18 Bible Verses about Converts To Christianity

While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many people believed in him because they saw the signs that he was doing.

And many believed in Jesus there.

Yet many people, even some of the authorities, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not admit it so they would not be thrown out of the synagogue. For they loved the praise of human beings more than the praise of God.

Even Simon believed, and after he was baptized he became devoted to Philip. He was amazed to see the signs and great miracles that were happening. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaritans had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. They went down and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. read more.
Before this, he had not come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me this power too, so that when I lay my hands on someone, he will receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter told him, "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's free gift with money! You have no part or share in what we're saying, because your heart isn't right with God. So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart's intent may be forgiven you. For I see that you're being poisoned by bitterness and you're a prisoner of wickedness!" Simon answered, "Both of you pray to the Lord for me that none of the things you have said will happen to me."

Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He was a devout man who feared God, as did everyone in his home. He gave many gifts to the poor among the people and always prayed to God. One day, about three in the afternoon, he had a vision and clearly saw an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, "Cornelius!"read more.
He stared at the angel in terror and asked, "What is it, Lord?" The angel answered him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have arisen as a reminder to God. Send men now to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest of Simon, a leatherworker, whose house is by the sea." When the angel who had spoken to him had gone, Cornelius summoned two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of those who served him regularly. He explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa. Around noon the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became very hungry and wanted to eat, and while the food was being prepared, he fell into a trance and saw heaven open and something like a large linen sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the ground. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it." But Peter said, "Absolutely not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean!" Again the voice came to him a second time, "You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean." This happened three times. Then the sheet was quickly taken back into heaven. While Peter was still at a loss to know what the vision he had seen could mean, the men sent by Cornelius asked for Simon's house and went to the gate. They called out and asked if Simon who was called Peter was staying there. Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit told him, "Look! Three men are looking for you. Get up, go downstairs, and don't hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." So Peter went to the men and said, "I'm the man you're looking for. Why are you here?" The men replied, "Cornelius, a centurion and an upright and God-fearing man who is respected by the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his home to hear what you have to say." So Peter welcomed them as his guests. The next day, he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along with him. The next day, they arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called his relatives and close friends together. When Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him, bowed down at his feet, and began to worship him. But Peter made him get up, saying, "Stand up! I, too, am only a man." As Peter talked with him, he went in and found that many people had gathered. He told them, "You understand how wrong it is for a Jew to associate or visit with unbelievers. But God has shown me that I should stop calling anyone common or unclean, and that is why I didn't hesitate when I was sent for. Now may I ask why you sent for me?" Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very hour, three o'clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my home. All at once a man in radiant clothes stood in front of me and said, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard. God has remembered your gifts to the poor, so send messengers to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, to come to you. He is a guest in the home of Simon, a leatherworker, by the sea.' So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. All of us are here now in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has ordered you to say."

"Therefore, I have decided that we should not trouble these gentiles who are turning to God.

A few days later, Paul told Barnabas, "Let's go back and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they're doing."

Some of them were persuaded and began to be associated with Paul and Silas, especially a large crowd of devout Greeks and the wives of many prominent men.

Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others along with them.

Greet also the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first convert to the Messiah in Asia.

I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given you by the Messiah Jesus. For by him you have become rich in every way in speech and knowledge of every kind while our testimony about the Messiah has been confirmed among you.

Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, read more.
so that no one may boast in God's presence. It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "The person who boasts must boast in the Lord."

Are we beginning to recommend ourselves again? Unlike some people, we do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You are our letter, written in our hearts and known and read by everyone. You are demonstrating that you are the Messiah's letter, produced by our service, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

So if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave us to build you up and not to tear you down, I will not be ashamed of it.

Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don't you, that Jesus the Messiah lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test? I hope you will realize that we haven't failed our test. We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong not to show that we have not failed the test, but so that you may do what is right, even if we seem to have failed. read more.
For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. That is what we are praying for your maturity. For this reason I am writing this while I am away from you: When I come I do not want to be severe in using the authority the Lord gave me to build you up and not to tear you down.

For I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have never seen me face to face.

Fight the good fight for the faith. Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called and about which you gave a good testimony in front of many witnesses.

But you must continue to remember those earlier days, how after you were enlightened you endured a hard and painful struggle. At times you were made a public spectacle by means of insults and persecutions, while at other times you associated with people who were treated this way.