John 14:15-31
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit So His Disciples Would Not Be Left Like Orphans
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 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. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
God has had messengers in the past on earth that spoke of Him and about Him, so we could learn about Him...Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Judah, all the Judges, King David, Solomon, the Great Prophets, and Jesus are among God's Messengers...So I often wonder did God stop sending His Messengers after Jesus ascended to Heaven...
Jesus, before His death on the Cross, talks about our Next Messenger...He sent us Another Advocate, Another Messenger, so we would not be like orphans...Jesus asked His Father and He sent Another Advocate to us to help us and be with us forever till the end of time...Jesus called Him the Spirit of Truth...Now the Holy Spirit doesn't possess a physical form like our former human messengers from God, but He empowers and guides believers to carry on the mission of Christ...The apostles and other early Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to preach the Gospel with boldness and conviction...The Holy Spirit continues to work through the Church today, inspiring and equipping believers to share the good news of Jesus Christ...He guides us into the Absolute Truth of God, and empowers us to live godly lives, and provides us with the spiritual gifts we need to serve others...
And when the Holy Spirit of truth came He guided the followers of Jesus into all the Truth, and to the Absolute Truth...The Holy Spirit does not speak on His Own; but He speaks only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come...He glorifies Jesus because it is from Him that He will receive what He will make known to all of His followers...All that belongs to the Father is Jesus’...That is why Jesus taught us that the Spirit will receive from Jesus what He will make known to His followers...
We must remember that God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth...So God like His Holy Spirit is probably not a Physical Being, but a Divine Spirit of Truth...So while we don't have physical prophets or physical apostles in the same way as the biblical era, the Holy Spirit is still active in the world, inspiring and empowering believers to carry on the mission of Christ...And we learned and know we receive power from the Holy Spirit when it comes on us; and we will be Jesus' witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of all the earth...We are now are not controlled by the flesh but by this Holy Spirit...The Spirit of God lives in us who follow Jesus...And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, we do not belong to Christ...The Holy Spirit brings us gifts that we live by that make our lives more abundant and enjoyable...The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...These are the Great Things of life coming from the Holy Spirit...And I would like to include the Great Fruit of Hope as Well...Because Hope was Born on Christmas Day...
So while the Holy Spirit doesn't possess a physical form like human messengers, He empowers and guides believers to carry on the mission of Christ...The apostles and other early Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to preach the Gospel with boldness and conviction...The Holy Spirit continues to work through the lives of Jesus followers today, inspiring and equipping believers to share His Gospel...He guides us into truth, empowers us to live godly lives, and provides us with the spiritual gifts we need to serve others...So, while we don't have physical prophets or apostles in the same way as the biblical era, the Holy Spirit is still active in the world, inspiring and empowering believers to carry on the mission of Christ...