. Syncretism is not conversion and syncretism doesn’t change lives. It is why we see folks praying in buildings that look like church buildings on Sunday, but acting no different from the rest of their world on Monday. Let’s not be too hard on our African friends because SBC church life in the southern USA can be just as syncretistic. It is just that our religion and forms look different and are dominated by science, individualism, apathy, materialism, Duck Dynasty, and College football… ouch!
Even though we are not responsible for the response of our hearers, we are responsible for the clarity of our message. If we would see genuine conversion in people’s lives, we need to be clear about what it means to be a disciple. There is no “easy believism” in the bible; there are no half measures when it comes to repentance, and there is no substitute for the work of the Holy Spirit. Missions in Africa is not easy, and it is sometimes even more difficult in “responsive” places. Your message has to punch through multiple layers of “white noise” and competing voices that drown out the gospel message. You have to deal with layer upon layer of pre-conceived ideas, traditional beliefs, and a false gospel that has inoculated people from comprehending the true gospel. However, it can be done. It simply means we must be more clear, more patient, more faithful, more consistent, and more dependent on God. Tell it often, tell it well, and cut no corners.
