"The Convicting Power of the Holy Spirit" When Jesus was telling His disciples about His forthcoming death and resurrection, He consoled them by telling them that He would not leave them  “orphans,” but would send the Holy Spirit to them:  “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world (the devil) is judged”  (John 16: 7-11).  The Holy Spirit is brooding over the face of the earth, just as in the dawn of earth’s creation, reproving and convicting men of their sin and their need for the Savior.  Conviction of sin is to be fully aware and persuaded of one’s sinfulness to the point where the one convicted is stirred to action.  When conviction grasps the heart of man, he will respond in one of two ways: either repenting unto salvation, or expressing murderous rage at the messenger.  On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit powerfully filled Jesus’ followers, there was a public display of believers speaking with other tongues, preaching the gospel in languages that were unknown to them.  The crowd marveled, and drew near to hear Peter preach and convince them through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.  Peter declared, “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  The Bible states that when they heard this, they were “cut to the heart’ and cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ (Acts 2: 36-37)  The conviction of the Holy Spirit pricked the hearts of the hearers, and the fear of the Lord fell mightily upon them.  Peter told them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Three thousand souls were saved that day through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.  Like the prophet Isaiah of old, they were smitten in the presence of God’s holiness, and their dark hearts were revealed to them: “Woe is me, for I am undone!  Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 6: 5).  This consciousness of sin is necessary before one can repent.  As one preacher put it, “We must know we are lost before we can be saved.” The Book of Acts also records the other response to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.  Stephen was “full of faith and power and did great wonders and signs before the people.”  Those opposed to the gospel of Jesus tried to dispute him, but were not able to “resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.”  Stephen was brought and tried before the council; but as he preached mightily to them, just as Peter did on Pentecost, it was the council who was on trial in Heaven’s court.  After thoroughly declaring Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection as foretold by the prophets, Stephen boldly rebuked them, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you…they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you have become the betrayers and murderers…” God’s Word states, “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.  But Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Look!  I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’  Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city …and they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord do not charge them with this sin.’  And when he had said this, he died”  (Acts 7: 51-60) In both situations, the crowd was “cut to the heart” with conviction.  Some fell on their knees crying for God’s mercy and salvation.  Others were enraged and killed the messenger.  Both Peter and Stephen were fearless in the face of opposition.  The Holy Spirit was in them and speaking through them, testifying of the One who died for their sins. When the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin and your need for the Savior, do not harden your hearts.  Neither put it off for another day as King Agrippa did before Paul’s preaching, being “almost persuaded to become a Christian” (Acts 26: 28).  Today is the day of salvation.  It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance.  Call on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”  --Jesus (John 3: 20-21) “When He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…” –Jesus (John 16:13)