Growing a relationship with the Holy Spirit – John 14-16, Part 4

What does it mean to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is invisible and how do you have a relationship with an invisible being? Are you supposed to hear something? Feel something? In John chapter 15, verses 26-27, Jesus describes a relationship with the Spirit like this:

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

In the original Greek, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit, the “Paraclete” (which we learned about in this post), and the “Spirit of Truth” but this time he adds a bit, saying that the Spirit with testify about Jesus.  To testify is to serve as a witness.  This is language that we commonly use in courtroom settings.  The Spirit, Jesus says, will talk about Jesus.  The Spirit communicates to his disciples.  Specifically the Spirit communicates about Jesus. The Spirit has a main topic of conversation with followers of Jesus – the topic is going to be Jesus and His ways. 

Just as the Spirit is to communicate about Jesus, Jesus wants the disciples to testify, to talk about Jesus.  They have been with Jesus, and they have stories to tell.  This is instructive for you and I.  Christians are people who have experienced the work on Jesus in our lives, and that work of Jesus in us gives us much to talk about.  We also have the Spirit in our lives, so we can hear from the Spirit’s testimony about Jesus.  We have our testimony and the Spirit’s testimony.  That’s a lot. We have stories to share, and we can greatly encourage people by sharing those stories!

Still Jesus isn’t done talking about the Spirit.  Here’s what he says in John chapter 16, verses 5-7:

“[N]ow I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

Jesus sees that his disciples are not happy.  They are filled with grief because he has told them repeatedly that he is leaving them.  He tries to assure them that it is good that he is going away.  How can it possibly be good?  He is their teacher and Lord.  They don’t want him to leave.  But he has a good reason.  If he goes, the Advocate will come.  The Holy Spirit.

As mysterious as we might think the Spirit is sometimes, Jesus is saying that it is better for us that the Spirit is with us.  How could that be?  Think about it this way.  Jesus is God who chose to contain himself to a human body.  The Spirit is God who is uncontained by a physical body.  That means there is no way Jesus could be with each and every one of his followers everywhere all the time, but the Spirit can be. 

While there’s no doubt it would be amazing to talk with and touch the living, breathing Jesus, the Spirit is with us and in us.  The Spirit resides in every single follower of Jesus.  That is a deeper and closer connection than we could have with Jesus. 

This is why Jesus said in verse 7 that it is good for us that he is leaving, and he is right.  His leaving means that we can have a close connection with the Spirit!  We can grow a relationship with the Spirit.  That’s a powerful thought. How is your relationship with the Spirit?

In the next post, we’ll learn more about growing a relationship with the Spirit who lives with us and in us.

What does it mean to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is invisible. Can you feel the Spirit? Hear the Spirit? In John chapter 15, verses 26-27, Jesus describes a relationship with the Spirit like this:

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

In the original Greek, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit, the “Paraclete” (which we learned about in this post), and the “Spirit of Truth” but this time he adds a bit, saying that the Spirit with testify about Jesus.  To testify is to serve as a witness.  This is language that we commonly use in courtroom settings.  The Spirit, Jesus says, will talk about Jesus.  The Spirit communicates to his disciples.  Specifically the Spirit communicates about Jesus. The Spirit has a main topic of conversation with followers of Jesus – the topic is going to be Jesus and His ways. 

Just as the Spirit is to communicate about Jesus, Jesus wants the disciples to testify, to talk about Jesus.  They have been with Jesus, and they have stories to tell.  This is instructive for you and I.  Christians are people who have experienced the work on Jesus in our lives, and that work of Jesus in us gives us much to talk about.  We also have the Spirit in our lives, so we can hear from the Spirit’s testimony about Jesus.  We have our testimony and the Spirit’s testimony.  That’s a lot. We have stories to share, and we can greatly encourage people by sharing those stories!

Still Jesus isn’t done talking about the Spirit.  Here’s what he says in John chapter 16, verses 5-7:

“[N]ow I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

Jesus sees that his disciples are not happy.  They are filled with grief because he has told them repeatedly that he is leaving them.  He tries to assure them that it is good that he is going away.  How can it possibly be good?  He is their teacher and Lord.  They don’t want him to leave.  But he has a good reason.  If he goes, the Advocate will come.  The Holy Spirit.

As mysterious as we might think the Spirit is sometimes, Jesus is saying that it is better for us that the Spirit is with us.  How could that be?  Think about it this way.  Jesus is God who chose to contain himself to a human body.  The Spirit is God who is uncontained by a physical body.  That means there is no way Jesus could be with each and every one of his followers everywhere all the time, but the Spirit can be. 

While there’s no doubt it would be amazing to talk with and touch the living, breathing Jesus, the Spirit is with us and in us.  The Spirit resides in every single follower of Jesus.  That is a deeper and closer connection than we could have with Jesus. 

This is why Jesus said in verse 7 that it is good for us that he is leaving, and he is right.  His leaving means that we can have a close connection with the Spirit!  We can grow a relationship with the Spirit.  That’s a powerful thought. How is your relationship with the Spirit?

In the next post, we’ll learn more about growing a relationship with the Spirit who lives with us and in us.

Photo by KEEM IBARRA on Unsplash