Welcome to TiddlyWiki created by Jeremy Ruston, Copyright © 2007 UnaMesa Association
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/***
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This StyleSheet can be used directly by languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean which need larger font sizes.
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<div class='subtitle'><span macro='view modifier link'></span>, <span macro='view modified date'></span> (<span macro='message views.wikified.createdPrompt'></span> <span macro='view created date'></span>)</div>
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To get started with this blank TiddlyWiki, you'll need to modify the following tiddlers:
* SiteTitle & SiteSubtitle: The title and subtitle of the site, as shown above (after saving, they will also appear in the browser title bar)
* MainMenu: The menu (usually on the left)
* DefaultTiddlers: Contains the names of the tiddlers that you want to appear when the TiddlyWiki is opened
You'll also need to enter your username for signing your edits: <<option txtUserName>>
These InterfaceOptions for customising TiddlyWiki are saved in your browser
Your username for signing your edits. Write it as a WikiWord (eg JoeBloggs)
<<option txtUserName>>
<<option chkSaveBackups>> SaveBackups
<<option chkAutoSave>> AutoSave
<<option chkRegExpSearch>> RegExpSearch
<<option chkCaseSensitiveSearch>> CaseSensitiveSearch
<<option chkAnimate>> EnableAnimations
----
Also see AdvancedOptions
Here's a list of conversion stories available on this site:
[[Nilton Lelas|NiltonLelas]]
[[Warren and Nancy Harvey|WarrenAndNancyHarvey]]
[[William C. Goddard, Jr.|WilliamCGoddardJr]]
----
For several years, we dreamed of doing ConversionStories. We've heard of so many inspiring, uplifting stories of people's conversion to Christ, that we wanted to share them.
All kinds of stories circulate, especially today via the Internet, and our world appears to have developed a new affinity for the story. So it seemed the time had come to work on this idea.
Jesus loved stories, too. He used them, told them to good effect, illustrated truth by them. In our own small way, we seek to do as he did.
This site is sponsored by [[Forthright Press|http://forthrightpress.com]] & [[Magazine|http://forthright.net]] to encourage us all to "make our calling and election sure," by obeying the gospel, receiving Christ, and doing the will of God.
----
* ''Atonement'' - Satisfactory reparation for an offense or injury; that which produces reconciliation (Exodus 30:16). In the Bible it means the covering of man's sins through the shedding of blood; in the Old Testament, the blood of sacrificed animals; in the New Testament, the blood of man's Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
* ''Conversion'' - A turning, which implies a turning ''to'' and ''from'' something. As such, it is related to repentance (Acts 3:19; 26.20). On the negative side, it is turning from sin (Acts 3:26); on the positive side, it is turning to God (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).
*Justification
* ''Redemption'' - Deliverance from the enslavement of sin and release to a new freedom by the sacrifice of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. The death of Christ is the redemption price. The word contains both the ideas of deliverance and the price that must be paid for it to take place, or ransom. Romans 3:24; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19.
*Salvation
----
Some books used to describe these terms: //Handy Dictionary of the Bible//, ed. Merrill C. Teney (Zondervan); //New Smith's Bible Dictionary//, William Smith, rev. Reuel G. Lemmons (Doubleday).
''ConversionStories''
[[Nilton Lelas|NiltonLelas]]
[[The Harveys|WarrenAndNancyHarvey]]
[[William C. Goddard, Jr.|WilliamCGoddardJr]]
''More''
[[Plan of Salvation]]
[[Conversion Words|ConversionWords]]
[[About this site|ConversionStories]]
[[Tell your story|Tell Your Story]]
''Sponsors''
[[Forthright Press|http://forthrightpress.com]]
[[Forthright Magazine|http://forthright.net]]
!The Search for One Sheep
by Joey ~McKinney
[Editor's note: Joao Pessoa is the capital city of Paraiba state, located on the northeastern coast of Brazil. The following story is taken from the May 2000 issue of Joao Pessoa News and was published in [[Forthright Magazine|http://forthright.net]] 21 June 2005.]
