Knowing Where God Is at Work

Memory verse: Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him (John 14:21)

The Scriptures say no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him (see John 6:44). No one seeks God or pursues spiritual things unless the Spirit of God is at work in their life. Suppose a neighbor, a friend, or one of you children begins to inquire about spiritual things. You do not have to question whether that is God drawing them. He is the only One who can do that. People do not seek God unless He is at work in their lives. 

For example, as Jesus passed through a crowd, He always looked for where the Father was at work. The crowd was not the harvest field. The harvest field was within that crowd. Jesus saw Zacchaeus in a tree. Jesus may have said to Himself, “nobody can seek Me with that kind of earnestness unless My Father is at work in His heart.” So Jesus pulled away from the crowd and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). What happened? Salvation came to that household that day. Jesus always looked for the activity of the Father and joined Him. Salvation came as a result of Jesus’ joining His life to the Father’s activity. 

Read the Scriptures and answer the questions:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17) 

  • If you love and obey Christ, whom will the Father give you? (what are His two names?)

  • Where will this person live?

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26) 

  • What are two things the Holy Spirit will do for Jesus’ disciples? 

  • “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8)

  • What are three things the Holy Spirit does?

When you become a Christian, you enter a love relationship with Jesus Christ. At that point the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, takes up residence in your life. He is always present to teach you. The Holy Spirit also convicts people of guilt for their sin. He convicts the world of righteousness and judgment. Here’s a list of some of the things only God can do:

  • Draw people to Himself

  • Cause people to seek Him

  • Reveal spiritual truth

  • Convict the world of guilt about sin

  • Convict the world of righteousness

  • Convict the world of judgement

When you see one of these things happening, you know God is at work. He is at work when you see someone coming to Christ, asking about spiritual matters, beginning to understand spiritual truth, experiencing conviction of sin, being convinced of Christ’s righteousness, or being convinced of judgment.