Date: January 29, 2023
Does It Bring Conviction?
The Point: The voice of God seeks to convict us of the truth.
Get Into the Study
On Christmas 2022, a little girl opened her entire family’s gifts before everyone else was awake. Her mom was upset and took to social media, asking what she did to make her daughter think it was okay. She eventually said that her daughter lacked impulse control and was too influenced by the things she saw on social media.
Just as the girl’s mom explained to her daughter the rule of waiting for everyone else to open gifts, God uses Scripture to give us rules to live by and keep us from sinning. When we’re faced with the temptation to go against what God wants us to do, we feel conviction. The voice of God seeks to convict us of the truth.
Get Into the Study [Option from the Adult Leader Guide, p. 109]
In advance, play a funny video of someone having a hard time admitting they’ve made a mistake. Then ask Question #1.
Study the Bible
In January of 1956, five missionaries were killed while attempting to make contact with the unreached Auca/Waodoni tribe in the Amazon jungle. Among them was a man named Jim Elliot. After he was killed, his widow Elisabeth and their daughter moved into the tribe’s territory and shared the gospel with them. Thanks to their faithfulness, many people in the tribe eventually came to know Christ, including the man who had killed Jim.
God can speak through anyone to deliver conviction that saves others from sin. When we spend time reading Scripture and learning God’s voice, we are better able to sense when we feel conviction and how to act on it.
EXTRA was written by Emily Duncan, a Southern California native currently living in West Georgia with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She became a Christian when she was sixteen at a youth retreat. Now, she’s a self-described homemaker and semi-professional baker who dreams of eventually finishing all the projects in her workroom.
Live It Out [Option from the Daily Discipleship Guide, p. 154]
Display this image as you discuss: “What would happen if we decided these traffic signs were too minor to follow and stopped feeling convicted to obey them?” Follow the rest of the directives on page 154.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- When has it been difficult for you to admit you’ve made a mistake?
- What’s the dumbest excuse you’ve heard someone make for a big mistake?
- As a kid, when were you parents justified in saying, “I told you so.”
Acts 2:32-36
- What are some disruptions that can hinder our relationship with God?
- What amazes you the most about Jesus’ death? His resurrection?
- How can we continue to be witnesses of Jesus’ crucifixion two thousand years later?
Acts 2:37-38
- How would you describe conviction?
- When has the conviction of the Holy Spirit “pierced” you “to the heart”?
- Why is repentance important to the hearing of God’s Word?
Acts 2:39-41
- How can believers cooperate with the Spirit in leading others to salvation?
- What are the differences between conviction and condemnation?
- When have you felt conviction in a way that you knew was from God’s Spirit?
- How does hearing God’s Word lead to repentance?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
In the Winter 2022-23 Bible Studies for Life “HOW TO DISCERN THE VOICE OF GOD” series, 2nd lesson (“DOES IT BRING CONVICTION?”), question #5 on page 94 of the PSG states, “What role do we play in the Holy Spring bringing conviction to people?” Is the question supposed to refer to the Holy Spirit rather than Holy Spring? If it is correct, what is the “Holy Spring?”
We apologize for the typo. It is, of course, referring to the Holy Spirit.
No problem. Thanks for the help. I thought there might be a term that I didn’t know about.