Nilton Lelas, retired civil servant, though living in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, always reads the "Pernambuco Daily" from a neighboring state. One day he saw a School of the Bible ad in the Recife newspaper, offering free Bible correspondence courses. He wrote the school and received the "How to Become a Christian" course by mail.
Studying lesson after lesson, he became convinced of the course's plea for non-denominational Christianity. As a Bible reader he saw that the world's religious divisions aren't God's plan for the church. And in the last lesson he answered yes to the question: "Do you want to be baptized?"
Christians from the church in Recife visited him, studied with him, and baptized him. Nilton was overjoyed with his new brethren in God's family, excited about being part of a movement whose goal is to reproduce the church that Jesus Christ built.
The Christians from Recife started making regular weekend trips to Joao Pessoa. They gathered together other course contacts and started holding a small church meeting in Nilton's house.
Unfortunately, the visits became less frequent, and the small group dwindled, but Nilton remained strong in his faith. He always waited anxiously for visits, each time begging for more to come continue the work. Finally, he received some exciting news: a whole mission team was planning to move to Joao Pessoa in the next ten months. It was a lonely Christian's dream about to come true. The rest of that year Nilton received no more visits or news, nada.
Concerned, he wrote a letter to the School of the Bible. He didn't receive a reply. He wrote a second letter - nothing! He came to the sad conclusion that this movement of just belonging to Christ and his church had indeed ended, that his new family from Recife had disbanded just like it did in Joao Pessoa. The year was 1991, and he was all alone.
Only in 1999 did a mission team finally arrive, but we knew practically nothing of the previous work. It was such a long time ago that records of names and addresses had been lost. But everybody familiar with the work always mentioned this elderly Christian and wondered what had happened to him.
Several times during our first year here, different people would say these same words: "I remember there was an old man, we would meet in his house. That was such a long time ago and he was so old and sick, he's probably dead by now."
The last person to say this was the young man who had promised Nilton that a team would come in 1991. He still felt bad that he never got back in touch with him. He explained that in 1991 the volunteers in charge of the correspondence program started helping new congregations in greater Recife. The ministry came to a standstill and unfortunately several contacts were lost. The promised mission team never made it; they ended up going to another city.
"I'm curious what happened to him. Do you know how to get to his house?" I asked him. "I know Nilton's probably dead, but maybe he still has family who can tell us something."
He thought he could if he started from the bus station. And off we went.
After a couple of wrong turns, we stumbled onto the right street, found the house, clapped at the gate, and asked for Nilton Lelas. And out walked Nilton with a surprised look on his face.
It was a joyful visit. Nilton is 72 and suffers from diabetes and swollen legs. He doesn't get out of the house, yet is very much alive. He was happy to hear that the movement to restore the church that belongs to Christ is also very much alive.
He said his faith in God kept him alive through these nine years filled with sickness and tragedy, such as the loss of his son. He reads the Bible two hours every day. He has read the Psalms so many times he has them pretty much memorized.
Praise God for Nilton's perseverance!
I doubt I would fare so well if I were abandoned by my Christian brethren. How would you do if you thought you were the last Christian on earth?
Thank You, Lord!
----
UPDATE: Joey ~McKinney, still a missionary in João Pessoa, wrote on 24 April 2007: "I am sorry but I don't have any fotos of Nilton. ... He suffered from several health problems, including diabetes. When he could still read, he would read the Bible for about two hours each day. But he started losing his eyesight, so we loaned him a copy of the Gospel of Matthew on video, and he would watch that. He passed away in 2005."
----
Used by permission of the author. For more stories, see ConversionStories.
Below is a carefully selected list of clear, plain articles that outline what God did to save us and the obedience necessary to enter the Kingdom.
Many of the articles below are from Richard Mansel's column, [[Square One|http://forthright.net/square_one/]], in [[Forthright Magazine|http://forthright.net]], because they are written to help people who are beginning their journey to faith.
