When God Comes Near

Part 1

But there is another dimension to the character of God that requires our attention. Those who are students of the Word of God, as well as experienced in the ways of God, know that God comes near and is present in the lives of God-seekers in a way He is not near and present among the rest of humankind. Some refer to this activity as the manifest presence of God: God communicating with ordinary Christians like you and me—people who are characteristically hungry and thirsty for God.

Something with the mark of the Eternal stamped upon it inevitably occurs when God and the God-seeker encounter one another. What impact that encounter has on us will vary depending upon what one's need is at the time. But we can rest assured of this: before that Divine rendezvous is over we will know in our spirit that we have been in the presence of God like Jacob of old when he exclaimed, "How awesome is this place!"(2)

What actually happens when God comes near to us by His Holy Spirit?

Conviction of Sin

Webster's dictionary won't help us understand what conviction of sin is all about, but all who have experienced the persuasive influence of the Holy Spirit indicting one's own conscience of unacceptable behavior (sin), knows full well what it is.

Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin ..."(3) It is impossible for a sinner to trust Christ as Lord and Savior without this prerequisite conviction of sin.

"I've been reading a friend of yours," said a young man to theologian J. I. Packer leaving church one Sunday morning. "I think he knows me."

"Who is it?" asked Packer.

"John Owen. He seems to know exactly what's going on inside me ..."(4)

It's true, John Owen (1616-1683) embodied the best of Puritan devotion: the awe of God, humility, wisdom, and an awareness of God's grace. He also dealt with the nature of sinful humanity as no writer has done as keenly or thoroughly. But it is the Holy Spirit who really knows what's going on inside of us. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."(5)

As a sixteen year old boy, kneeling at an altar of prayer, it was the Holy Spirit who uncovered layers of transgressions in my sinful, broken heart. He reminded me of the grapes I had stolen from a produce counter in the local A & P grocery store; of Cokes I had taken unlawfully from a soda machine; of the many unkindnesses I had committed against my step-mother; of the moral impurities of a wicked heart; but fundamentally He showed me that I had sinned against Him, a holy God.(6)

Sin is an offense against the character and person of God; it's a violation of His holy law, a transgression of His revealed will. Sin is an enemy of God. Sin is a failure to perfectly obey the revealed will of God; it's a failure to love as Christ loved. Sin should not only be thought of as an unholy act, but as a moral pollution, an unholy disease, the bent of the will toward evil.

The only way one can be brought face to face with his own sin is through the personal, pungent, convicting ministries of the blessed Holy Spirit. The Spirit uses many and varied means to this end: the spoken Word of God, the creation of God (Martin Luther was reminded of his barren, sinful life upon seeing a leafless tree one winter); the Christ-like life of a devout believer; providential happenings (such as a death, divorce, or illness); inner emptiness and a sense of aloneness. Through any one of these—and often a combination of these, as well as many others—the Spirit of God uses to draw people to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is where the church and her ministering servants play such a vital and necessary role in Kingdom work. God's primary means of reaching people—and conviction of sin is a necessary means to that end—is His Word. God uses His Word in at least three different forms: the read Word of God; the spoken Word of God, and the lived Word of God (incarnational Word). We'll concern ourselves here with two of these.

Conviction and the Read Word of God

The Holy Spirit again and again uses the read Word of God to bring conviction to the hearts of the reader. Whether it is a traveling businessman reaching into a desk drawer for a Gideon's Bible before he retires for the night, and upon reading is convicted of His sins, or a gospel tract providentially falling into the hands of some desperate God-seeker, or in the privacy of one's own home with an open Bible on the lap, the Word of God is God's primary agent in arresting guilty sinners. "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and intents of the heart.(7)

Thus the importance of both Bible distribution and Bible reading. Thank God for every ministry engaged in Bible distribution—ministries like Voice of the Martyrs, for example, which in 1994 floated 80,000 Scripture balloons into closed North Korea.

Conviction & the Spoken Word of God

All God's people have a responsibility and privilege to speak His Word as opportunities arise. As those who believe in the priesthood of all believers, we evangelicals don't—or, shouldn't—leave to professional clergy the sole responsibility of sharing the Word of God. The spoken Word of God can have a powerful effect upon the hearer, whether it's spoken by a so-called layperson or one employed in full-time ministry.

Nevertheless, preachers do have a unique responsibility. It is their special calling to preach and teach the whole counsel of God, and to proclaim the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. They are called by God to do this, not in their own strength, but through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty."(8) What an awesome calling!

