Moody Media Latest Blog Entries

What Your Giving Is Making Possible in 2026 | An Update from Pastor Lutzer

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The need for biblical truth has never been more urgent as the spiritual battle is intensifying. Through Moody Church Media, we're faithfully proclaiming the Gospel far and wide—but we need your help. Pastor Erwin Lutzer shares a timely update of how to keep Gospel truth going forth through this ministry.

From all of us at Moody Church Media, thank you!

LEARN MORE: moodymedia.org/matchingchallenge2026

Promised Throughout Time

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Hebrews 11:13

D.L. MOODY
We ought in these days to have far more faith than Abel or Enoch or Abraham had. They lived before the cross. We talk about the faith of Elijah and the patriarchs and prophets, but they lived in the dim light of the past, while we are in the full blaze of Calvary and the resurrection. When we look back and think of what Christ did, how He poured out His blood that men might be saved, we ought to go forth in His strength and conquer the world. Our God is able to do great and mighty things.

ERWIN LUTZER
Adam and Eve were given the first glimpse of the gospel in Genesis 3. Eve’s eventual descendant, the Lord Jesus Christ, would crush the head of the serpent, and the serpent would strike back but with a minor wound. But for the time being, when Adam and Eve found themselves feeling the sting of shame, God gave them animal skins to cover their nakedness. Right from the beginning, God wanted them to know that there was no cheap covering for sin.
From the standpoint of eternity, all of Satan’s victories are illusionary; he is out on bond doing all the damage he can, but his sentence has already been pronounced. As Moody pointed out, we see this much more clearly today than did the saints in the Old Testament. They looked forward to the coming of a redeemer, but the picture was unclear. Today, “with unveiled face, we behold the glory of the Lord” (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).
The resurrection of Jesus is proof that His work on the cross was completed. If you have doubts, bring your doubts to God—He will welcome and sustain you.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for all the promises you fulfilled at the cross. Today, I walk in Christ’s victory.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
All of the promises of God are fulfilled in Christ. What should our faith be like today having experienced the power of the cross?

What doubt, fear, or uncertainty do you need to bring to God and trust Him with today?

Jesus Fulfills The Law

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Matthew 5:17–18

D.L. MOODY
Jesus never condemned the law and the prophets, but He did condemn those who did not obey them. Because He gave new commandments it does not follow that He abolished the old. Christ’s explanation of them made them all the more searching. In His Sermon on the Mount, He carried the principles of the commandments beyond the mere letter. He unfolded them and showed that they embraced more, that they are positive as well as prohibitive.
“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments” (Malachi 4:4). Does that look as if the law of Moses was becoming obsolete?

ERWIN LUTZER
The clearest statement we have about the purpose of the law is found in the book of Galatians where it says the law was “our guardian until Christ came” (Galatians 3:24). The law is like a plumb line, showing that a wall is crooked but is unable to straighten it out. There’s nothing wrong with the plumb line, it simply can’t do anything more than point out how crooked the wall is.
Today, we are not under the law, we are under grace. But this doesn’t give us the liberty to be lawless. We have warnings in the New Testament about using grace to justify lawlessness (Jude 1:4).
Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law for us, but we must see the law as holy, just, and good. Let us learn to walk in the Spirit and fulfill not just the letter of the law, but also the spirit of the law as Jesus emphasized on the Sermon on the Mount.

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you for fulfilling the law in perfect obedience and for paying my debt on the cross.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why was it necessary for Jesus to fulfill the law?

Why are we not able to fulfill the requirements of the law?

Step Out In Faith

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” Matthew 9:29

D.L. MOODY
I remember a man telling me he preached for a number of years without any result. He used to say to his wife as they went to church, that he knew the people would not believe anything he said; and there was no blessing. At last, he saw his error; he asked God to help him and took courage, and then the blessing came.
“According to your faith be it unto you.” This man had expected nothing, and he got just what he expected. Let us expect that God is going to use us. Let us have courage and go forward, looking to God to do great things.