!!!God and his grace
*[[The Glorious Name of God|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/the_glorious_name_of_god.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[God Is ...|http://thebible.net/modules.php?name=Read&cat=24&itemid=357]], Neal Pollard
*[[The Wrath of God|http://the-churchofchrist.com/god/the_wrath_of_god.htm]], Kevin Cauley
*[[When God Became a Man|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/when_god_became_a_man.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[Jesus Is God|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/jesus_is_god.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[The Significance of the Sufferings of the Christ|http://the-churchofchrist.com/jesus_christ/the_significance_of_the_sufferings_of_the_christ.htm]], Kevin Cauley
*[[Jesus, Our Eternal Savior|http://biblecourses.com/en_lessons/en_200005_01.pdf]], Hugo ~McCord (pdf file)
*[[What Is Propitiation?|http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/read/what_is_propitiation]], Wayne Jackson
*[[The Blood of Christ|http://biblecourses.com/en_lessons/en_198509_06.pdf]], Morris Womack (pdf file)
*[[Taking Our Place|http://www.forthright.net/final_phase/taking_our_place.htm]], Randal Matheny
*[[A Picture of Love|http://www.forthright.net/olivers_twist/a_picture_of_love.htm]], Barbara Oliver
*[[Term of Endearment|http://forthright.antville.org/stories/568528]], Randal Matheny
*[[King of Kings|http://www.forthright.net/field_notes/king_of_kings.htm]], Mike Brooks
*[[When We Had No Hope|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/when_we_had_no_hope.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[Religion of Relationship|http://www.forthright.net/final_phase/religion_of_relationship.htm]], Randal Matheny
*[[Consider His Throne|http://www.forthright.net/heavenly_connections/consider_his_throne.htm]], Tim Hall
*[[Longsuffering: God's Glory|http://www.forthright.net/heavenly_connections/longsuffering_gods_glory.htm]], Tim Hall
*[[Our Caring and Might God|http://www.preachersfiles.com/forum/weblog_entry.php?e=31]], Mike Riley
*[[What Is Grace?|http://the-churchofchrist.com/grace/what_is_grace_or_salvation_grace_and_obedience.htm]], Kevin Cauley
*[[The True Meaning of Grace|http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/read/the_true_meaning_of_grace]], Wayne Jackson
*[[What Does It Mean to Be Saved by Grace?|http://biblecourses.com/en_lessons/en_200002_17.pdf]], Hugo ~McCord (pdf file)
!!!Our response
*[[A Single Concern|http://www.forthright.net/final_phase/a_single_concern.htm]], Randal Matheny
*[[By What Are We Saved?|http://www.forthright.net/from_friend_to_friend/by_what_are_we_saved.htm]], Phil Sanders
*[[It's All About Christ|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/its_all_about_christ.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[What Does It Mean to Be Saved?|http://the-churchofchrist.com/salvation/what_does_it_mean_to_be_saved.htm]], Kevin Cauley
*[[What Must I Do to Be Saved?|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/what_must_i_do_to_be_saved.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[Leave|http://www.forthright.net/final_phase/leave.htm]], Randal Matheny
*[[Justified by Faith|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/justified_by_faith.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[Faith Is Our Levee|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/confessing_christ_as_lord.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[Saved by Faith -- Everybody Tells You to Do Something|http://www.forthright.net/handson_faith/saved_by_faith_everyone_tells_you_to_do_something.htm]], Barry Newton
*[[What Is Repentance?|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/what_is_repentance.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[Confessing Christ as Lord|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/confessing_christ_as_lord.htm]], Richard Mansel
*[[Christian Baptism|http://www.forthright.net/from_friend_to_friend/christian_baptism.htm]], Phil Sanders
*[[Baptism|http://thebible.net/modules.php?name=Read&itemid=42&cat=10]], J.W. ~McGarvey
*[[Born Again: What Does It Mean?|http://thebible.net/modules.php?name=Read&itemid=49&cat=10]], Jody Apple
*[[Doubly Clean|http://www.forthright.net/field_notes/doubly_clean.htm]], Mike Brooks
*[[Being Raised with Christ|http://www.forthright.net/handson_faith/raised_with_christ.htm]], Barry Newton
*[[Facing the Final Judgment|http://www.forthright.net/square_one/facing_the_final_judgment.htm]], Richard Mansel
!!!Good books
Below is a list of books to help us come to faith and obedience in Christ.
