“I have spoken these things while staying with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.” —John 14:25–26
Sent from the Father, in the name of Jesus, every true believer in Christ receives the gift of the promised Counselor—the Comforter—the precious Holy Spirit. It is He who is promised to teach us all things and to remind us of all the things Jesus taught. What a blessed assurance for the followers of Jesus! Who among us does not have a weak memory when our spirits have become troubled or disheartened? Perhaps we even find ourselves fumbling and stumbling and losing our way. This Person—not influence—of the Holy Trinity is promised to abide within every believer of Jesus, teaching and enlightening all true lovers of the Lord in every age for all time. Shedding light on the truth and bringing back to our memories all those things that have been taught. It is the Holy Spirit’s special responsibility to open the eyes of our understanding—teaching, leading, and empowering us into all truth:
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you.” —John 16:13–14
Paul tells us:
“Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But just as it is written, ‘Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.’ God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” —1 Corinthians 2:7–11
What a needful promise this is! How many times do we, like the original disciples, stand scratching our heads in our lack of understanding, or find ourselves discouraged or shaking with fear for our lack of power? We need only listen to and heed the Spirit’s leading. Sometimes hearing His still small voice over the world’s megaphone is not easy. We must be still before the Lord and listen carefully for His voice.
Become More
“If a man is drawing on his own resources, he will soon run dry. It matters not what his powers may be, or how extensive his reading, or how vast his stores of information; if the Holy Spirit be not the spring and power of his ministry, it must, sooner or later, lose its freshness and its effectiveness. How important then, that all who minister (and live) in the gospel … should lean continually and exclusively on the power of the Holy Spirit. He knows what souls need, and He can supply it. But he must be trusted and used. It will not do to lean partly on self and partly on the Spirit.” —C H Macintosh
Further Reflections
“The Father in heaven loves to fill His children with His Holy Spirit.” —Andrew Murray
“There is to be communication of the Holy Spirit with the individual Christian in the present life, and in a sense the Holy Spirit’s communication carries with it the entire Trinity. In a sense the Spirit is the Trinity’s agent in communicating with us humans. If I am going to walk in this present life according to my high calling as a Christian, I need a strength higher than my own strength. I need the power of Christ. How is this power of Christ to be mine? It’s not enough just to imagine that I have this power. It’s not even enough to take the second step and reckon myself dead to sin and alive to Christ. There must also be a communication of the power of Christ to me through the agency of the Holy Spirit who indwells me.” —Francis Schaeffer