HolyGhost reproves world of sin, righteousness and judgement

Makes a great change from hearing the so called 'love gospel'.

The word love is not mentioned once in the book of Acts, yet thousands got save. Nowadays, most pastors and ministers spout 'Jesus loves you', and everyone turns a deaf ear.

People do need conviction of sin, or they will contiune in it, or ignore the conviction.

They then continue in righteousness to escape the judgment to come.

Acts 24v25 Paul reasoned about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come. Scripture says Felix was afraid! Good! Too bad he rejected what he heard. He must have believed or he would not have been afraid.

Let us continue in the fear of God and reject all man made fear, intimidation and compromise. God bless.

When He comes...

and where did He go? In 120, in the upper room! They were not convicted when they were speaking in tougues, but when the began to preach!!

It's called a "love gospel", but those who preach it can't truly love the people they're preaching to. If they did, they would give them the true Gospel that leads to salvation.

"And of some have compassion, making a difference:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." Jude 1:22,23

That doesn't sounds like the wimpy plea "Jesus loves you, now let Him in your heart". Jude was talking about a fierce resistance to the devil's works. We need to be a little "violent" when it comes to preaching the Gospel.

Sadly the word “love” has come to mean nothing more than a sweet fluffy powerless sentiment. But rather than toss out the word, I recommend that we take a stand for the CORRECT meaning of “love”. Christ’s death was the highest expression of love. To think that love is unable to transform a person is to say that His grace is not enough, his mercy is not enough.

Of course words hold no magic. After all, they are only a bunch of letters put together. They must be given life and meaning. And that’s what you see in Acts – right from Pentecost. “…be assured of this: God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord (!) and Christ (!).” Consider the beggar in Acts 3 whom Peter healed. Did Peter first tell him his sins? No, But notice the power of love. The man walked away - a changed man. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.” Acts 3:16

I have encountered frequent “preaching against sin” over the past 50+ years of my life, and have seen the grave weaknesses of this emphasis. People changed, but were not “cut to the heart”. Instead, they trusted in themselves to change. And many did in fact put away various sins. But they ended up with a form of godliness without the power. They never knew the love of Christ, yet assumed they were saved. And now, years later, I see many of them unraveling. That is why I am speaking against this emphasis on “preaching against sin” – because in itself it is a powerless, and even a destructive “gospel” . It can ruin people. It is deficient in love, and leaves nothing to pass on to the next generation.

Here’s another thing that I’m seeing happening: After years of that kind of “gospel”, these people are now desperately wanting to throw off that heavy yoke. Many have tried to find relieve in what is really a wimpy kind of cheep grace. They still do not know the POWER of God’s love. And so, now we see another kind of devastation – loose living. It’s just a pendulum swing in the other direction.

The answer is NOT to go back to the old ways, because they did not work. We need instead to admit our own deficient understanding of God’s love, repent from that, and accept the love of God. Doing so is radical and costly. Christ accepts no compromise. But, armed with the power of God’s love, we will turn the world upside down for Christ.

We are living letters. WE preach what we ARE – our actions speak louder than words. Our calling is to preach the GOSPEL (Good News) with everything we have, every moment of the day. If it is for real, the sinners will notice, and will indeed be “cut to the heart” – in the work place, in the family, in the service club, or where ever God puts us to shine.

Consider how Paul was converted, Cornelius, the jailor, Lydia…. What motivated them to turn their lives over to Christ? Was it seeing how bad they were, or how good God was? Both Of course, but without discovering the goodness of God, guilt is impossible to endure. Surely we can pry our hands of God’s work. We can trust the Spirit to convict the sinner of guilt, while we preach the good news of reconciliation.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Eph. 3:18

Of course the sinner needs the law as a pointer to grace. (Rom. 3) But all too often our view of “sin” is extremely inadequate, and so we “preach” against only a few surface sins. Indeed, we may be called to point out someone’s wrongs – but all too often this is not done in God’s timing, nor with his love. It is carried out by those who are deficient in love, because they have an anemic perception of God’s love. And more harm is done than good.

Let us not become cynical of love. “And so, we know and rely on the love God has for us.” 1 Jn. 4:16

PS I hope to soon do a word study on the word “love” because I believe that I need to grow deeper in God’s love.

