Tuesday February 21, 2017
“by gentler means”
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the
mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord
passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke
the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and
after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and
after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the
fire a
still small voice. – 1 Kings
19:11-12
Conviction of Sin (ongo‘i tautea ‘i he angahala)
B. Questions
about Conviction
1) is conviction necessary? – (continue)
This account expressed by C.H.
Spurgeon gives insight to the gentle way the Spirit of God works in some cases;
Among the many thousands of souls who
have been brought to know the Lord under my instrumentality, I have often
noticed that a considerable proportion of these, and of the best members of our
church, too, were won to the Savior, not by illegal terrorists, but by gentler means… I asked an excellent
young woman, ‘what was the first thought
that set you really seeking the Savior?’ ‘Oh, sir’, she replied, ‘it
was Christ’s lovely character that first made me long to be his disciple. I saw
how kind, how good, how self-sacrificing he was, and that made me feel how
different I was. I thought oh I am not like Jesus and that sent me to my room,
and I began to pray, and so I came to trust him’.
These words are illuminating for several
reasons. They indicate that we should look twice at Scripture before raising
the experience of Paul, for example, into the soul prototype of conversion.
Events of the day of Pentecost are not the norm for all forthcoming experiences
of repentance and faith. But Spurgeon’s words are almost significant because
they show that even when God uses gentler means to bring us to
Christ, there’s always (at least in those who have reached natural
maturity), some sense of conviction of sin. ‘Oh, I am not like
Jesus’ is an expression of such conviction. It is difficult to see how
this, or something akin to it, can be avoided if we are to be awakened out of
our slumber in sin and transferred to the Kingdom of God.
We need to learn that conviction is not something which
we ourselves create. The fears and anxieties which often accompany it
are not duties to be fulfilled if we are to become genuine Christians. It is a
great mistake to be impressed by the depth of conviction of a great man of God
and to seek the same for self. God does not deal with us like that.
Challenge:
Be careful
not to compare your salvation experience with someone else. You are unique and
God uses various means to draw us to Himself.
This Day in Christian History:
February 21, 1945 - ERIC
LIDDELL, OLYMPIAN FOR CHRIST died on this day. Following the Olympics, he
completed his education and became a missionary in China, where he met and
married his wife Florence. He sent her and their daughters to safety in Canada
after the Japanese invaded China, but remained himself in danger from Chinese
Communists and Japanese invaders. Everyone in the camp mourned, for by then his
infectious smile and concern for others were widely known. Norman Cliff, one of
the young men who witnessed Liddell’s life in the prison camp, believes the
champion runner would have taken no credit for his life, but would have said
instead, “When you speak of me, give the glory to my master, Jesus Christ”
Memory Verse:
And I, when
I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
— John 12:32
Pea ko au,
kapau ‘e hiki au ki ‘olunga mei he kelekele, te u tohoaki ‘a e kakai kotoa pē
kiate au – Sione 12:32
Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)
Week
8 – Leviticus 15-18; Psalm 31; Hebrews 6
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