Acts 9:35 AMP
“Then all the inhabitants of Lydda and the plain of Sharon saw [what had happened to] him and they turned to the Lord.”
They all turned to the Lord but we don’t know how many of them continued with the Lord. When the miraculous, (in this case the healing of Aeneas in verse 34), is the conversion factor, there’s always a high possibility of short endurance. The reason is this: the miraculous speaks to the emotion of man, and oftentimes a persons commitment is weaker than their emotions.
True conversion takes place deep in the heart of an individual. It is the response of a personal encounter with the living God, one that does not depend on the experience of anyone else. It is not emotional but truly spiritual, and such a touch of God lights the fires of personal commitment the likes of which cannot be extinguished.
I long for entire cities, towns and villages to come to Christ. I long for a turning in the hearts of men, and I realize the necessity of God’s power to bring this to pass. Miracles certainly capture the attention of lost humanity, but faith cannot rest in miracles alone. Those that turn to the Lord must soon realize their personal need for Jesus. Whether they see another miracle in their life or not will not change what they believe, but because they truly do believe the miraculous will not be withheld.
Turning to Jesus is just the beginning, what follows will reveal if it was a turning of the heart or just a turning of the head. You can turn your head without turning your heart, but you cannot turn your heart without turning your head.