The Church has been inundated over the past several years with the loss of some long-standing convictions. These convictions were the guideposts of common Christian practice. The loss of these convictions has made it easier to believe in just about anything, but often the result of this loss is the confusion over what to believe.
Now, conviction is defined as: “In Christianity, a conviction is the act of being made aware of sin through the Holy Spirit. It can also refer to a strong belief or persuasion based on the Bible.” One of the ways the people of God get off track and lose God’s vision is when they get influenced by the convictions of other people. In the Book of Amos, there is an example of this type of conviction being eroded by the influences of their day:
Amos 2:12 But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’
One of the Nazirite’s vows was a commitment to abstain from any form of alcohol. (Numbers 6) This Nazirite vow was a way to demonstrate their conviction to separate from the world, and to dedicate themselves totally to God. The prophets were set aside to speak on behalf of God to the people, were told to “shut up,” and not to prophecy.
Who was telling the Nazirites to not drink wine, and for the prophets to be silent? It was the culture of the day in Israel. So, the convictions of the Nazirites, the consecrated people of intercession and the prophets, and those who spoke for God, were being eroded by the culture of their day.
Fast forward to our Church culture.
It is a slow, subtle process, but convictions can eventually get replaced by something far inferior. For example, in today’s Christian culture, prophets no longer have a place in the Church. They conclude that the Word of God has replaced them, so they are no longer needed. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us prophets have been replaced. In a strange way, it reminds me of the debate going on today about sermons prepared by AI. Pastors are using AI to do sermon preparation which some theologians like Dr. John Piper have rejected. AI, Dr. Piper says, has no emotion, and no human ability to interact with the Divine, so how can a sermon be effective if it comes from a computer? Good question.
In the same way that AI has no connection to God in speaking for him, how about the preacher with doctrinal error … does he speak for God? Both AI and the preacher in error, do not speak for God, so who stands against these practices? It is the prophet who hears from God and speaks the convictions of a Holy God.
The Prophet Amos addressed those who were eroding convictions. Do we have prophets of conviction in our pulpits addressing the causes of our eroding convictions?
The conviction of abstaining from loving this world
The conviction of being holy as God is holy
The conviction of humility as the model of Christ
The conviction of respect and honor
The conviction of prayerlessness
The conviction of an eternal punishment without Christ
The conviction of surrender, dying to self, and service to others
The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life are three characteristics found in our world that will erode convictions. The human heart is stubborn to resist God, and it is weak to give in to the influence of evil. Our choice every day is to be a person of conviction.
The ministry of conviction among us is the Holy Spirit. He will help with the transformation that comes from His conviction in your heart, so let Him do His work in you.
John 8:16 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler