Introduction
The journey of personal conversion is a deeply transformative experience that shapes our faith and strengthens our testimony. As we delve into the first lesson of “Come, Follow Me” for 2025, we are invited to reflect on how the gospel has been restored in our own lives. This blog post explores the significance of the restoration of Christ’s Church and how it provides us with opportunities to grow spiritually, participate in sacred ordinances, and draw closer to our Savior.
The Question from Come Follow Me
As I studied the first lesson in “Come, Follow Me” for 2025, the following thought and questions stood out, “As you prepare to study how the gospel was restored in the 1800s, you might start by pondering how it was restored in your life. Read the Restoration proclamation with questions like these in mind: How have I come to know that this is true?” 1
This prompted me to reflect on critical moments in my life where my testimony was strengthened, and I felt more converted to the gospel. Some of these were significant events, while others were small, personal moments. Some came as I studied the scriptures, and others happened through the process of repentance. My personal conversion happened because the restoration of Christ’s Church provides members opportunities to participate in ordinances, repent, learn doctrine, and serve others. Consistent daily habits have also helped in my conversion process.
Restoration
When members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints study the Doctrine and Covenants, we frequently encounter the term “restoration.” According to the Guide to the Scriptures, the restoration is, “God’s reestablishment of the truths and ordinances of His gospel among men on earth…through visions, the ministering of angels, and revelations to men on the earth, God restored the gospel.” 2
Is our personal conversion much different from how the Church was restored? Don’t each of us need to establish truths and ordinances? Doesn’t some of this restoration come because of the ministering of angels and personal revelation?
Due to the apostasy, gospel truths and ordinances needed to be reestablished for the benefit of mankind. The organization of the Church provides individuals the opportunity to find gospel truth and participate in ordinances. The restored Church allows individuals to work out their own salvation with the help of Christ’s atonement.
Personal Restoration
“The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” states: “He {Christ} invites all of us to come unto Him and His Church, to receive the Holy Ghost, the ordinances of salvation, and to gain enduring joy.” 4
I view this invitation as an opportunity for everyone to experience a personal restoration through the process of conversion. To gain salvation and enjoy the blessings of the gospel in our earthly life, we need to be restored to Christ.
In her April 2016 General Conference talk, Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women General President, taught the following, “We believe that the same Church Jesus Christ established while on the earth has been restored once again by a prophet called of God in our time and that our leaders hold the same power and authority to act in God’s name that ancient Apostles held. We claim that through this restored authority, we can receive saving ordinances, such as baptism, and enjoy the purifying and refining gift of the Holy Ghost to be with us at all times.” 5
As members of Christ’s restored Church, we have opportunities to be converted and to engage in God’s only true Church. Using our agency, we can follow a prophet and participate in ordinances that will bind us to Christ.
Sister Oscarson goes on to teach, “We all need to seek to have our hearts and very natures changed so that we no longer have a desire to follow the ways of the world but to please God…Conversion comes when we serve those around us. It comes from earnest prayer, regular temple attendance, and faithful fulfillment of our God-given responsibilities. It takes consistency and daily effort.” 6
Our personal conversion happens as we engage in daily spiritual habits that draw us closer to Christ.
The Process of Conversion
Just as Joseph Smith did, each of us can go to Heavenly Father in prayer seeking answers—seeking truth. As we learn gospel principles, it’s critical we put them into action. Conversion takes time, and while we can have powerful experiences that help our testimonies grow, often conversion comes gradually as we put forth effort.
Consider these words from Elder Bednar, “Conversion is an ongoing process and not a onetime event that results from a powerful or dramatic experience. Line upon line and precept upon precept, gradually and almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds become aligned with the will of God. Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence and patience.” 7
True conversion brings about necessary change. It deepens our understanding of key principles and draws us closer to Christ. Through conversion, we are restored to Him. However, conversion takes consistency in keeping covenants. We live by our covenants and what we are being taught to be converted and to gain a testimony of the principles of the gospel.
As we strive for deeper conversion, our testimony of the gospel will grow. As Justin Baer stated in his blog post, How to Gain a Testimony of Joseph Smith, “We receive a testimony as we live the gospel of Jesus Christ, and receive confirmation over and over through the Holy Ghost that the principles we are living are true.” 8
An Example of Conversion
One of my favorite examples of conversion is found in the Book of Mormon, involving the prophet Alma the Younger. Alma and the sons of Mosiah were visited by an angel while they were actively seeking to destroy the Church. This miraculous visit left Alma struck dumb with fear for his own destruction, marking the beginning of his conversion. However, Alma’s own words reveal that this experience alone did not lead to the deep conversion he needed to become a devoted disciple of Christ.
Alma recounts, “Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.” 9
Even after his angelic encounter, Alma fasted and prayed to gain a stronger testimony. He then led a converted life by living the gospel, “Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.” 10
Certainly, during his service, Alma’s testimony increased. His daily efforts brought him closer to the Savior and helped in his spiritual restoration. Despite miraculous experiences we may have in our lives, we need prayer, fasting, and opportunities to serve to deepen our conversion.
The Results of Conversion
Following Christ’s death, in 3rd Nephi, the people of the American continent heard Christ’s voice prior to His physical appearance. One of the things He asks the surviving people is: “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” 11
He re-emphasizes something similar in D&C 112 when talking about the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a revelation received by Joseph Smith: “And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.” 12
This correlation between conversion and healing appears in other scriptures (See John 12:40, 3 Nephi 18:32). The word “heal” is an old English word related to the German word “heilen,” which means to make whole. As we become converted to the Lord, He can make us whole.
This healing process will take place many times over the course of our lives as we strive to make and keep covenants, increase our study, attend the temple more, minister, and give more of ourselves to the work of the Lord. As we draw closer to Him, we will feel the healing that only He can offer. We will be made whole.
Summary
The journey of personal conversion is a continuous and deeply personal process that aligns us with the will of God. As we engage in daily spiritual practices, participate in sacred ordinances, and seek personal revelation, we draw closer to our Savior and experience the healing and wholeness that only He can offer. The restoration of Christ’s Church provides us with the framework and opportunities to grow spiritually and strengthen our testimonies. Let us embrace this journey with faith and dedication, knowing that through consistent effort and divine guidance, we can achieve true conversion and eternal joy.
- Come, Follow Me, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-doctrine-and-covenants-2025/01-the-restoration?lang=eng ↩︎
- Guide to the Scriptures, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/restoration-of-the-gospel?lang=eng#title1 ↩︎
- The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng#p6 ↩︎
- Bonnie L. Oscarson “Do I Believe?,” April, 2016, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/04/do-i-believe?lang=eng ↩︎
- Bonnie L. Oscarson “Do I Believe?,” April, 2016, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/04/do-i-believe?lang=eng ↩︎
- Elder David A. Bednar, “Converted Unto the Lord,” October, 2012, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/10/converted-unto-the-lord?lang=eng#title1 ↩︎
- Justin Baer, “How to Gain a Testimony of Joseph Smith,” https://discoverfaithinchrist.com/how-to-gain-a-testimony-of-joseph-smith/ ↩︎
- Alma 5:45-46, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/5?lang=eng#p45 ↩︎
- Alma 36:24, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/36?lang=eng#p24 ↩︎
- 3 Nephi 9:13, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/9?lang=eng ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 112:13, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/112?lang=eng ↩︎