“For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore , I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.” Moroni 7:16
I met a sister, I’ll call her Tina. She found Christ two years ago while reading the Bible and it changed her life. Tina’s destructive habits melted away as her life was transformed by the power of the Atonement in a singular and most profound way.
To further her spiritual education and draw her closer to Christ, Tina found a church to attend. Not ours. As she continued her journey of faith she met Latter-day Saint missionaries. They shared with her restored truths she had not considered before. Her faith was strengthened and she chose to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Tina shared with me that she was puzzled by the term “new convert.” She said, “I had to ask the missionaries what that term means. I am not a new convert. I found Christ two years ago. I have added to my faith by joining the Church.”
I have been thinking on Tina’s puzzlement. It does come off as self-righteous, even if not intended, to label someone a “new convert.” In reality each person’s life has been touched by the light of Christ, even if they can’t identify that light as being from Christ. Every person who joins the Church is prepared by Christ’s light.
Do we consider that the light of Christ in others’ lives has the power to change fellow sojourners in a profound way-- even ways as profound as the truths of the restored gospel? Might we consider the “new convert” as a “new friend” or “new member” to validate the truth she/he already knows?
Do you see examples of how the light of Christ is working to bless the lives of your neighbors?
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