ERWIN LUTZER
Sometimes we are puzzled by the promises of the New Testament. We might think God has over-promised, after all we read, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5: 14–15). We are tempted to become cynical because we often don’t see our requests answered.
But are these and similar passages a carte blanche promise to ask for anything and get it? No. Even here we see a limitation: We are heard because we ask according to His will. We know God’s sovereign will reigns supreme. Think of Jesus in Gethsemane, asking to be delivered and yet willingly praying “not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
My point: Let us not become cynical about prayer. There are plenty of promises we can insist upon in all circumstances and at all times. And let us heed the words of Moody who said that if we expect nothing, we get nothing.

PRAYER
Father, I trust you to carry your good work to completion.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane teach us? How does He submit to the will of God?

Do your prayers reflect a genuine expectation that God can and will work according to His purposes?

God Looks At Me And Sees Jesus

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

When he calls to me, I will answer him. Psalm 91:15

D.L. MOODY
Listen to the prodigal, “Father, I have sinned” (Luke 15:21). That was enough; the father took him right to his bosom. The past was blotted out at once.
Look at the men on the day of Pentecost. Their hands were dripping with the blood of the Son of God; they had murdered Jesus Christ. And what did Peter say to them? “It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
Look at the penitent thief. Perhaps, as a boy, his mother taught him that passage in Joel, “It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered” (Joel 2:32). As he hung there on the cross, it flashed into his mind that this was the Lord of glory, and though he was on the very borders of hell, he cried out, “Lord, remember me,” and the answer came right then and there, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42–43). In the morning, as black as hell could make him; in the evening, not a spot or wrinkle. Why? Because he took God at His word. Why will men doubt Him?

ERWIN LUTZER
There is one prayer in which you’ll receive an instant answer, without waiting: Moody quoted it, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Twenty-four hours a day, God demands perfection from me if I’m going to be His child and fellowship with Him. Twenty-four hours a day, Jesus Christ supplies what God demands. Are we perfect in experience? No. There are days when I don’t feel very spiritual. We face illnesses, migraines, depression, and temptations. God knows when we fall into sin. Yet because of Christ’s substitution, God has declared us to be as perfect as Christ and is making us complete in Him.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for your invitation to trust Christ. May many take advantage of that gift today.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does it mean to you that Jesus paid it all for your sin?

What are the implications of having Jesus’ righteousness?

Idol Factory

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

That they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. Acts 17:27

D.L. MOODY
Philosophers are agreed that even the most primitive races of mankind reach out beyond the world of matter to a superior being. It is as natural for man to feel after God as it is for the ivy to feel after support. Hunger and thirst drive him to seek for food, and there is a hunger of the soul that needs satisfying, too. Man does not need to be commanded to worship, as there is not a race so high or so low in the scale of civilization but has some kind of a god. What man needs is to be directed aright in his worship.

ERWIN LUTZER
Most people don’t abandon God, they refashion Him according to their liking. Every time we want to disobey, every time we want to manipulate, every time we want our own way, we reconstruct God to fit our desires. You’re an idol lover, I’m an idol lover, and our default response is to fashion a god according to our liking.
Any god that we construct, any god that we want, wants us to bow down and it will, eventually, own us. Our self-made god wants complete total ownership of our lives. We have the illusion that we are free, but we are owned by whatever god we choose, and we worship at its shrine. Knowing who we should crown number One is really the most basic issue of life.
Let us bow to worship the one and only true God, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). It is Jesus we proclaim to the nations (Acts 17:31).

PRAYER
Father, thank you for drawing me to yourself to worship in spirit and truth.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What are some idols that you have in life? What are the promises that they make to you?

What can you do so that the focus of your worship (words, deeds, thoughts, and actions) is centered on God and not on idols?

Renounce Fear

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11

D.L. MOODY
If God has hid me in the secret pavilion, let men slander me and abuse me if they like! If I can say that God is my Father, Jesus is my Saviour, and heaven is my home, let the world rail, let the flesh do what it pleases, I will not be afraid of evil tidings, for my trust is in God! Is not that a good footing for eternity? “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

ERWIN LUTZER
The following is an excerpt of a prayer I have sometimes invited others to join me in praying to banish fear. When our lives are threatened, when our future is ominous and tragedy strikes, fear can grip our hearts. Read these words as an expression of your own heart and mind as we approach God based on His promises.
I reject the fear of the future, for I believe that the future is in God’s hands. I reject the fear of evildoers, for God’s Word says, “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear” (Psalm 27:3). I renounce the fear of Satan, for God’s Word says he has already been conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). I renounce the fear of death, for I affirm with the apostle Paul, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 ). Therefore, I choose to fear you more than I do any human being. I affirm, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6–8).
Fear comes into our lives uninvited and at unexpected times. When it returns, refresh your mind by rereading the above words and adding other promises of Scripture.