Wherever and whenever this Word is spoken, if it is to have its intended effect, it must be spoken by a person God can use. When God seeks to reach the unsaved, he sends a prepared person across their path with the gospel message. When He seeks to revive and restore His wandering sheep, He raises up a God-anointed individual to reach that person.

Whether this spoken Word is shared in a corporate setting (e.g., a Sunday worship service), or one-on-one with an individual (e.g., Philip with the Ethiopian), apart from the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit, the work of God will not be effective.

God's plan to reach needy people is not simply Bible distribution, or else He wouldn't need preachers. God's normal plan in reaching men and women with the gospel of Jesus Christ is to call, cleanse, equip and fill His ministering servants with the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit working through a God-filled person when the Word of God is spoken that has great power. And whenever this is accompanied by a contingent of God-filled saints in the pews—sinners will be convicted of their sins, and careless Christians will be convicted of theirs as well.

If I could, I would shout this from the steeple of every church in America: "It's the Holy Spirit! It's the Holy Spirit! It's the Holy Spirit!" Without Him all our Bible studies, sermons, seminars, prayers, songs, lovely sanctuaries, degrees, choirs and orchestras are . . . absolutely worthless—worthless. One of the greatest needs in our churches is Holy Spirit conviction!

Has the church forgotten how to do God's work in God's way? Listen to Times Square Church pastor David Wilkerson's assessment of our dilemma:

“We constantly hear awful exaggerations about the numbers of people who come to Jesus through various ministries. Christians report scores of people were saved as they preached in prisons, schools, tribal meetings. They say, ‘Everybody in the place gave his heart to Jesus. When I finished preaching, they came forward for salvation.’”

No—that is a tragic exaggeration! All too often, what actually happens is that everyone simply repeats a prayer. They merely pray what they're told to pray—and few of them grasp what they're saying. Then most of them go back to their heathen ways!

And then Wilkerson reasons:

“I believe the church has even taken the feeling out of conviction. Think about it—you hardly ever see tears on the cheeks of those who are being saved anymore. Of course, I know tears don't save anyone. But God made us all human, with very real feelings. And any hell-bound sinner who has been moved by the Holy Spirit naturally feels a profound sorrow over the ways he has grieved the Lord.”(9)

Alcibiades once said to Socrates: "Socrates, I hate you; for every time I see you, you show me what I am." And so it is with God; He strips us of all the veneer and makeup, He tears away all our pretence and cover-up, and then shows us what we are—if we listen ... if we bow down low enough ... if we stay long enough.

Joseph Is a Stranger

The children of Israel's troubles began when "a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph."(10) The churches troubles begin whenever we have pastors, church leaders and members who are brought into the church without ever being convicted of their sins, without ever being truly changed. The language of Spirit-conviction is totally foreign to them—they do not know Joseph, as it were. They are unfamiliar with godliness, righteousness, holiness and divine truth. They introduce into the church the ways of Egypt, the ways of the world. They say it's better. Jesus walks away weeping.

I realize the picture I've just painted is not the condition of every church, and it may not be the condition of yours. But who among us can be satisfied? If it's not the condition of your church, should we not be burdened for neighboring churches and the church at large? What can we do?

Pray

Pray for yourself. Ask yourself before God: Am I a truly converted person? Have I been born again? Am I living a fully surrendered and obedient life? Is there sin in my life? Make sure you are thoroughly right with God and then, by His grace, walk in the light of God, keep in step with the Spirit of God.

Pray for your church. Pray for its leaders. Pray for its services. Pray that God will be pleased to send a Holy Spirit revival your way. Don't be critical of your leaders and fellow members. Pray, pray, pray. Love, love, love. Believe, believe, believe.

What actually happens when God comes near in His manifest presence? One of the undeniable marks of the presence of God is conviction—Holy Spirit conviction. Where the Spirit is welcome and present, sinners will be convicted of their sins and Christians will be convicted of their lack of perfect Christ-likeness. That takes us all in.

Scripture references are taken from the New International Version of the Holy Bible except as noted.

1. Psalm 139:2-3; 7-8;
2. Genesis 28:17;
3. John 16:8 (NASB);
4. Packer's Introduction in Sin and Temptation by John Owen;
5. Hebrews 4:13;
6. See Psalm 51;
7. Hebrews 4:12;
8. Zechariah 4:6;
9. Pulpit Series, 8/2/99;
10. Exodus 1:8 (NASB)