THE NECESSITY OF HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTION

            "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:7, 8). It is quite astounding that Jesus told the disciples it would be better for them if He would go away so the Comforter can come! Why would it be better for them if Jesus went away? He ascended back to the Father only after He had completed all that needed to be done to provide salvation for the world through His death on the cross and being raised from the dead! Then, the Comforter (Holy Spirit) was sent to convict sinners of their lost condition and to convince them in the sufficiency of Jesus to be their Savior. Salvation occurs when the Spirit leads a convicted sinner to go through the Son to the Father to receive the forgiveness of his sins and to be born again. No one will ever be saved until they have been convicted by the Holy Spirit that they are lost and on the road to Hell, and they are convinced Jesus is their only hope for salvation. I have been deeply concerned for many years over the lack of interest in the necessity of Holy Spirit conviction in our witnessing to the lost.

            The sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our witnessing will bring Holy Spirit conviction. Conviction is referred to in Acts as 'pricking the heart', or 'cutting to the heart'. They both refer to an autopsy of a sinful heart that reveals that spiritual death has occurred because of sin! The message Peter preached on the day of Pentecost brought conviction to the Jews as described in Acts 2:37, "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart". As Saul of Tarsus was on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians, his own heart was dealing with conviction. Jesus said to him, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" (Acts 9:5). I believe his conviction started when he heard Stephen's message and witnessed his death. The pricking led to 3,000 being saved on Pentecost and Saul of Tarsus becoming the Apostle Paul. Others who were 'cut to the heart' continued in their lost condition. When those in Jerusalem heard the preaching of Peter and John, their response was, "When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them" (Acts 5:33). The killers of Stephen rejected the same way at hearing his message, "When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth" (Acts 7:54). The Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his sins, convinces him of the sufficiency of Jesus, and leads to repentance and faith. Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). That is the work of the Holy Spirit!

            Many small children are being convicted by concerned adults before they have reached the point of accountability. There is no age of accountability, but there is a point in a child's life when God Himself sends the Holy Spirit to bring conviction. God (and God alone) knows when a child becomes accountable to Him! I have been told by parents many times that their child is ready to be saved. When I talked to the child, I was told someone had told him/her if they had not asked Jesus to come into their heart they would go to Hell if they died. I would lovingly talk to them and then ask where they would go if they died and they would smile and say, "I would go to be Jesus". I would tell them that someday they will not know that they would go to be with Jesus. I would ask them to promise to call me to talk with them again so I can tell them how to be saved. Many small children also may want to be saved because a friend made a profession of faith. I have observed many cases where joining a church to be baptized is no different for a child than joining Boy/Girl Scout, or being accepted on a Little League team. I have had so many faithful church members come to me for salvation who stated they made a profession when they were very young and 'didn't really know what they were doing'. How many other young people just dropped out of church when the Holy Spirit began convicting them of their need of salvation? How sad to find out too late that they were not really saved when they made their profession of faith when they were still safe!

            I have also been concerned that witnessing to a stranger for 5 minutes and then asking them to pray to Jesus for salvation does not give sufficient time for the Holy Spirit to do His work. Often times, they are totally ignorant of Jesus and the glorious Gospel that provides salvation. I believe there is danger when sinners are told that they are saved because they asked Jesus to save them.

            Please do not leave the Holy Spirit out of you witnessing! He will be the great Comforter of the saved only after He has convicted them of their sins and convinced them to accept Jesus by faith. You will also need the Spirit to empower you and your witness as He uses you to reach those who are lost.