PRAYER
Father, as I dwell on your promises, give me the gift of peace Jesus promised His disciples.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How does trusting in God's character and promises help you face uncertainty with confidence?

How can choosing to fear God above all else free you from the fear of people and circumstances?

Sincere Obedience

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

D.L. MOODY
Did you ever notice all but the heart of man obeys God? If you look through history, you will find that this is true. In the beginning God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. “Let the waters bring forth,” and the water brought forth abundantly. And one of the proofs that Jesus Christ is God is that He spoke to nature, and nature obeyed Him. At one time He spoke to the sea, and the sea recognized and obeyed. He spoke to the fig tree, and instantly it withered and died, it obeyed literally and at once. He spoke to devils, and the devils fled. He spoke to the grave, and the grave obeyed Him and gave back its dead. But when He speaks to man, man will not obey Him. That is why man is out of harmony with God, and it will never be different until men learn to obey God. God wants obedience, and He will have it, else there can be no harmony.

ERWIN LUTZER
Yes, we all disobey God. It’s like the little boy whose mother told him to sit in the corner because he was being naughty. And he said, “Okay, I’m sitting down, but in my heart, I’m still standing up.” You can educate somebody’s mind, but that does not change their heart.
What does the New Testament say? By nature, we are dead in our sins, but God intervenes and gives us the desire and ability to come to Christ, and when we do, we become partakers of the divine nature. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Figuratively speaking, God takes our heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh.
Today, look to Christ as the One whose obedience gives us the right to call God, Father.

PRAYER
Father, help me love your law, which led me to Christ. Help me live in sincere obedience.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How have you been transformed by God?

Read 1 Peter 1:13-16. Why do you obey God? What is the root of this obedience?

Hopeful, Not Hopeless

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19

D.L. MOODY
To deny the resurrection is to say that we will never see more of the loved ones whose bodies have been committed to the clay. If Christ has not risen, this life is the only one.
How cruel it is to have anyone love you if this be true! How horrible that they should let the tendrils of your heart twine around them if, when they are torn away in death, that is to be the end! I would rather hate than love if I thought there would be no resurrection, because then I would feel no pangs at losing the hated thing. Oh, the cruelty of unbelief! It takes away our brightest hopes.

ERWIN LUTZER
I have never thought of putting it the way Moody did: If death were the end of it all, it would be best not to love the departed one, for it is love that makes the separation so difficult. Imagine, wrote Moody, if this life were the end, then hate would be better than love!
But loving those who have died is proper because we know we shall see them again. On our death bed, we need not say “goodbye.” but rather, “see you later.” Our love can continue and will be rekindled on the other side. And our love for Christ will be complete.
Jesus came to deliver us from hopelessness. If you are reading this and you feel hopeless, you are in the right place to receive comfort. As a believer, remember that eternity is coming and with it, the restoration of all relationships. And yes, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20–21).
For the Christian, this life is as bad as things will ever get. The best is yet to come.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, grant me the ability to look beyond this world to the next. May I know that my love will continue and my joy will be full.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why are all the promises of Christ rooted in the resurrection?

How does the truth of the resurrection of the dead (you included) affect how you live now?

Persecution Is Coming

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. John 16:1–2

D.L. MOODY
A man said to me some time ago: “Mr. Moody, now that I am converted, have I to give up the world?”
“No,” said I, “you haven’t to give up the world. If you give a good ringing testimony for the Son of God, the world will give you up pretty quick; they won’t want you.”

ERWIN LUTZER
When Moody used the word world he was talking about the world of people, not the world system John warned about (1 John 2:15–17). But yes, all who live for Christ will be despised by at least some people in the world, and perhaps even suffer for our faith. There is suffering that comes to us because of the fallenness of this world: sickness, heartache, broken relationships, or poverty. But there’s another kind of suffering that comes because we bear the name of Jesus.
Some Christians have decided to blend into the culture so that they experience no pushback because of their faith. Such Christians almost always are silent about their conversion; no one knows they are a Christ follower. But Christians are called to suffer. Jesus told His disciples that, since the world hated Him, the world will also hate them (see John 15:18). A servant is not above the master.
Philippians 1:29 says, “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” Suffering is part of our responsibility as believers. We who believe on Him should gladly suffer because of Him. Let us expect it. Anticipate it. That is our calling.

