If you love me, you will obey what I command. 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. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will also live.
John 14:15-19John 14:15-19
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
The Holy Spirit Is Promised 15 Ws . Jesus said to his disciples: If you love me, you will do as I command. 16 Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help s help: The Greek word may mean “comfort,” “encourage,” or “defend.” you and always be with you. 17 The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you. 18 I won't leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. 19 In a little while the people of this world won't be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live.
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This was the promise: another counselor to be with you forever—the spirit of truth. What would it look like? How would he come? And what would he do? Those questions surely floated through the minds of the disciples. But they were unaware of just how much they would need this counselor. They had not seen Jesus betrayed, crucified, and resurrected. So, this promise at this time probably did not seem as important as it would in just a little while. Thankfully, God always gives us all we need before we know we need it. The disciples had this provision; too, in the promise he made them. What would it look like in reality?
Jesus made reference again to the gift of the Holy Spirit right before he ascended into heaven. At that time he promised that the spirit was to give them the power to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8Acts 1:8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 ; ; But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”
WP-Bible plugin) Still, the disciples did not know when this gift would be given. Then, on the day of Pentecost, when they were al together, a violent wind came from heaven and filled the house they were in. Tongues of fire rested on each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them, and Jews from every nation were able to hear the wonders of God in their own tongue. Peter addressed the group, and 3000 men were baptized and added to their number that day. (Acts 2) That is what it looked like for the disciples to learn about, look forward to, and receive God’s Holy Spirit.
What does it look like in our lives? Well, to begin with, we do not have to wait for a special event to receive the Holy Spirit. He enters our hearts when we accept Christ’s payment for our sins, and exchange our sinful life for his righteousness. Ephesians 1:13, 14Ephesians 1:13, 14
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
13 Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show that you belong to God.
14 The Spirit also makes us sure that we will be given what God has stored up for his people. Then we will be set free, and God will be honored and praised.
WP-Bible plugin says “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession.” What a promise! We are marked as his, and sealed by the Holy Spirit as a permanent sign that we belong to God. Not only does the Spirit put his mark on us, but he also lives inside of us, giving us power to live the Christian life, power to witness for him, and helping us to understand the things of God. We carry this treasure within us at all times, but too often we just ignore this precious gift.
It reminds me of a story about an older couple who dreamed of taking a cruise to see exotic lands. They were poor, but they saved their money and finally were able to book passage on a cruise ship. They packed their clothes and also brought a large supply of cheese and crackers to eat on their trip. Finally they set sail, and each day at meal time, the couple returned to their room to eat their cheese and crackers, while the rest of the passengers enjoyed lavish meals. After watching the old couple for a while, a steward followed them to their cabin, and asked them why they never attended the meals in the dining room. The old man explained that they had spent all the money they had on buying the tickets, and had none left over for the food. The shocked steward replied, “Don’t you know that when you paid for the ticket, all your meals were included in the price?!” How often we walk through life, with our “tickets” paid for by the blood of Christ, yet we are surviving on crackers and cheese rather than feasting on all he has provided for us through the Holy Spirit.
At Pentecost, God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to accomplish many things in our lives. Take time to read the following list, and look up the verses this week. Ask God to help you learn who his Holy Spirit is, and what he wants to do in your life.
The Holy Spirit came:
- To glorify Christ (John 16:14John 16:14
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
14 The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you.
WP-Bible plugin) - To lead you into all truth (John 16:13John 16:13
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
13 Ws . The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.
WP-Bible plugin) - To dwell in you (Romans 8:9Romans 8:9
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
9 You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you. People who don't have the Spirit of Christ in them don't belong to him.
WP-Bible plugin) - To convict the world of sin and justice (John 16:8John 16:8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God's justice and the judgment.
WP-Bible plugin) - To equip you to be a witness (Acts 1:8Acts 1:8
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
8 ; ; But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”
WP-Bible plugin) - To produce fruit in your life (Galatians 5:22,23Galatians 5:22,23
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.
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Ask God to make his spirit real in your life, and to make you aware of his presence everyday. He can give you the power to live a victorious Christian life as you rest in him and allow him to live in and through you.
prayer
Dear Father, I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and all he wants to accomplish in my life. I know that at times I do not acknowledge his existence in my life, or ask him for help. Help me to be aware of the presence of your spirit in my life, and to allow that spirit to direct and empower my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit as you commanded in your word for me to do. Allow me to walk by faith and be pleasing to you in all that I do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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