The Real Conversion

ZACCHAEUS STOOD UP AND SAID TO THE LORD, "LOOK, LORD! HERE AND NOW I GIVE HALF OF MY POSSESSIONS TO THE POOR, AND IF I HAVE CHEATED ANYBODY OUT OF ANYTHING, I WILL PAY BACK FOUR TIMES THE AMOUNT." Luke 19.8.

The other day at a fellowship, there was a couple who recently accepted the Lord. All were thrilled because two precious souls were ‘eternally saved’ and joined the church and the fellowship. Later, while giving testimony, the brother said sheepishly, “I am struggling with tobacco addiction. I smoke fewer sticks since my conversion. Please pray for strength to stop completely”. We gladly prayed for this dear brother. We asked the Lord to deliver him from his sin of addiction.

Now let us look at Zacchaeus’ conversion and see how different it was. He met the Lord Jesus. Jesus went to his house. He might have made Zacchaeus aware of his sin of greediness and extortion and demanded ‘confession, repentance and restitution!’ It made Zacchaeus stand up bravely and say to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

Only then did Jesus say to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham”. It was that great saint, A.W. Tozer, who used to say, ‘The tragedy in the Church of Christ today is that while He considered none saved unless he confessed his sin and turned away from it, the Church is willing to accept anyone with all his unconfused and unrepented sin and shame!’

A preacher said the other day, “We birth babies but they are still born without life or power to breath and live! We need to do what the midwives do, ‘Give a whack on the bottom and let them yell and live!’ ” I think the preacher hit the nail on the head! Jesus “shook up” Zacchaeus and awakened his conscience, dead by sin. Zacchaeus owned up his sin, repented, renounced, made restitution and never went back!

Friend, that is conversion! Jesus converts sinners and saves them! It is a pity that our churches today console sinners and comfort them! Let us beware that it will only bring about nominal Christianity without spiritual regeneration which will lead to eternal death and not life eternal!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, convict me of my sins and lead me to confession and true repentance. Today, I give up all my sin. Keep me from sinning anymore! Amen.