Conversion keys
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PROVO, Utah — The fundamentals of the conversion process are unique and peculiar to the message of the gospel, said President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency.
In the Savior's time, he continued, many believed, but "because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they be put out of their synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than they loved the praise of God" (1 John 12:42-43).
An intellectual conversion is important but it is not as committing as a conversion in the heart, he said to new mission presidents and their wives assembled for the New Mission Presidents Seminar in the Provo MTC on June 27.
"A conversion in the heart is fuller, deeper and stronger.... The Spirit is the essence of the conversion process.... So, a convert is converted in the heart."
The first principle of conversion, he said, is that no one can have an understanding of the principles of the gospel except through the Spirit. "How is the Spirit generated?" he asked. "It is by fasting, by prayer and by testimony.
"Your missionaries in their youth, in their inexperience, in their lack of formal training, can be unlimited only in the power of their testimony."
Where do they learn to testify frequently and powerfully? he asked. "They will learn it from you, so you need to be found bearing testimony of the Restoration, that the Father and the Son appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and that we have a living prophet on the earth today, President Gordon B. Hinckley."
The second principle of conversion, he said, is that converts are converted in the heart by the Spirit. "Our message is proclaimed by the Spirit," he said.
The third principle of conversion, he continued, is that "people are converted in their hearts by the Spirit through Joseph Smith." Noting that it was on this day in 1844 that the Prophet Joseph sealed his testimony with his blood, President Faust said, "Our message is distinctly different because it contains the gospel restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith."
Quoting the Doctrine and Covenants, he said, "This generation shall receive the Lord's word through Joseph Smith" (Doctrine and Covenants 5:10).
"The message is the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored by Joseph Smith, not the Readers Digest, not Time magazine, and not from the Bible alone. It means almost everything we have is different from all other religions."
The conversion process, continued President Faust, "is a powerful locking mechanism," locking into place the First Vision, the appearance of the Father and the Son, and the testimony of Joseph Smith and his successors as prophets.
In summary, President Faust emphasized:
1."We must each be converted in our hearts, not just in our minds.
2."Our message is proclaimed by the Spirit which bears witness to us of its truthfulness, very often through testimony.
3."Conversion comes to us through the Prophet Joseph Smith."
Quoting then-Elder Marion G. Romney, he said, membership in the Church and conversion are not necessarily synonymous.
"'A moving testimony vitalizes faith; that is, it induces repentance and obedience to the commandments. Conversion ... is the fruit of, or the reward for, repentance and obedience."
The three principles of the conversion process are: "Converted in the heart, by the Spirit, through the Prophet Joseph Smith," he said.
