Welcome back to Cultivating Growth. We want to thank everyone for joining us this week. The topic of discussion is going to be conviction. We're going to talk about what the Bible has to say about our responsibility to be convicted, about what we believe and what that looks like in our lives, how we can go about reaching that level with our faith and our understanding of what God  has for us to do and to be.

So with that, let's get right to it. 

Well, John, as we spend this weekend talking about the idea of conviction and growing in our conviction, conviction itself is kind of an interesting word. Even biblically, it's an interesting word. It, it certainly has spiritual connotations. There's no question about that. But yet it isn't a word that is just hundreds and hundreds of times found, you know, biblically.

Just a couple, you know, certainly depending upon the translation that you use. But the idea of conviction certainly is found from the very beginning, really to the very end, because just by definition, it is firmly held belief. It is, you know, kind of that step beyond just kind of believing in something.

It is  You know, really, really believing in something and you know, what a silly way to kind of kind of put that but it's so much more than just, you know, you're just kind of run of the mill everyday belief in something it is really to within your core. This is something that I believe in. Yeah, I found the same thing when I looked this.

Word up at best. I could tell it really is only used twice in, in the new Testament. The first one being in Hebrews 11 verse one, and then again, in second Timothy three and verse 16. And even in both of those verses, I think what you just said is, is evident and in Hebrews chapter 11, for instance, talking about faith, it says now faith is a substance of things hoped for.

Now I'm reading from the New King James for the evidence of things not seen other translations will render that the conviction of things not seen. And so we see just in that verse alone, the idea that you're just. Talking about when it comes to our faith, faith is built upon the substance of things that are hoped for the conviction or the evidence of things that we don't see, what is it around us that we're able to witness, identify, study, understand that leads us to conviction when it comes to the Bible.

And so that's really the, the idea that we're going to be talking about today is how do we grow in that conviction? How do we deepen that conviction? That belief that that unwavering belief, the really way I've connected to this as I've been thinking about it this week is thinking about it from our judicial system.

If somebody goes on trial, for instance.  They are put before a jury of their peers and a prosecutor is going to lay out evidence against them in an attempt to convict them. His job is to convince the jury beyond the shadow of a doubt that this individual who is standing trial did what they are accused of doing.

His job is to lay out all of the evidence. So that those jurors are fully convinced. And if they're not fully convinced, then they cannot convict. And so I think for us, you know, we think about, that's a very negative way of looking at this word. But, but that idea helped me kind of understand this better.

When I look at the Bible,  God has given us through scripture and through the world around us evidence. And it's my job now to take that evidence, to weigh it, to think about it, to study it, and then through that, to become convinced that God is who he says he is. And therefore I am subject to him and to his will for my life.

Yeah, I mean, we can really stay right here in this context of Hebrews chapter 11 and kind of build on to that a little bit. Even going into the end of Hebrews chapter 10, when you start to understand what this chapter is about, often we make reference to it being, you know, the chapter of faith, and conviction and faith are very closely related.

There's no question about that. But it is an understanding about what biblical faith really is. It is beyond that. You know, 55 45 kind of split. It's beyond the, well, that makes more sense than not. Or that blind leap of faith that, you know, is a cliche in our own vernacular. You know, all of those kind of ideas.

In the way that we use the word maybe today in our everyday speech isn't the way the Bible uses the idea of faith and Hebrews chapter 11 helps us with that is that understanding that you're basing things upon evidence, you're basing things upon substance, and you are then convinced or convicted of that and not just a little bit convicted.

You are fully convicted, and that's why I like  You know, the definition of that, that it isn't just a held belief, you know, dictionary. com will give you firmly held belief. And so it's even adding that, you know, that punch to it. And so when you think about the end of chapter 10, when you think about chapter 11 and verse 3, or chapter 11 and verse 6, or even all of the examples that are given to us here in Hebrews  chapter 11, a lot of it then stems on that full, firm held belief in what God has said or what God has promised.

And so because God has said something or because God has promised something and I believe that, I'm convinced of that, I'm convicted of that, now how then that impacts my life? And I think, you know, In Hebrews chapter 11, in a lot of ways that kind of bears out, you know, this idea of a word that I think in everyday vernacular, we use a little bit different sometimes.

Yeah, we definitely do. And I think we see a real life example of this playing out in Acts chapter two, where again, this word isn't used, but certainly the idea of becoming convinced is certainly seen. In Acts chapter two, as Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost, and he lays out the gospel message to all of those who are there and hearing what he has to say, you get to verse 37 and you see their response.

And they say, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart.  They were essentially convicted, they were convinced they had heard what Peter had to say about Jesus and the gospel message. And upon hearing that they were convinced they were cut to the heart. And so their response to that was, well, what do we need to do?

Tell us what we need to do. We're convinced you, you convinced us now what do we need to do in response to that? And I think what that shows us is the power of the gospel to convince. And that is really at the heart of what the gospel intends to do in every individual's life.  It is powerful. It, as the Hebrew writer will say, it's sharper than any two edged sword.

It is, it is powerful and it is able to convince and convict us. And we see an example of that in Acts chapter two. And so we then have the responsibility to have the same type of response when we hear the gospel. And then if we in turn want to. to convince others. We do so using the gospel itself. That's the only method that's truly going to convince anyone when it comes to who Christ is and what he came to earth to do.