*[[Discovering the Kingdom of God|http://forthrightpress.com/#KingdomOfGod]], by Tim Hall. Winona, Miss.: Forthright Press. Narrative style, with questions, to be used as a course of study.
*[[At Calvary: A Comprehensive Study of the Cross|http://www.cold-harbor-road.org/Lect.htm#books]], Neal Pollard, ed. Sixth Annual Lectureship Cold Harbor Road. Pulaski, Tenn.: Sain, 2002.
*[[Jesus Christ the Eternal Sacrifice|http://www.worldevangelism.org/contact/]], Betty Burton Choate. Winona, Miss.: Choate, 2000.
* [[The Most Important Question: What Must I Do to Be Saved?|http://forthrightpress.com/#MostImportant]], by Richard Mansel. Winona, Miss.: Forthright Press, 2009. With discussion questions.
*From Creation to the Day of Eternity: God's Great Plan for Man's Redemption, Homer Hailey. Religious Supply, 1992.
*[[Potrait of God|http://www.publishingdesigns.com/show_book.php?isbn=0929540417]], Frank Chesser. Huntsville, Ala.: Publishing Designs, 2004.
*[[Search for Truth|http://www.worldevangelism.org/print/jc_choate_publications/index.html.en]], Betty Burton Choate. J. C. Choate Publications, 2000.
----
Christians tell, in their own words, how they received salvation in Christ.
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We'd like to hear your story at ConversionStories. If you have obeyed the gospel according to God's [[plan of salvation|Plan of Salvation]], and have an interesting story to tell, send it us. Please do not query, just send the story. Due to our overloaded schedule, we can't guarantee any feedback, unless your story is accepted.
By interesting story, we don't mean that every conversion to Christ is not precious to God and to his saints. The Lord loves every person and to him each story is as thrilling as the next.
Humanly speaking, however, some details in a story seem to make the truth ressonate and brings us to a new appreciation of the power and simplicity of the gospel. Those are the stories we're looking for, just as in the Gospels and Acts the authors told some stories to the exclusion of others, adding or excluding details that were pertinent to their purpose.
!!!Please note these requirements.
* We prefer you not mention specific denominations or religious groups. We're not here to bash anybody, but to @@show people how to be saved@@ by following what God says.
* Provide a @@mixture@@ in your story, how you came to understand the truth and obey it, details that provide human interest, and actual teaching that doesn't become a Bible study, but shows something of the way to salvation.
* @@Pictures are a plus.@@ We'll not refuse a story without them, but they will certainly dispose us favorably toward a story. Good pictures to send would be of the author, the teacher, the two together, the baptism.
!!! Other tips
* We can tell at a glance whether or not the story has been revised. If we have to do lots of revision, it's not likely we'll use it. Bottom line: @@revise your story before you send it to us@@ so we (1) don't have to do the tacky business of sending it back or (2) chunk it without giving it a chance.
* Get a friend (better, several) to read your story for punctuation, grammar, flow, ideas, etc. Somebody besides your mother who will do more than gush over it. (I have a mother, too.)
* Be patient. Your story may take a month or more for evaluation and acceptance. Yes, we're in the Internet age, where everything happens yesterday, but editors work at a ~Stone-Age pace.
* You can send your story for evaluation to randal *at* forthrightpress *dot* com. (You know how to translate that into an email, right?)
* We ask for first-time Internet rights, for a period of one month, and for possible first North American rights, in case a book were to result from this site.