Diane

Love reconciliation is the answer, not reconciliation from sin, Love of Christ in us will take care of sin. We sin because we just don't love God and His Christ by the Holy Spirit enough. Look forward to your word study.

2Cr 5:18 And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2Cr 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. That word is LOVE.

In Christ: Phillip

I in front of the word charity, (LOVE) we could understand that, by the Christ in me I suffer long and am kind. By the Christ in me I envy not; vaunteth not myself, am not puffed up, etc, etc.

In Christ: Phillip

Sadly, many Christians think that love is a feeling. It isn't. Love is action.

Romans 5 tells us that God DEMONSTRATED His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

What kind of love does one who professes Christ have when they will not warn the wicked?

When they tell people another gospel, which the apostle Paul warns against?

If we, in order to spare people's feelings, do not tell people to repent, but instead just say
'Jesus loves you', and never warn them of the judgment to come, is that love?

Never tell them of the consequences of rejecting God's offer of salvation, is that love?

Don't warn them about hell, or Bible prophecy, which is evidence of God's truth all around us, is that love?

Why become a Christian, in order to do things your way, instead of God's? Is that how you show God that you love him, by disobeying His commandments?

If you love Me keep My commandments Jesus says.

Love does not mean keeping silent, or hiding God's word from sinners.

We tell them, we warn them. If we cared, we would.

God bless.

Consider these various translations:
he will convict the world in respect of sin... ASV
...make the world conscious of sin BBE
The Spirit will come and show CEV
he will convict he world concerning sin ESV
he will convict the world of sin... ISV
convict the world concerning sin….MKJV

There is a kind of conviction that only God’s Spirit can bring about. At best we can only bring on a partial conviction – yet not the conviction that leads to full regeneration – and acceptance of God’s mercy and grace.

King David’s account of conviction and repentance is one of the most powerful examples in the Bible. His repentance was so complete that he did not suffer from hangover guilt afterwards. He did not resort to guilt-patching operations – to fill in the gaps, but clung to divine mercy. His conviction led him to God’s rest: “My soul finds rest in God alone.” Ps. 62:1

David knew that really only God could cause him to see his sins, and only God KNEW his sins: “Search me O God and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” s. 139:23

God had used the prophet Nathan to bring about full and complete conviction. Why Nathan? Nathan walked with God, talked with God, and above all, listened to God. Nathan was entrusted with the deep things of God. He did not move an inch without God’s leading. That's the nature of a true prophet. Imagine how he must have felt for an entire year, knowing about David’s sins. Nathan surely bore the agony during that time. I’m sure there were times that he was just “chompin’ at the bit” – eager to tell David. But God silenced him for an entire year.

And then, one day Nathan approached David with a parable. Nothing more – at first. But it reached David’s conscience. Only then did Nathan apply it to David’s own situation. And the result was effective. David responded, “I have sinned against the Lord” see 2 Sam. 12

There is a lesson here: In our zeal to bring on conviction, we all too easily do it in our own strength – especially if we have not been sufficiently broken by our Lord. Many have never learned to respect divinely ordered silence. Like Moses, many strike down lone Egyptians before they had their “40 years” in the desert – when the “Moses” in them dies.

The real tragedy is not that so few speak out, but that so few are able to speak according to the Spirit’s leading. There are few who have learned to hear the conviction of the Spirit through God’s every day means regarding their own sins – like the honest words of their children, or an employee, or the words of a song, or scripture.. or their spouse…. or inner voice... .

And too many of these people then go out and try to convict the world of sin – and there are no results, not surprising.

May we each be willing to be broken by the Lord. “Then I will teach transgressors your way, and sinners will turn back to you.”Ps. 51:13

Diane

Been camping in the book of John much of late, goodness will this ever be exhausted? Seems I have spent the last 7 to 8 years constantly returning, re-thinking, listening ...

And when [i][b]He[/b][/i] is come [i][b]He[/b][/i] will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.

Control freaks.

It keeps coming to mind. From many quarters. Either by toning things down or by barking out orders. Can hear it in the loud and banner waving crowd of God's abhorance, that image has stayed, posted elsewhere of a placard of a similar sentiment, can't but wonder at the reaction if it might more truthfully had stated;

"[i]God abhores ME![/i]"

Perhaps a bit of a digression, there is just something troubling when the symptoms are overstressed at the expense of the condition. A going after the jugular, rather than the [i]sword piercing to the bone and marrow[/i] and while we are at it, [i]Whose[/i] weapon is it that we are weilding? "Two edges" for good reason ...