PRAYER
Father, help me to suffer well. Help me to lovingly share the gospel and receive any pushback with gratitude that I have been found worthy to suffer, even if but a little for you.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Throughout the history of the church believers have suffered for their faith. Are you prepared to suffer for the Lord?

What passages of Scripture can comfort you during trials and persecution?

The Cure We Need

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. Ezekiel 18:4

D.L. MOODY
Suppose there was a law that man should not steal, but no penalty was attached to stealing; some man would have my pocketbook before the day was over. If I threatened to have him arrested, he would snap his fingers in my face. He would not fear the law if there was no penalty. It is not the law that people are afraid of, it is the penalty for transgression.
Do not suppose God has made a law without a penalty. What an absurd thing it would be! The penalty for sin is death: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). If I have sinned, I must die or get somebody to die for me. If the Bible doesn’t teach that, it doesn’t teach anything. And that is where the atonement of Jesus Christ comes in.

ERWIN LUTZER
The Black Death killed many millions of people in the 1300s. But there is another epidemic in the human race. Everyone has caught it and, in every instance, it leads to death. I am referring to the poison of sin, which has infected the human race with a plague.
Interestingly, if you read a biography of D.L. Moody, you would discover he feared death as a young man but, as he grew older, he feared it no more. He learned that physical death is the natural consequence of our sin, but spiritually, we go on living. For believers, our eternal life will be in the presence of God. Just as we are punished for Adam’s sin, we get credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ—if we trust in Him. And, because He lives, we shall also live (John 14:19).
Let us honestly confront our own mortality; let us live for the reality of eternity, not just for the moment. We are not promised that the path to our death will be smooth, but thanks to Christ, we are promised a safe landing.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for Jesus, and that in Him, death has lost its sting. Wean me from earthly values and may I seek that which is above.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How does knowing that your future is secure in Christ affect the way you view death and eternity?

What are you most thankful for in your life with Christ?

Little Disciples

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. Mark 10:13

D.L. MOODY
I have no sympathy with the idea that our children have to grow up before they are converted. Once I saw a lady with three daughters at her side, and I stepped up to her and asked her if she was a Christian. “Yes, sir.” Then I asked the oldest daughter if she was a Christian. Her chin began to quiver and tears came into her eyes and she said: “I wish I was.”
The mother looked very angrily at me and said, “I don’t want you to speak to my children on that subject. They don’t understand.” And in great rage she took them away from me. One daughter was fourteen years old, one twelve, and the other ten, but they were not old enough to be talked to about religion! Let them drift into the world and plunge into worldly amusements and then see how hard it is to reach them. Many a mother is mourning today because her boy has gone beyond her reach. In those early days when his mind was tender and young, she might have led him to Christ.

ERWIN LUTZER
Yes, young children can understand enough of the gospel message to be saved. Yet we should never presume a child has savingly believed on Jesus just because they prayed a prayer. Let the Holy Spirit and the Word of God grant them assurance. We have the responsibility of sharing the gospel with them, but God has to do the saving.
As children grow older, they may doubt their salvation. If so, ask them to make their salvation a present reality. Let them affirm their faith in Christ by understanding repentance and sincerely accepting the gift of salvation.
Let us trust God for the miracle of our children’s salvation, bringing them up in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you for welcoming little children. Give me the faith of a little child.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Is there anyone who cannot be reached by the saving power of the gospel?

How can parents faithfully point their children to Christ while recognizing that salvation is ultimately the work of God?

Fight The Devil With The Bible

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

D.L. MOODY
Twenty-five years ago—and for the first five years after I was converted—I used to think that if I were able to stand for twenty years, I need fear no fall. But the nearer you get to the cross, the fiercer the battle. Satan aims high. He went amongst the twelve and singled out the treasurer, Judas Iscariot, and the chief apostle, Peter.
Most men who have fallen have done so on the strongest side of their character. I am told the only side upon which Edinburgh Castle was successfully assailed was where the rocks were steepest and where the garrison thought themselves secure. If any man thinks he is strong enough to resist the evil at any one point, he needs special watch there, for the tempter comes that way.

