The Importance of Conviction

I came across a scripture reading this morning in which, during the course of explaining the proper use of the Spiritual Gift of tongues, the Apostle Paul contradicts the modern concept of soft preaching and witnessing to the lost which has become prevalent today. It’s timely for me as I was recently asked by a brother in Christ to listen to a sermon recently given at his church. It doesn’t matter which church or who gave this sermon, I can assure you that far too many churches are propagating this very untruth. The devil has misled many well-being preachers, teachers, and members of Christ’s church into the notion that in order to win people to Christ, we need not preach to them about their sin. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict they say.

I don’t disagree. The Bible is clear that one of the works of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of its sin. But God has built up His Church, the true Church, to be the vehicle by which the truth of the Bible is to be taken to the lost. We were given the Great Commission by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit and endowed with special, spiritual gifts, to take the Gospel out to the world and then to make disciples.

Read this passage.

1 Corinthians 14:24-25
 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,  the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

The object of the Gospel is to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus, so that through the work of sanctification, all who believe in His name will make Him Lord of their life and do as Jesus did, His will.

John 17:1-4
 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,  since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

If we are to become like Jesus, then our goal must be to glorify God.

When an unbeliever walks into our church or into our lives, according to Paul, this is what should happen. “He is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed.” This is how the Holy Spirit works in conviction, by opening their hearts to the truth of the entire counsel of God, as is recorded in the Bible, and then using what they heard to bring conviction.

Romans 10:14-17
 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”  So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The good news is that though we are sinners, God has sent Jesus to pay that price for our sin. People need to know what they are “saved” from. For when they hear God’s Word spoken, they are convicted by “all”, the secrets of their hearts are disclosed and then, they will fall on their face, worship God, and know God is present in that place.

This is the method God has chosen to use to bring people to a saving knowledge of Himself. This is why we have been each, given a spiritual gift. This is why the entire counsel of scripture must be preached in the church. Some of us are teachers, some pastors, and some lay people, but all of us are to be speaking the truth of the Word.

Hebrews 4:12
 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

We cannot continue to ignore the truth of scripture. I don’t know when Jesus is coming back, I sure hope soon, but until He does it is our work to preach His Word. Our culture is in serious moral decline. It’s no coincidence that the less we prophesy the truth and call out the sins in the world and be the salt and light of Christ, the worse it is getting.

1 Corinthians 14:24-25
 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,  the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

The Bible is clear. Do it in love, for much of 1 Corinthians tells us we must, but do it. It is not love to let someone live with a false hope that they can live in sin and still be Christ’s.

What is God's Will For My Life

One of the most often asked questions about life is this, “What is God’s will for my life?” As we grow and traverse through this life, as a follower of Christ, we want to make good and Godly decisions. Maybe it’s a choice of a college to attend, what career to pursue, where to live, and who to be in a relationship with. In some way or another, most of us have wondered what God’s will is for us personally.

It’s good to seek God’s will in all our life decisions. But the Bible, and by extension, God, has not written a personal, detailed list of steps we are to take as we live life. You cannot simply open your Bible and find a passage that says, “Go to the University of Kansas’, or “Marry Bob.”

Yet, God did not leave us to wander this earth without direction. No, He intentionally provided a book, a book written by men, yet inspired by His Holy Spirit, in which we can know His will. He has provided a way to make good, Godly decisions. He even sent His Holy Spirit to guide us unto all truth and to teach us what the scriptures mean. We can not only read His Word and understand it; we can learn how to apply it to every situation life presents.

The question, “What is God’s specific will for my life”, can only be truly answered by a different question first. That question is simple. “What is God’s will?” To rephrase, what is the general will of God for all of us? Why must that question be answered first? Because the answer to our personal questions as to what God wants us to do, is found in following the general will of God in our lives. There are Biblical principles that if we follow in their complete, yet simple callings, will guide us to be good decision makers.

Did you know that the Bible lists four specific “wills” of God? Certainly, there are treasures to be mined from all scripture. God’s general will can be seen in His commandments, but God has given us four foundational building blocks that if we start with, give us the foundation we need to stand firm as we build.

Here are the four wills God directly gives us all from His Word.

John 6:40
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:13-15
 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.  For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6
 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;  that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,  not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;  and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.

I’m just going to leave this here. Here are four passages of scripture upon which we can build upon. There are four passages of scripture that no one who lays claim to being a Christians can deny are God’s will. There can be no argument amongst ourselves or with God, for He is explicit in these four passages.

No matter who we are or where we are, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us commit ourselves to these four wills of God. We must study these principles and we must apply them in our lives. Every decision we make must be in line with at least, these four wills. They are clear and if we desire to do God’s will and yet do not submit to these, we are fooling ourselves if we think we want to know and do His will.

I’ve got work to do. How about you?

For more info read your Bible, The 4 Wills of God by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs, and Found: God's Will by John MacArthur

The Elusiveness of Joy.

We are a rebellious people on this earth. That rebellious nature extends into the life of the Christian. Yet, we are called out of rebellion and into slavery when we come to Christ. This is not a forced slavery, but it is instead, an exercise of our free will, motivated by our love for Jesus, that calls us to become bondservants. You see this is one of the great paradoxes of scripture, that Christ has set us free, but He set us free so that we would use our freedom to become slaves to Him. Why? You can find the explanation in what Jesus says in John 14:31, “But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.”

The way the world can see we love the Father and His Son, is through our response to His commands.

Jesus went on and said this in John 15:9-10, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”

Yesterday in the sermon I heard preached, the pastor made this statement, “Christians ought to be the most joyful people on earth.” Yet, many of us walk around as if the whole world is coming down upon us. Maybe it is. But joy, Christian joy, is not dependent upon circumstances.

Why aren’t we joy-filled? (I’ve read your Facebook posts people, don’t be in denial, joy isn’t characterizing us as it should.) Again, let Jesus explain.

John 15:9-11
 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Our joy will be full, when our obedience is towards His commandments. It’s that simple. Abide in His love. Let love, not this fake, phony love the world speaks of, but true Christian love, dominate your life. Abide in His love. Again, what did Jesus say? He said this, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”

These aren’t my words; they are the words of Christ. Abide in them. Abide in Him. Now go, open your Bible and learn what this means.