22-0501: God brings gracious conviction to confront sin and lead His people to confession for the glory of His Name in redemption. Ezra is told of the people’s sin of intermarriage. Under deep conviction he grieves for the people, then leads them in a prayer of conviction. His leadership demonstrates not only how God works by conviction, but also God’s greater purpose in His mission, the redemption of people for His glory. Conviction is one of the first and most important lessons for a Christian to learn, and is essential for real, Gospel transformation to occur. It allows you to feel the weight of God’s judgment w/o the punishment of it. God grows godly character in his people through conviction, by leading us back to Him for His redeeming power to work in us. In this message, Pastor Lane surveys the role of conviction for mission. Then, he outlines three truths that beckon people to embrace godly conviction as His love and wonder-working power. We pray this message helps and encourages.