ERWIN LUTZER
What do you do when you want to kill a bear? You use a trap with bait. You let the trap and the bait do your work. Satan has as many lures as we have interests, and he concentrates on where we are most vulnerable. Behind the trap is the trapper, and behind the lie is the liar. The moment we no longer fear sin, we are vulnerable; we wrongly think we can handle temptation, and it’s at that moment when falling into deep sin is almost inevitable. One concession to sin leads to another and then another. The history of the church is strewn with the wreckage of men and women whose testimony was destroyed through toying with temptation.
The devil’s purpose in temptation always is to draw us away from God. The way we resist temptation is the same way Jesus did, by the power of God’s Word (Matthew 4:1–11). When we know and submit to God’s Word, we can resist temptation. If you are not reading your Bible regularly and memorizing the Word of God, you are not going to be ready for the devil when he comes.

PRAYER
Father, I rebuke the devil’s wiles. Help me submit to your Word and walk in Christ’s victory.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Where would you rate your level of biblical literacy? How can you grow in this?

Why do you think Jesus quotes the Bible to resist the temptation of the devil?

Brought Into Light

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

D.L. MOODY
You can look abroad and see many beautiful trees, but the tree of life you shall never behold unless your eyes are made clear by faith in the Saviour. You may see the beautiful rivers of the Earth, you may ride upon their bosoms, but bear in mind, your eye will never rest upon the river which bursts out from the throne of God and flows through the upper kingdom unless you are born again. You may see the kings and lords of the Earth, but the King of kings and Lord of lords you will never see except you are born again. When you are in London, you may go to the Tower and see the crown of England, which is worth thousands of dollars and is guarded by soldiers; but bear in mind, your eye will never rest upon the crown of life except you are born again.
It is God who says it. You may see ten thousand beautiful things in this world, but the city that Abraham caught a glimpse of and, from that time, became a pilgrim and sojourner—you shall never see unless you are born again (Hebrews 11:8, 10–16). You may often be invited to marriage feasts here, but you will never attend the marriage supper of the Lamb except you are born again. It is God who says it.

ERWIN LUTZER
Reread Moody’s devotional printed above. His sermons had a sense of immediacy and imagination capturing the experiences of life interwoven with the gospel. Everyone can identify with the images he uses to help us understand that if we want to look beyond this world, we must be born again. This new birth is a birth from above; it refers to the work of the Holy Spirit giving us transformed desires and a new identity. This comes about by repentance and faith.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for the birth from above; I affirm this miracle through faith in Christ.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What does it mean to be with Christ in the kingdom of light?

How would you explain being born again to an unbeliever? Why is it necessary?

Spiritual Surgery

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46

D.L. MOODY
After all, we do not gain much by discussion. Let objectors or inquirers only get one personal interview with the Son of God, and that will scatter all their darkness, all their prejudice, and all their unbelief. The moment that Philip succeeded in getting Nathanael to Christ, the work was done.

ERWIN LUTZER
My brothers and sisters, when the Holy Spirit of God does His work to show us our sin and our need of Christ, it is a great work. According to the Bible, you cannot believe without the action and direct intervention of the Holy Spirit because it isn’t just an intellectual issue, it is a heart issue. Even when everything within us says, “No, no, no,” God has to overcome that resistance through the action of the Holy Spirit (see John 16:8–1; 1 Corinthians 2:10–13).
Jesus said the Holy Spirit of God would convict a person of their sin, but notice also the one standard given: the standard of righteousness. The Bible says there are two different kinds of righteousness. There is the righteousness of man and the righteousness of God—and what a difference there is between the two. God uses His Word and usually brings that Word through one of His people. The Spirit comes to you. Through you, He will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. And so the gift of the Spirit is poured out upon the church, not just for ourselves, but for the benefit of the wider community that needs to know the good news of the gospel, and believe, and be saved.

PRAYER
Father, I pray that you might overcome everything that would keep others from you.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How does our knowledge of God’s Word help us to discern the false doctrine in the world?

Read Hebrews 1:1-3. What does this suggest about how God speaks to us?