True Seekers - Conviction Series

A true seeker of God is a person of character.

• WHO we are on the inside is more important than how we impress others on the outside.

• Character is a CHOICE we make, to do the little things that please God.

• Each time we obey Him we are moulding ourselves into His likeness.

A true seeker of God is a person of compassion.

• This is the criteria the Bible sets, as the mark of a disciple of Jesus Christ. The world will know we are His disciples by our love for people.

• We grow in compassion by doing little acts of kindness and putting ourselves in the shoes of others.

• If we leave fingerprints on everything we touch, we want to leave heart-prints of love and touch lives wherever God puts us in.

• That’s the only way the world can see and experience His love – through you and me.

Finally, a true seeker of God is a person of conviction.

• He or she is determined to follow God’s way and glorify Him; no compromise, no half-hearted devotion.

• For this we want to look at the calling of the first disciples in Mark 1:14-20.

Can you feel the conviction of these men?

• It was a firm response to the call of Jesus, almost too quick to be real for us.

• They did not seem to hesitate. They seemed sure of what they were doing.

• The Holy Spirit enlightened them and they really wanted to follow Jesus. The heard the CRY of Jesus and now the CALL of Jesus.

It could have been different.

• They could have scratched their heads and discussed the pros and cons with each other.

• They could have consulted their families and asked Jesus to wait for their replies.

• “Let us think about it for awhile. Is this the way to go? Are there better options?”

But that wasn’t the case. They heard Jesus’ words and trusted Him, enough to drop everything and follow Him.

• It was a step of faith; it was a step that would change their lives, and in turn the lives of millions after them.

• It will always be a step of faith to respond to God’s Word, because we can only see who and where we ARE, but God sees who we can BECOME and where we can go.

• Jesus saw not just fishermen, but “fishers of men” – people who would eventually transform the world. God sees our potential.

(1) A man of conviction is one who is determined to RESPOND to God’s call.

Jesus expected a response. It was a CALL FOR ACTION.

• When God speaks, He does not speak to simply increase our knowledge but to change our lives.

• If the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, speaks to us today, we are to respond.

• Each time when we are convicted by His Word, God has spoken. Our part is to respond because He is actually asking, “What are you going to do with what I’ve said?”

God wants an ‘action plan’. We are to respond in action.

• James says faith without works is dead. God is asking, “What are you going to do with what you have heard?”

• For the disciples, it would mean dropping their nets, switching career, or leaving their homes.

• For us, it can mean waking up earlier for a quiet time with God, making time to share with a friend, or deciding to join a bible study group.

At the end of the retreat, in our discussion group, we drafted out our personal ‘action plan’ – what do we want to DO with all that we’ve heard over the 3 days.

• Things will only change if there is an action plan - it’s a determination to obey God.

• So we have people who write, “I do not want to waste my time away, read the NT by year end.” “Bring one person to church.” “Share Christ with one person per month.” “Study Psalm 1.”

• And we are going to meet 6 months from now to share about it.

If the Word of God is given not to increase our knowledge but change our lives, then we need to take practical steps to respond to God’s Word.

• I suggest you do the same, draft out an action plan… now that we have heard so much from the Lord over the past few days.

• Without it, those words will just be nice-sounding words, interesting stories, and quotable quotes and over time, nothing really changes; it will have little impact in your life.

True conviction changes you. You need to do something.

• Just like character – you need to build it up. Just like compassion, you need to cultivate it. For conviction to be strong, you need to act upon it.