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!Zeal for the Pursuit of Truth
[>img[Kenneth Thomas|kenthomas02.jpg]]by Kenneth L. Thomas
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
http://kennethlorin.com/
Warren Harvey, a former member of Yahoo's church-of-Christ list, a frequent answerer of my questions, and a dear friend of mine, has died in Lakeland, Florida.
The funeral was at the meeting place of Highlands Church of Christ at 2 p.m. Thursday, 12 April 2007.
Below is a copy of a letter I sent to the one who will have the funeral. I thought you'd be inspired by this.
!The Letter (edited for purposes of Conversion Stories)
As a dear friend and brother of Warren and Nancy Harvey, I wanted to make you aware of some things you might not know, some things that might make it easier for you at the funeral tomorrow. I regret that I will not be able to be there.
[<img[Warren Harvey|warrenharvey.jpg]]In December 1994, Warren had a severe heart attack, and in the time he spent at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, his heart stopped for two periods in which he was considered clinically dead for 30 and 45 minutes. I did not know him at the time. Later, in Bible study he would mention that he "had died", and I would remind him of Hebrews 9:27 which identifies death as a "once-appointed" event, and that death was still future for him.
At the time I first met the Harveys, Nancy was taking an algebra class that I taught for Vol State. She had asked for permission not to attend class, but simply to take tests, since her husband was barely hanging on to life and she was trying to care for him as well as a full load of home health patients in an agency she managed. After realizing she could not learn the material in the class without attending, she began attending and talking to me. She had learned that I was a preacher, so one day she called to ask me if I did "house calls". Teasing, I asked her if she was having that much trouble with math, and she said, "Not that, I need help with Warren." At that point she told me briefly of his concerns, and I went to visit them at their Lebanon, Tenn., home.
!Memories of ~Near-Death Experiences
While I was there, I learned that Warren still had memories of the time he was "out", and they were not memories of a lighted path lined with angels. Rather, he remembered a dark, dank place full of spiders, rats and snakes, and his brother and Daddy telling him not to come there.
He asked if I knew anything about near-death experiences and asked if there was spiritual significance to that. I told him, "Yes, there is spiritual significance to that! You are concerned about your spiritual condition and where you'll spend eternity!"
I then asked them if they would consider our having a regular Bible study in their home. They had both been raised as Seventh-day Baptists in New York, but had no church of that type to attend.
!Jule Miller Videos
We began viewing the Jule Miller videos as a start for our studies, and before they were baptized we also studied Sabbatarian issues. After about three studies, Nancy came to math class and told me we needed to speed things up. She did not feel that Warren would live very long, and needed to be baptized. When I asked, "What about you?", she said "I need it too."
I made arrangements with the Highland Church in Lebanon to use their pool, and Nancy and Warren were baptized within moments of each other.
!More Studies
[>img[Nancy Harvey|nancyharvey.jpg]]Immediately the effect on Nancy was obvious, and due to her influence I conducted Bible studies at her office and in six home-health clients' homes. A co-worker and her husband were baptized. Two of the patients also obeyed the gospel despite their frailness. The Harveys ordered their own set of films, and Warren showed them to his sister within a single week. When she returned to Florida, eventually she was baptized.
They sent a set of films to their son Rod. Their younger son Daniel obeyed the gospel and eventually married a Christian lady, Roberta. After the Harveys moved to Florida, their grandson, Nathaniel, visited them and was baptized. Returning to his ~LaVergne, Tenn., home, he was able to get his mother Diane to attend with him, and after studying with Jon Gary Williams, she obeyed the gospel.
!Chance Meeting in Math Class
There is no telling where this story will end, or how many people will eventually be in heaven because of that chance meeting in a math class. My life has been enriched and inspired by the zeal for the pursuit of truth that this family has had. They are givers and sharers.
For several years Warren has challenged himself to find the answers to daily Bible questions which I have sent by Internet over the past several years. There was a time when he rarely failed to send the correct, well-researched, answer. Nancy tells me that even when he did not send the answers, he was regular in searching the scriptures.
