18 Bible Verses about Converts To Christianity

When he was in Jerusalem at the festival of the passover, many people believed in his name, as they witnessed the Signs which he performed.

And many believed in him there.

Still, a number even of the authorities believed in him, though they would not confess it on account of the Pharisees, in case of being excommunicated; are relocated after vs 50] With these words Jesus went away and hid from them.

indeed Simon himself believed, and after his baptism kept close to Philip, utterly astonished to see the signs and striking miracles which were taking place. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they despatched Peter and John, who came down and prayed that the Samaritans might receive the holy Spirit.read more.
(As yet it had not fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the holy Spirit. Now Simon noticed that the holy Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles' hands; so he brought them money, saying, "Let me share this power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the holy Spirit." Peter said to him, "Death to you and your money, for dreaming you could buy the gift of God! You come in for no share or lot in this religion. Your heart is all wrong in the sight of God. So repent of this wickedness of yours, and ask God whether you cannot be forgiven for your heart's purpose. For I see you are a bitter poison and a pack of evil." Simon replied, "Beseech the Lord for me! Pray that nothing you have said may befall me!"

Now in Caesarea there was a man called Cornelius, a captain in the Italian regiment, a religious man, who reverenced God with all his household, who was liberal in his alms to the People, and who constantly prayed to God. About three o'clock in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God entering and saying to him, "Cornelius."read more.
He stared at the angel in terror, saying, "What is it?" He replied, "Your prayers and your alms have risen before God as a sacrifice to be remembered. You must now send some men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is surnamed Peter; he is staying with Simon a tanner, whose house stands by the sea." When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his menservants and a religiously minded soldier who belonged to his personal retinue, and after describing all the vision to them, he sent them to Joppa. Next day they were still on the road and not far from the town, when Peter went up to the roof of the house about noon to pray. He became very hungry and longed for some food. But as they were getting the meal ready, a trance came over him. He saw heaven open and a vessel coming down, like a huge sheet lowered by the four corners to the earth, which contained all quadrupeds and creeping things of the earth and wild birds. A voice came to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." But Peter said, "No, no, my Lord; I have never eaten anything common or unclean." A second time the voice came back to him, "What God has cleansed, you must not regard as common." This happened three times; then the vessel was at once raised to heaven. Peter was quite at a loss to know the meaning of the vision he had seen; but just then, the messengers of Cornelius, who had made inquiries for the house of Simon, stood at the door and called out to ask if Simon, surnamed Peter, was staying there. So the Spirit said to Peter, who was pondering over the vision, "There are three men looking for you! Come, get up and go down, and have no hesitation about accompanying them, for it is I who have sent them." Then Peter went down to the men, saying, "I am the man you are looking for. What is your reason for coming?" They said, "Cornelius, a captain, a good man who reverences God and enjoys a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to his house and to listen to what you had to say." So he invited them in and entertained them. Next day he was up and off with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa; and on the next day he reached Caesarea. [vs 24b transposed to follow vs 27] (For Cornelius had been expecting him and had called his kinsfolk and intimate friends together.) Peter was just going into the house when Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshipped him; but Peter raised him, saying, "Get up, I am only a man myself." Then talking to him he entered the house, to find a large company assembled. To them Peter said, "You know yourselves it is illegal for a Jew to join or accost anyone belonging to another nation; but God has shown me that I must not call any man common or unclean, and so I have come without any demur when I was sent for. Now I want to know why you sent for me?" "Three days ago," said Cornelius, "at this very hour I was praying in my house at three o'clock in the afternoon, when a man stood before me in shining dress, saying, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, your alms are remembered by God. You must send to Joppa and summon Simon who is surnamed Peter; he is staying in the house of Simon a tanner beside the sea.' So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Well now, here we are all present before God to listen to what the Lord has commanded you to say."

Hence, in my opinion, we ought not to put fresh difficulties in the way of those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,

Some days later, Paul said to Barnabas, "Come and let us go back to visit the brothers in every town where we have proclaimed the word of the Lord. Let us see how they are doing."

Some were persuaded and threw in their lot with Paul and Silas, including a host of devout Greeks and a large number of the leading women.

Some men, however, did join him and believe, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman called Damaris, and some others.

Also, salute the church that meets in their house. Salute my beloved Epaenetus, the first in Asia to be reaped for Christ.

I always thank my God for the grace of God that has been bestowed on you in Christ Jesus; in him you have received a wealth of all blessing, full power to speak of your faith and full insight into its meaning, all of which verifies the testimony we bore to Christ when we were with you.

Why, look at your own ranks, my brothers; not many wise men (that is, judged by human standards), not many leading men, not many of good birth, have been called! No, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame what is strong; God has chosen what is mean and despised in the world ??things which are not, to put down things that are;read more.
that no person may boast in the sight of God. This is the God to whom you owe your being in Christ Jesus, whom God has made our 'Wisdom,' that is, our righteousness and consecration and redemption; so that, as it is written, let him who boasts boast of the Lord.

Am I beginning again to 'commend' myself? Do I need, like some people, to be commended by written certificates either to you or from you? Why, you are my certificate yourselves, written on my heart, recognized and read by all men; you make it obvious that you are a letter of Christ which I have been employed to inscribe, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of the human heart.

Even supposing I were to boast somewhat freely of my authority (and the Lord gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you), I would feel quite justified.

Put yourselves to the proof, not me; test yourselves, to see if you are in the faith. Do you not understand that Christ Jesus is within you? Otherwise you must be failures. But I trust you will find I am no failure, and I pray to God that you may not go wrong ??not to prove I am a success, that is not the point, but that you should come right, even if I seemed to be a failure.read more.
(Fail or succeed, I cannot work against the truth but for it!) I am glad to be weak if you are strong; mend your ways, that is all I ask. I am writing thus to you in absence, so that when I do come I may not have to deal sharply with you; I have the Lord's authority for that, but he gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you.

Striving? Yes, I want you to understand my deep concern for you and for those at Laodicea, for all who have never seen my face.

fight in the good fight of the faith, secure that life eternal to which you were called when you voiced the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle of suffering, partly by being held up yourselves to obloquy and anguish, partly by making common cause with those who fared in this way;