As we celebrate the distinct advantage offered to us when we’re accompanied by God’s Spirit, let us probe this some more. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment:” John 16:7-8 AMP
Infilling Spirit, We’re never Alone
Jesus came, showing the world what we needed for full fellowship with God. The catch was, in becoming human, Jesus was restricted to one place and time in the finite ways of an embodied being. Thus, despite being fully God, the fully human part of Jesus restrained Him from ministering to the world. But that was the end goal.
The plan, therefore, required willing souls who had been so impacted by the Gospel that they would be willing to share what they’d experienced.
But, even more so than Jesus, they were human.
The solution? –
God’s Spirit would dwell within those same ‘volunteers’, providing the power, the signs, wonders, and other visible gifts of the Spirit of God for a desperate and dying world. And what better preparation than to communicate the plan in advance to those recipients?
Sharing served two purposes: preparation for Jesus’ departure – that was going to be hard on them – and a sneak preview of what would come next (it wasn’t the end of the world).
In Heaven, God is God, with no confusion about God’s God-ness. On earth, God’s nature operates differently and distinctly, with God’s Spirit being the major manifestation of God’s presence in our midst. And as the latter generation of those disciples (spiritually, not literally), we inherit the accompaniment. God’s Spirit not only reveals Jesus to us but also dwells in us, keeping us in close fellowship with God.
Guaranteed. The moment we accept Jesus in our lives.
There are times and spaces where we really would rather not be alone … because God’s Spirit lives within, we’re never alone. When we need counsel and answers, that special touch or word from Jesus, God’s Spirit is always there within us. With each of us, dwelling within each of us, manifesting similarly though differently.
By being with us, God’s Spirit brings Jesus to us while ushering us in God’s presence whenever we desire. Wherever we are. In this very moment, or any other. Our very personal experience of God, dwelling within us, teaching us, correcting us, directing us – God with us.