My deepest sympathy goes to this family, and to those who knew Warren. Because of his health limitations, he was not always able to do what he wanted to do, but he was always a Barnabas to me, and I loved him.
----
Used by permission of the author. For more stories like this one, see ConversionStories.
!!The Lord Found a Way for Me
by William C. Goddard, Jr.
[>img[Bill Goddard with Barbara|BillandBarbara.jpg]]I’m 74, and sixty years ago I became a Christian. I came from a non-religious family. My parents never attended anywhere. As a family, we never attended “church.” As a child, I went twice with my mother to a Baptist church, but my dad never attended anywhere until after my mother died in 1964 and that was only in order to hear me preach. In fact, they did many things that seemed to contradict what was typically seen as religious. They drank, cussed, and smoked, but the amazing thing about it was that they loved my brother and me so much that they encouraged us not to follow suit. However, they didn’t give the training as a religious family.
When I was 13 a family moved in across the street from our home. This family had a young granddaughter that lived with them who was a few years younger than I. I got to know her when all the kids in the neighborhood played together. When I began the ninth grade, Barbara was in the eighth, and from time to time, we would walk home from Capitol Hill Jr. High together.
One day we passed by the Capitol Hill church of Christ, and she remarked that this was where she attended. I never before had heard of the church of Christ. As the days went by when we walked home, she would tell me about the church, and I would make fun of her for being religious. However, she did not give up. Whether we were walking from school or playing in the neighborhood, she would bring up something about the church, and she would always invite me to attend. But I would always have an excuse for not going.
One Sunday afternoon several of us were playing badminton; once again Barbara invited me to worship services. Once again, I refused, so she asked another boy who was there to go with her that night. After he agreed, I decided that I should go too in order to protect my interest.
!!!That first service
[>img[Bill Goddard and his wife Joyce|billgoddard.jpg]]I will never forget that first service. It was a service like I had never seen before; no one tried to get me down front, and the singing was inspiring. Furthermore, I will never forget the song that moved me the most. It was "Seeking the Lost." I didn’t obey the gospel then, but I started attending with Barbara and her grandparents. I had never heard preaching like I heard from Brother L. L. Geiger, and I had never attended Bible classes that taught just the Bible rather than entertainment.
As I think of this 12-year-old who cared enough about my soul to do everything in her power to get me in the door and those at Capitol Hill church of Christ who did everything they could to teach me about Christ, I cannot begin to express my feeling I have for them.
!!!Influences
Furthermore, I cannot begin to name the gospel preachers I had the privilege of hearing over these sixty years, and those who were elders at Capitol Hill and South Shields were some of the most inspiring men I ever met.
One family in particular that means a lot to me was Charlie and Irma Wilson. They acted as my parents in faith. Sister Irma would let me know when I wasn’t doing right.
Also, Roy Randolph taught me how to lead singing, Raymond Weir encouraged me to teach, and Albert Trent encouraged me to preach. However, these preachers, elders, and Bible School teachers could not have done much without the 12-year-old that had led me to Christ.
!!!Futher conversions
Because of Barbara, I obeyed the truth. I was able to convert my future wife, my brother, and a classmate. I’m also happy to say that my children are Christians, and my oldest son is an elder and a dean at a Christian school. His wife and daughters are faithful Christians. My daughter is married to a Christian with two children, and she teaches a Bible class. My youngest son is a Master Sgt. in the Air Force married with two lovely daughters. My brother is an elder, and he is married to a Christian and their son’s both have Christian families. My wife and I teach classes, and I have become an elder.
Can you imagine that? Three elders from a non-religious family! How? Because of a 12-year-old, with the help of her Christian grandparents, the Lord found a way for me!
“I know the Lord will find a way for me.
If I walk in heaven’s light,
Shun the wrong and do the right.
I know the Lord will find a way for me.”
-Traditional
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