Yeah. Let me, let me give you one more verse maybe to be thinking about, and then we'll kind of move into how it is we can grow in this area, almost from the kind of the flip side of things a little bit. Again, the word convict. or conviction isn't there, but the idea is certainly there. In James chapter 1, in James chapter 1 verse 5, you have, you know, kind of a verse people are familiar with, you know, if any of you lacks wisdom, let them ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach.

And so you have this incredible idea that, We're seeking wisdom, we want wisdom, and one way to do that is to ask God for it. Just be willing to ask God for it. But then in verse six, you kind of have this idea of what conviction is all about, or certainly what it doesn't include, is what you have here in James chapter one.

In verse six where it says, But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like the wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. And so James kind of adds that caveat.  And in a lot of ways, it really gives us an idea of what conviction is, that you're going to ask God for something, in this case, wisdom.

And you're going to believe that he can deliver on what it is that you're asking, and you're going to do so without doubting. You're convicted that if I ask God for wisdom, that he's going to provide it for me. And so you have this faith.  With no doubting, kind of added to it, and it kind of, I think, gives us that idea of biblically what conviction is all about.

Well, and then you ask the important question, which is, once we understand what it's all about, how do we grow in that area? How do we become more and more convinced, more and more convicted, when it comes to what the Bible has to say? And I think sometimes the answer is so simple that We look for other ways in which we can become more and more convinced, but, but the simple answer is, is to spend time in the Bible and allow it to lay out its case for you.

Because God does that for us. He, He, He asks us to follow Him in faith, but to your point earlier, it's not blind faith. He, he lays out evidence to support the fact that he is the all powerful God, that he created the heavens and the earth, that he sent Jesus to this earth to die on the cross for our sins.

He lays out the evidence to support that. And so spend time looking at it, honestly, that's the only way to really come to a conclusion about whether or not you're going to be convinced about what the Bible says. And I think far too often we look outside of scripture to try to make up our minds as to whether or not I'm going to be convinced about this whole God story.

When in reality, look at the Bible itself, read it, look at the prophecies that are made. Look at the historical evidence that's included in there for us. Look at the story of Jesus. Look at the story of the apostles and the first century Christians and allow God to make his case and then observe it honestly and come to a conclusion.

And I think what most people will find is that when they do that honestly and with open hearts, they will become convicted of what God has to say. And so really the, the foundation, if we're seeking that level of conviction or to grow in our conviction, we need to be spending time in God's word, really, really taking the time to look at the evidence that he lays out for us.

Yeah, I mean, that evidence is all around us, right? I mean, it is, it is a way certainly that we can grow in our conviction is to open our eyes and to be honest about what God has done, certainly what he has provided for us in his word, but yet also what he has provided in, in creation and the way that everything operates without fail and and to be thinking about  If that's just something that can happen, right?

No, it's not something that can happen. When you use logic and you use honesty, you come away with the only answer is a creator set all of these things in motion. And you begin to think about, you know, those things. You can analyze God at work in your life. You can analyze God at work in other people's lives.

I mean, that's what he does in Scripture. You see that all the time. The reminding, especially in the Old Testament, you see this a lot, you You know, the reminding of, think about what God has done, remember what God has done. And the impact that that can have, if you're open and honest to that. One, while you were talking just a moment ago, one example of that that kind of, you know, kind of hit me. 

Is in the book of Joshua with Rahab. I mean, that's exactly what she did You'd think of someone who could easily be blinded and she wasn't a an Israelite She was from Jericho and and lived in that city. She could have easily been blinded and biased and all things Pertaining to Jehovah, but she had her eyes open.

She was honest about what she has seen and and she makes the point And she tells those spies that are there in her home, Listen, I've been paying attention. I've seen what God has done for the, for the Israelites. I've seen what happened with the Red Sea. I've seen what's happened to the armies on the other side of the river.

I've seen, you know, God go to work and she was convicted. By Jehovah just by having our eyes open and we've got to be able to do that. We've got to set aside those biases and just be honest and open up our eyes to what God has done, what God has created, what God has written for us and to stay open to all of those things.

And that's what Paul says to Timothy in second Timothy three, I referenced earlier that this is the other place in the new Testament where this word, the same word that's used in Hebrews 11 in verse one is used in second Timothy three. And verse 16, it says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof.

That's the word that's used in Hebrews 11 and verse one that can also be translated conviction for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete. Thoroughly equipped for every good work. And so Paul very clearly recognizes that if you want to be convinced, if you want to be convicted, then that's found through the inspired word of God.

That's one of the reasons that God has given it to us is for that very purpose of convicting us and allowing us to grow in that. And so just like, you know, a couple of weeks ago, we talked about the importance of Growing as a student of God's word. Well, one of the benefits of growing as a student of God's word is that we're also through that study, going to deepen our conviction because that's one of the reasons that God has preserved the Bible for us today.

And so we need to make sure that. We're carving out time to spend in His Word, not just to learn the details and the facts, but to allow it to convict us, to convince us. It is for our reproof.  It sustains itself. It is self contained evidence of who God is and what He has done. done. Now we have a responsibility to open it up and allow it to do its work in our lives.

Yeah, there's no doubt about that. Well, that's a good place to stop for us today. We'll close as we normally do with a passage from God's word and we'll kind of full circle from where we were in thinking about conviction, specifically the definition of that, that we, that we gave at the beginning of a firmly held belief.

And so when you think about that idea, there's a passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 as Paul is concluding this letter to the Brethren in Corinth. He says in a very simple kind of way, 1 Corinthians 16 verse 13, Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening.

And rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus as widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week and we'll talk to you again next week.