Fire On Your Head

One of the greatest marks of a true outpouring is deep conviction of sin. That was a common occurrence in Pensacola during the revival. It was the result of two things: the tangible, felt presence of God, and preaching that searches hearts and promotes holiness.

Am I saying that all our messages should focus on this? No. But we can at least focus on it regularly, and we can touch on it in every message. In most church services, there are several visitors. We should never take it for granted that they are right with God, just because they came to a church service, or even if they lift their hands and seem to be worshiping with everyone else. I have seen people who were terribly backslidden lift their hands with everyone else during worship, and then at the altar-call, would be on their face, weeping and repenting before God, because the message searched them and produced “godly sorrow that works repentance, not to be repented of“.

We must remember that conviction doesn’t just come automatically. The Holy Spirit does not reprove the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come, unless we preach these things, bathed in much prayer. When Jesus preached the sermon on the mount, these were the very topics He preached on: Matthew 5 – sin, chapter 6 – righteousness, chapter 7 – judgment. Look at it for yourself.

I have heard many preachers over the years say that it is not our job to convict the world of sin, it is the Holy Spirit’s job. But that is only half true. Jesus said that when the Spirit comes, He will reprove (convict) the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim 4:2 that he, as a preacher of the word must reprove (convict), rebuke, and exhort… We are also told to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead, to reprove (convict) them.

The Holy Spirit helps us pray. He doesn’t do our praying for us.
He helps us preach. He doesn’t do the preaching for us.
In the same way, we must present to the lost and the backslider those truths that are designed to awaken the sinner’s conscience. The Holy Spirit takes those truths and drives them into the sinners heart like a two-edged sword!

Brothers and sisters, we’re not waiting on God: God is waiting on us! If we will prevail in prayer with God for men in secret, we will prevail in preaching and evangelizing with men for God in public. IF… we present the very truths that the Holy Spirit uses to awaken their conscience: Sin, righteousness and judgment.  Charles Finney said, “the Gospel is no glad tidings to a careless sinner who is not convicted of sin”.

I am convinced that most believers in America have never seen deep conviction of sin. Unless you have been involved in a revival atmosphere, you perhaps have no idea what I’m talking about. We can read about it in stories from the Hebrades Revival, as witnessed by people like Duncan Campbell. Or the many revival accounts written about by Charles G. Finney.

I saw it regularly during my 3 1/2 years at the Brownsville revival in Pensacola, Fl. People would often respond to the messages by running to the altar, sometimes while Steve Hill was still preaching. It was common in those days for people to stay at the altar for as long as 30 minutes to an hour, many of them weeping and some actually wailing aloud under deep conviction.

In my own life, I have witnessed this. i am convinced, that when believers are possessed with a mighty spirit of prevailing prayer, they can be instrumental in getting more people saved, seemingly by accident, than than could on purpose without it. In my next post, I will share an experience to illustrate this.

A number of years ago I had purchased a book on the subject of prayer by Charles G. Finney. It is a compilation of Finney’s writings, and goes by the title, “Principles of Prayer“.
At the time, I would take the book to work with me, and read whenever business was slow. I learned so many important truths about prayer, and began to see answers to prayer, especially for the lost increase at a dramatic pace.
One afternoon, while I was waiting on a customer, a brother who owned a restaurant in the same mall, and whom I had told about this book by Finney, walked into the store. He interrupted me and asked if he could borrow the book to read during his lunch-break. As he left with the book, without even thinking I blurted out in front of the couple I was waiting on, “That guy has no idea what he’s about to read!” Surprised, the man asked, “What is it?”
I told him it was a book on the subject of prayer by Charles Finney.
“Who is he?” the man asked.
I told him Finney was perhaps the most successful evangelist since the days of the Apostle Paul. That more of Finney’s converts stayed right with God after their conversion to Christ.
I then told them how Finney had preached in a schoolhouse once, and that 15 minutes into his sermon, the power of God came down, and men and women began to fall from their seats in every direction and cry to God for mercy!
While sharing this, I noticed that the young woman, who was with this man, looked upset. I assumed they must have been in an argument or something. Her eyes were tearing up and she acted very uncomfortable an almost ashamed or embarrassed.

Suddenly, I heard this thought: “She is under conviction of sin!” I almost immediately dismissed the thought, thinking, “that can’t be, I’m not even talking to her.” Then the thought came to me, “You’re not talking to her, but I Am!”

I reasoned, “the devil wouldn’t be telling me this. And it isn’t my mind telling me this, because I’m arguing with the thought! Maybe it IS God!”

I then stopped and turned to look at the woman. I said to her, “Can I ask you a question?” She became agitated, and sheepishly said, “What?”
I looked seriously at at her and asked, “Is the Spirit of God dealing with you about your sin?”
She put her hands over her face, and screamed, “YEEESSS!!!”
She then fell forward on her knees, and began to sob, uncontrollably.
The gentleman with her looked astonished, and I must say, I was quite taken aback myself! I leaned forward so she could hear me, and in a low voice told her to go immediately and find a place where she could pour her heart out to God. I suggested the ladies room in the food-court. I told her not to come out until she was sure that she had unconditionally surrendered, all that she is and all that she has to God! I warned the gentleman with her not to hinder her, or he may be the cause of her eternal damnation, and that God would require her blood at his hand!
As soon as they left the store, my manager returned from the bank. I said to him, “I’m gonna go in the back and put some stock away!”  I then went into the stock room, and while putting away stock, began to pray earnestly for this woman.

In a few minutes, my manager called to me saying, “Hey Joel! There is a woman out front here that wants to see you!”  I knew it was her. When I went out front, she began to weep tears of joy and to thank me over and over saying, “I’ve waited my whole life for this!”

Beloved, I don’t know about you, but I want to see more of this! As I said, when the Church has a spirit of prevailing prayer for the lost, she will be able to win more souls, seemingly by accident, than she could on purpose without it. Or, as one man said, “the secret to an Apostolic ministry, full of faith and power, is using the Divinely-given instruments of travail and compassion; they will make you irresistible to men.”

-thatjoelguy