These are the notes from Richard's Week 2 sermon at St Mary's plus Questions at the end for discussion

First Century Acts for Twenty First Century Apostles

Sermon 2: Conversion

Acts 15.6-15: Lydia and Paul

Two thousand years of Christian history sparkles with accounts of those whose conversion was the most significant moment in their lives; and so can recall it minutely. Conversion Narratives of 

C S Lewis - In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in and admitted that God was God and knelt and prayed

John Wesley - In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter to nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for my salvation.

Martin Luther - I felt myself absolutely born again. The gates of paradise had been flung open and I had entered. There and then the whole of scripture took on another look to me.

Leo Tolstoy - Suddenly I heard the words of Christ and understood them and life and death ceased to seem to be evil, and instead of despair, I experienced happiness and the joy of life undisturbed by death. 

All share a sense of a sudden turning. Smitten by Holy Spirit. The heart and the will working in tandem.

Such moments held up as normative and something to which we should aspire. Possible inadequacy if this is not something we have experienced.

As such, conversion can seem like a scary word – charismatic, not a ‘St Mary’s’ word.

However sudden conversion experiences are not the norm. c.f. the emphasis on explaining Saul’s (St. Paul’s) experience. This shouldn't prevent us from embracing ‘conversion’ as a foundational Christian experience and concept. It’s about change, changing one’s beliefs, changing to a godly life. For some that happens suddenly, for some it might take a lifetime. To pretend that it is only for the charismatics is to ignore the possibility of that change in ourselves or others around us.

Story of Lydia provides a model that we might relate to more.

Context – Paul was at a low ebb. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The Lord Jesus had sent him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, but his mission was fizzling out. First there was that argument with Barnabas over John Mark and the sundering of their long partnership. They had both said things they had regretted. And now every path in Turkey seemed blocked. He and the young Timothy had had to hurry through Phrygia and Galatia and Mysia. Every synagogue, every house, every door was closed to them. No-one seemed to want to hear. And as for Bithynia, well that was a no-go area from the start.

Paul found himself in Troas with nowhere left to go. He had run out of people to meet and he had run out of ideas. He had feared that this was the end of the road. All those hopes of doing the Lord’s will and expending himself for the gospel throughout the empire ending in a small town in Turkey.

And then there was that dream; somehow the spirit spoke and everything changed. Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Athens, Rome Gospel took flight again. Crossed another boundary to Greece and heart of Greek speaking world. And from there easy step to Rome and heart of everything, centre of world.

Holy Spirit takes charge and the gospel takes flight once more.

Philippian context – Roman colony; only a small Jewish community and no synagogue; Paul puts himself at a meeting place; Lydia a foreigner and a business woman – an unlikely starting point? – God has always dealt with the unlikely.

Process of conversion in Lydia –

a)                  Lydia already God fearing; foundations have been laid – unlikely that Richard Dawkins would experience sudden conversion! (you never know, you never know)

b)                  Paul and his words act as the catalyst – someone needs to speak the words of grace or live out the gospel ; who is or has been that person for you – responsible for conversion , for change – may be more than one?

c)                  Holy Spirit instrumental; he opened the way for Paul to reach Philippi; he opened the heart of Lydia; was her heart ‘strangely warmed’? Are there times when you can point to the Holy Spirit working in your life to move your Christian story on?

d)                  The part played by baptism; sign and seal of our new birth. The words (I turn to Christ), actions (drowning old) and symbols (darkness to light) in baptism all reinforce ‘conversion’. Most of us won’t remember our baptism or what it was all about. But we have all been baptised, have all received something that is an important part of conversion.

e)                  Ongoing Formation: Lydia asks Paul to stay with her: Conversion as a lifelong experience; not a single moment; growing into ‘the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ’

If serious about mission and taking part in God’s goal to reach out to his world, then there is a need to be serious about the conversion of others. Conversion as not just a word about the past but a promise for the future.

Need to think about how we can play our part in someone else’s conversion through being a catalyst – being that person who twenty years on someone might say ‘I would never have been a Christian if it hadn't been for the kindness that …showed me when I was really down; or the welcome given and the interest shown in me when I came to church. Don’t turn down those opportunities to be that catalyst

through prayer (might think my strong days are over; we can all pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those we love, that their heart might also be ‘strangely warmed’,

through baptism (N.B. a baptism here is something in which we all share),

through ongoing influence – those who are young in faith of our community or family and friends.

Questions

1. What do you understand by the word ‘conversion’?

2. Is conversion an experience or concept to which you relate? Have you or someone you know had some kind of ‘conversion experience’ similar to Saul or Martin Luther or John Wesley?

3. Paul met Lydia at the riverside, where people naturally gathered. Where are the riverside places in your own locality?

4. Can you point to the five factors of Lydia’s conversion in your own story or the story of others?

5. We know no more of Lydia. Use your imagination to continue her story.