[Biblemat] S) WHEN SAINTS AREN'T COMMITTED

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
files.  Use to the glory of God.

WHEN SAINTS AREN'T COMMITTED

     My wife and I were elated to buy our first house last year,
something we were not sure we could do in the Silicon Valley.
The most fun was planning all the projects we would start on
once we moved in -- we wanted to add a fence to the front
yard, refinish the hardwood floors, repaint the exterior grey
trim a more vibrant color, and about twenty other things.  So
far, we have replaced two broken windows and changed a 
couple of light switches.  Well, we had good intentions and a
strong eagerness.  The whole experience has driven home a
lesson I already knew: success requires more than good intentions.  The core 
ingredient must be conviction.

     I have had many experiences similar to home-buying in
congregations throughout the country.  We knew we had work to do, so we did 
different things to stimulant product-
ion.  I cannot tell you how many programs we have tried in 
various congregations in the past ten years -- programs such
as door-knocking, visiting programs, mail-outs, evangelistic
web pages and telephone efforts.  So many of them fizzled.
It was so discouraging, and honestly it got to the point where
I hated programs.  Realistically, it was not the program that
was to blame.  The problem had more to do with conviction.
Without that missing ingredient, any congregation will exper-
ience failure and discouragement.

     I am encouraged to read the "work of faith and labor of
love and steadfastness of hope" that belonged to the Thessa-
lonian Christians.  They accepted the gospel in the midst of
persecution, jealousy, mobs and uproars (Acts 17).  Paul gave thanks for them 
and said, "our gospel did not come to
you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and
with full conviction..." (1 Thes. 1:5, NASB).

     There is so much packed into the meaning of the word
"conviction."  To illustrate, see the Ephesian church in (Rev.
2;1-7).  That congregation could not tolerate false teaching.
They shared God's hatred of the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
Yet in spite of their stand for the truth, they lacked full con-
viction.  There is more to conviction than being intolerant to-
ward evil men.  The Lord told them they had fallen, they had
left their first love.  Also, consider the church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29). 
 The saints of Thyatira practiced good deeds.
Yet in spite of their good deeds, they lacked full conviction.
They were tolerant toward immorality.  Conviction is more than doing good 
deeds.

     The best description for conviction that I know is found in
the story of Phinehas (Num. 25:1-9).  Can you put yourself in-
to the life of Phinehas as the Israelite men are being seduced
by the Moabite women?  The righteous of Israel have gather-
ed in a meeting to discuss what to do about the men joining
themselves to these women and to the idol Baal.  During the
meeting, your eyes follow another man as he audaciously es-
corts a Moabite woman to his tent.  Does your anger burn?
Do you grab your spear as Phinehas did and follow them into
the tent?  Could you carry the responsibility of ending their
lives by piercing them with that spear?  It makes me afraid
just thinking about it.  From beginning to end, Phinehas pro-
vides a living example of conviction.

     Conviction is what we do about what we believe -- it is mot-
ivating confidence.  Conviction is more than just a firm belief.
It requires something from us.  Peter and John one time said,
"We cannot stop speaking abut what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).  It 
was not because somebody was forcing
them.  It was their conviction forcing them.  We read already
that the Thessalonians were fully convicted.  They were con-
victed of two primary things: the teachings of God (1:5) and
that Jesus was going to come back from heaven some day
(1:9).  As a result of their conviction, they changed their lives
to such an extent that every one around them talked about
them.  They began to try and imitate Paul and the Lord, and
they started waiting for God's Son (1:10).  A saint's convict-
ion is founded upon the teachings of God and the promises
of God.

     Conviction is the absence of all doubt.  Contrast Phinehas
conviction with Peter's effort to walk on the water.  Peter star-
ted out with good intentions, but in the end needed to be res-
cued.  Jesus rebuked him by asking, "You of little faith, why
did you doubt?" (Matt. 14:31).  If a congregation is going to
be successful, there must be no doubt that God will grant
them success.  Jesus expressed what will happen through us
if His power is combined with our assurance -- "Truly I say
to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was 
done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this
mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea' it will happen"
(Matt. 21:12).  Is that your conviction?  Why is it so tempting
to add the conjunction, "But..." to these and other such state-
ments of God?

     Conviction is confidence that we as a congregation will 
grow and thrive as long as we follow God's plan for us.  One
of my favorite letters in the Bible is Paul's letter to the Philipp-
ians.  It is clear to me that these saints had a problem with
pessimism.  Everything Paul says is an effort to get them to
see the positive side of things.  "I am confident of this very
thing," Paul says, "that He who began a good work in you 
WILL PERFECT IT until the day of Christ Jesus" (1:6).  I KNOW that I will 
remain and continue with you all for your
PROGRESS AND JOY IN THE FAITH" (1:25).  Paul admonish-
es them to rejoice, to dwell on the good things, to avoid anxie-
ty.  How can we be anything but positive if we are convicted
that God is per-fecting our work and that we will progress?
How can we avoid con-fidence knowing that "all things work
together for good to those who love God" (Rom. 8:28).

     A congregation without conviction looks like this: it lacks
motivation that comes from confidence in God's words and
promises.  It has no drive to "excel still more" (1 Thes. 4:1,10)
It is not making every effort to imitate the Lord and not wait-
ing for Him.  They have all sorts of doubts, doubts that the
world will listen to them, that they themselves can significant-
ly change, that with Jesus' power they can cast mountains
into the sea.  They are pessimistic.  They are not confident
that God is perfecting them and that they will progress.  Lack
of conviction will certainly lead tot he demise of a congregat-
ion.    -------- Jason Cheney via The Eastside Edifier, Aug. 5, 
2007.   </HTML>
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