Church of God, Carmichael, CA
D. O. Teasley, May 15, 1903
[Original Page Numbers]
PART I.—THE HOLY SPIRIT
Office Work of the Holy Spirit
CONVICTION
The first work wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit is conviction. "And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." John 16:8. True Bible conviction is a blessing to any one. While for the present it seems far from joyous, yet if given treed to, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Who has not felt the gentle reproof of the Holy Spirit knocking at the heart's door and pointing to the better way? So long as man is in the reach of the Holy Spirit, he will ever be reproved for the slightest wrong; but if the reproof is not heeded, each call will grow fainter. How very careful we should be when reproved by the Spirit, for without His gentle wooing man could never find God. The Spirit does not always operate upon the heart independent of means.
"Afflictions, though severe they seem,
Are oft in mercy sent:
They stopped the prodigal's career
And caused him to repent."
David said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word." Psa. 119:67. While it is far from the right way to neglect God until afflictions overtake us, yet there are many who never think of God in health, who when affliction cometh will call on Him for help. It is true however, that a great many who seek God in trouble, forsake Him in prosperity. The surest and best way is to seek God while in the bloom of health, under the direct conviction of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit often convicts people through the healing of the sick, as was the case at Lydda and Saron. "And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout al\ quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Eneas which had kept his bed eight years and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, ÒEneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed.Ó And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda [45] and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord." Acts 9:32 35. At midnight when Paul and Silas lay bound in the stocks of the prison an angel of God came to them, loosed their bands and set them free, causing a great earthquake, through which the jailer and all his house were converted.
Many argue that the day of healing and miracles is past, from the fact that it was only needed to establish the gospel when it was first preached: but we ask, If it was needed then, how much more is it needed now, since "wicked men and seducers" have waxed worse? As long as suffering mortals need deliverance from sickness and disease; and as long as sinful mortals need conviction, God will continue to heal the sick, and do wonders in the name of Jesus for those who will "have faith in God."
The gospel is the principal agent in the hands of the Spirit to convict the lost, and compared with it all other means are very small. Without the gospel no man can be saved, "for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Rom. 1:16. The first Holy Spirit sermon preached after the crucifixion of Christ was attended with great conviction, which was due to the fact that Christ and Him crucified was the theme. "Now when they heard this (Christ crucified) they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37. At the present age of the world men have ceased, to a great extent, to preach the gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; and Bible conviction has ceased accordingly. This is due, first, to the fact that many do not possess the Holy Spirit. Second, popular preachers have ceased to preach "Christ crucified," and preach instead the doctrines and commandments of men, topics of society, political issues, death bed scenes, sympathetic stories, etc. Those who profess salvation under such preaching are void of Bible conviction; hence void of salvation. The gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation.
There are three spirits by which men are moved to action, and which stand out more prominently than all others; viz., the spirit of anger, the spirit of sympathy, and the Spirit of God. Each of these spirits may be said to be contagious; i. e., if one person becomes imbued with either of them, it is most likely to affect some one else. For illustration, a man in a saloon becomes angry; in a short time all his friends are at his side and ready to take his part.
[46]The spirit of sympathy is equally contagious, and many preachers and sentimental revivalists knowing this, and being void of the power of God resort to the spirit of sympathy to draw men, as they suppose, to Christ. They will paint a deeply shaded word picture of how the infant feet of some mother's child is pressing the golden shore, and how its lily white hands are beckoning her to come. Thus by many words and fair speech some mother's heart is broken, not because Jesus died, but because her child had died. Then in turn he will bring up father, mother, brother, sister, friend, and neighbor, until his congregation is wrapt in a flame of human sympathy, under which many profess Christ, only to forsake and disgrace Him as soon as they forget their sorrow for the dead. Professions of Christianity under the influence of the spirit of sympathy, void of Bible conviction, is cursing professed Christendom. "Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." 2 Cor. 7:10. The sorrow of the world, or a sorrow for the dead, works only a momentary reformation, which cannot stand the trying hours of persecution and temptation: but the sorrow effected by the Spirit of God, through the preaching of Christ, brings Bible Conviction, Bible repentance, and Bible salvation, which brings the unfailing grace of God whereby we prove true to God through all the trying scenes of life. How vastly different is the experience fed by sympathy and emotion and the one grounded on the eternal word and Spirit of God!
It is true that men should be stirred to action and brought weeping to the cross, but nothing can possibly do this so effectually as the goodness and love of God presented by the gospel in the Spirit and power of God. Tell men of the goodness of God and of Christ Jesus crucified and they will be melted to tears and a holy flame will burn from heart to heart, not to be subdued by the petty storms of life. And the Spirit of God will also be contagious, for when one man's "cup runs over" some one else will drink and be satisfied. A heart too hard to be melted by the crucifixion scene, or a conscience too seared to be touched by the love and goodness of God, is certainly far beyond the reach of human efforts. A soul which cannot be reached by the power of the Holy Spirit or awakened by the thunder tones of the gospel is irretrievably lost, and human sympathy can never accomplish that which the Holy Spirit fails to do. "The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance."
Rom. 2:4. [47]Without Bible conviction it is impossible to find God, for Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him." John 6:44. O minister of God, gird up the loins of your mind with the girdle of eternal truth and go out to tell how Jesus died, and great will be your reward in heaven. You may not get so many followers, but the gold you do gain will stand the judgment fire. First teach people how to repent, and then fill their minds with thoughts of Jesus' dying, the goodness and love of God, till the heart is broken beneath the load. Persons thus convicted will come weeping their way to the cross and obtain "salvation not to be repented of," and
They will not soon forget the day,
When Jesus washed their sins away.
Oh, the boundless love of God! there is nothing like it.
How many souls today grope on in sin not knowing that the "goodness of God leadeth them to repentance." Rom. 2:4. Before a man can see the goodness of God his eyes must be opened. Paul said he was sent to the Gentiles to "open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light; from the power of Satan unto God." What means did he use to accomplish this? "That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God." Rom. 15:16. "To the end I might be a public minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, doing priestly service with the joyful message of God."—Rotherham. Paul was a minister of Christ and ministered the gospel, the joyful message of God; and the effect was men's eyes were opened and many were turned from the power of Satan unto God, realizing that the goodness of God led them to repent.
We may teach men the principles of repentance, but unless their eyes are opened to see the goodness of God they will never get genuine conviction, without which no man can find God. The paramount object of a man turning to God should always be that he had a deep realization that he has grieved a loving God, whose mercy endureth forever, and not alone on account of the fears of hell. Hell is a real place, but "love is stronger than death."
"The heart that is so hard in sin That this great love can never win, Is surely fit for nothing less Than endless hell and wretchedness."
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