The Conversion Principle

Self Conversion and Missionary Work

"Simon...when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

--- Luke 22:31-32

When.  When thou art converted.  Jesus Christ was speaking about self conversion, and its role in missionary work.  It's a very interesting topic, this one is.  Christ's statement raises a question which I will try and address in my post today:

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How does personal conversion relate to missionary work? 

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Seeing as this is a blog written by a missionary, for fellow member missionaries, I would hope that there was a connection between these two things!  Elder Holland taught that "you must be your first convert."  How can we expect to share the gospel with our friends if we cannot testify of their truth?

How can we tell the "sweetest story that has been told since the resurrection of the Christ" if we don't know Joseph Smith was a prophet?  (LeGrand Richards, Quorum of the 12 Apostles, 1952-83)

During Christ's sermon on the mount, we are taught: "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matthew 6:5).  As strange as it sounds, everyone you share the gospel with, everyone you teach, you are calling to repentance.  In other (less rebuking) words, you are giving them the opportunity to change and be blessed for it.  How can you share the incredible and beautiful message of the Atonement of Jesus Christ if you haven't experienced it yourself?

We are again counseled in Doctrine and Covenants 11:21 to "first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."  How can we teach from the Holy Scriptures if we haven't read and studied them?

Read ALL the books!

True self conversion is very much a prerequisite to successful missionary work.

It is essential, in fact.  You must be converted yourself.  You must have read the scriptures, and prayed about them.  You must have studied the prophet's teachings, and lived them.  You must have repented of your sins, and forsaken them.  It is these experiences that bring us a deep and personal knowledge of the goodness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

You cannot, truthfully and with conviction, profess something to be good that you have not experienced yourself.

So, I hope that in your efforts to share Christ's Gospel with others, you are also assessing your own conversion to Christ.  You can only pull someone up to where you are standing.  So stand tall and in holy places! Just as someone representing Christ should :)

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Quick shout out to Daniel of the Crawley Stake!  Thanks for reading my posts, you're an inspiration to members and missionaries alike.  No longer will the tent-dwelling scriptures of the Book of Mormon be misinterpreted!  You're a true member missionary, Daniel; exemplary in the eyes of God, I'm sure.