“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever—The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” –John 14: 16-18. (NIV)
As Jesus neared the time of His death on the cross, He taught the disciples some important truths. A very important one was about the coming of the Holy Spirit to them, one who would be Counselor, Teacher, Reminder of Truth, Indweller in the Christians life.
After the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit did manifest Himself to the gathered, praying disciples in a remarkable and visible way. We read this account in Acts 2:1-4. Following the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were able to witness to all the people gathered in Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost. Peter, who had denied Jesus three times during the awful period of the Lord’s trial, now, restored and motivated and filled with the Holy Spirit, preached in a powerful manner. About three thousand were converted and baptized (see Acts 2;38-41). Jesus had promised the disciples they would do greater things if He went away from them. The Day of Pentecost is but one proof of the “greater work” the disciples would be able to do. This principle is still continuing today as the Holy Spirit works through believers to accomplish God’s work and will.
Jesus knew we would be weak and filled with doubt at times. He knew we would become discouraged and need lifting up. He knew we would puzzle over His teachings and need an Interpreter. He knew our determination would waver and we would need bolstering in our purpose to serve Him. He knew we could sometimes not even pray because we could not express the deepest yearnings of our heart.
The Holy Sprit is the Person of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—who is present with and available to the Christian. He is the “Paraclete,” (Greek word for Holy Spirit) the one who goes alongside the Christian to guide, uplift, pray “in groanings that cannot be uttered. He teaches, leads us to Truth. This Divine Counselor, the Holy Spirit, lives within each believer. When the Christian commits himself to Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters his life and is there at work. We are not left as “orphans” or helpless ones. The Holy Spirit, the Counselor, is present to guide. Thanks be to God for the Spirit who indwells us!
c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, March 18, 2010
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