Think Diane is touching on some of the same sentiment here;

The real tragedy is not that so few speak out, but that so few are able to speak according to the Spirit’s leading. There are few who have learned to hear the conviction of the Spirit through God’s every day means regarding their own sins – like the honest words of their children, or an employee, or the words of a song, or scripture.. or their spouse…. or inner voice... .

And too many of these people then go out and try to convict the world of sin – and there are no results, not surprising.

"Hear".

Could not agree more Diane ... [i]swayed by opinion[/i] comes to mind and this matter, opinion, the amount of emphesis placed on it ... Pardon my disjointedness. The further along on this pilgrimage, the more exacting the sentiment often expressed, well stated by Ravenhill;

[i]The older I get the more I realize every work of the Holy Spirit is majestic.[/i]

Actually, that's not even the quote I was thinking of, more on the lines of... "The more I know, the more I realize that I don't know." The former a better expression here, for this purpose.

Out of these recent days of lingering in the vicinity of John 12 say through 16, something that used to be quite a puzzlement, still mysterious in these failable minds yet a bit of a revelation ...

"[i]My sheep know My voice[/i]"

It began to dawn on me that in fact there is a distinction, a 'sound', better, a tense to the Lords voice. This could all unravel quite quickly here without some clarification...

Reading Jesus' words carries His own authority ...
[i]No man ever spoke...[/i]

His own power ...
[i]"I am He"[/i] (John 18:6).

Even a 'botched' translation isn't enough to stop it, even with all the inherant and associated problems, collectively speaking that is, and not to further the ongoing debate here.

It ought to cut through [i]in spite[/i] of the preacher, teacher, saint. Or even [i]despite[/i]the same. But to draw this back to the matter of control freaks that we can often be if we were a bit more honest ... The amount of explaining, opinion, commentary, mis-application (even unintentionaly) it is a wonder if His voice can even be heard above the din of our penchant to add our voice to it.

All that Jesus stated that the Holy Spirit would do. Who He would speak of, where He would take from and show unto us, remind the apostles and by extension ourselves ...

[i]But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you[/i]

[i] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for [u]he shall not speak of himself[/u]; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.[/i]

There is so much captured within all these verses ...

[i]I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.[/i]

[i]Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.[/i]

With you and in you. Too redundant for us semi-seasoned saints?

It is a difficult attempt at expression here, not the abstract, not necessarily the 'voice' within our head ... the [i]Lords voice[/i]. "It is the Lord!" That expression. That [u]sound[/u]. Even through mangled lips, His voice. On pages with pen and ink, and engraved on hearts like the carving of initials on a tree. Is it not very, very distinct?

Hardly the first inkling of what is trying to escape into words here...

Hi John,

Yes it is a bit of digression

Jesus said you will know the tree,(condition) by it's fruit,(sympton)

But enough of human agenda trying to correct human agenda.

And did the Comforter, my dear friends, ever come with such a convincing power as this unto your hearts? Were you ever made to see and feel, that in your flesh dwelleth no good thing; that you are conceived and born in sin; that you are by nature children of wrath; that God would be just if he damned you, though you never committed an actual sin in your lives?

But, whenever the Comforter comes into the heart, it convinces the soul of these false rests, and makes the sinner so see that all his righteousnesses are but filthy rags; and that, for the ;most pompous services, he deserves no better a doom than that of the unprofitable servant,

Were you made to feel, that your very repentance needed to be repented of, and that every thing in yourselves is but dung and dross? And that all the arguments you can fetch for mercy, must be out of the heart and pure unmerited love of God? Were you ever made to lie at the feet of sovereign Grace, and to say, Lord, if thou wilt, thou mayest save me; if not, thou mayest justly damn me; I have nothing to plead, I can in no wise justify myself in thy sight; my best performances, I see, will condemn me; and all I have to depend upon is thy free grace? What say you?

But there is a fourth sin, of which the Comforter, when he comes, convinces the soul, and which alone (it is very remarkable) our Lord mentions, as though it was the only sin worth mentioning; for indeed it is the root of all other sins whatsoever: it is the reigning as well as the damning sin of the world. And what now do you imagine that sin may be? It is that cursed sin, that root of all other evils, I mean the sin of ...