followHIM - "What is the difference between having a testimony and being converted?" • followHIM Favorites • June 12 - June 18

Episode Date: June 8, 2023

Hank Smith and John Bytheway answer a question from this week's Come, Follow Me study.Show Notes (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese): https://followhim.coFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followhimpodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FollowHimOfficialChannelThanks to the followHIM team:Shannon Sorensen: Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com/products/let-zion-in-her-beauty-rise-piano

Hello, my friends. Welcome to another Follow Him Favorites. My name is Hank Smith. I'm here with the amazing John, by the way. Welcome, John. Thank you. Good to be back. You know the drill, John. Follow Him Favorites. We answer a single question from this week's lesson. John, the question is from Luke 22. There's a verse where the Savior says to Peter, I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Now, we know that Peter has a testimony. He's borne his testimony many times, and yet here the Savior is saying, when you're converted. So, the question for this week is, what's the difference between those two things? What's the difference between having a testimony and being converted? What would you say?

You know, we all have used a voltage converter, maybe, when we travel, or a catalytic converter on our car. It kind of changes something into something else. So I wonder if it's part of you're becoming a different person, a new creature, like Paul might say, to be converted. My dad used to say there's a difference between being convinced and converted. Maybe when you're converted, you start changing and becoming something different than you were. How does that sound? Yeah. You know, in the Book of Mormon, how often it talks about, and they, whatever group of people, were converted unto the Lord. Converted unto the Lord.

And I take that to mean that something inside of them has changed. The idea of a convertible, a car that can change versus a testimony, which a testimony is very knowledge-based. It's things that I know, whereas conversion is something, like you said, is something I become. Yeah, I like that you used the Book of Mormon idea. It never mentions in the Book of Mormon converts to the church. We say that sometimes, but the object of our conversion is the Lord, Book of Mormon teaches us. So trying to become like Jesus, a lifelong thing. And please don't think conversion is, you know, it's a mighty change of heart, but it doesn't mean an instant change of heart. Absolutely. Yeah. President Henry V. Eyring said,

the change, conversion, will be renewed again and again as we unselfishly continue over a lifetime to act in faith, to strengthen others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Conversion will not be a single event or something that will last for just one season of life. It's a continuing process. So maybe having a testimony is something that you can say, I have that. But conversion is something that you're continually reaching forward that's going to take the rest of your life to become more and more converted. As the Doctrine and Covenants would say, that light will grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day. It's like, I know what to do. Now I've got to do what I know. And when I do what I know, I'll start to become what the Lord wants me to become.

When I get back to heaven, I just don't want to know something. And I even don't want to just have done good things. I want to have become something. We hope you'll join us on our full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts and then come back next week. We'll do another Follow Him Favorites.