John 16:7 says, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.". This is Jesus talking to his disciples and preparing them for his ascension to heaven. If I had been there when Jesus said that it was to our "advantage" if he left us I'd be confused. Earlier in John 14:16-19 Jesus told them, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live." This would be my thoughts if I were a Jesus' disciple, "The world won't see you, but I will be able to? What does that mean?" It was almost as if Jesus was speaking in riddles. However the disciples had seen Jesus' faithfulness in keeping promises, so hopefully they would have been encouraged when they heard that the Father was going to give them a Helper, forever and that Jesus would not leave them as orphans.
These conversations happen prior to Jesus' death and resurrection and the disciples don't receive the Holy Spirit until after Jesus' resurrection on the day of Pentecost. Have you ever been to a amusement park or eaten a delicious new food? Then you are in conversation with someone who has never been to that park or has never tried that food. You share details of how fast the ride went and how sharp the turns were or how the food tasted like peaches mixed with cotton candy, but the truth is they won't really know what the ride is like or how the food tastes until the experience it for themselves. I feel it is the same way for the Holy Spirit. The disciples didn't seem to understand that Jesus was going to raise from the dead. (Ever heard of doubting Thomas? "Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'" John 20:24) So its not unbelievable that they didn't grasp the idea of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2 is where we see the disciples receive the Holy Spirit. "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" Acts 2:1-4. Then the disciples began declaring the Gospel in many different languages and the people around them thought they were drunk. However they immediately realized that they had Christ living inside them. Here are some other instances we see the Holy Spirit in Scripture.
"But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?'" Acts 5:3. In this story a husband and wife lie to the Holy Spirit and they are immediately struck dead. Remember the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 15:26).
And in Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;". We should be every thankful that when our words fail, Christ is faithful.
So the Holy Spirit is very important in our lives. In John 14 it describes that the world will not see him, but believers will. So having the Holy Spirit is a mark of being a believer. And you receive the Holy Spirit the moment you turn your life over to Christ and believe in him (John 3:3-6, Romans 8:9-14). It is also important because it leads and guides us. It is amazing that Christ is with us and in us at all times. I forget this all to often. When we listen to the Spirit we will be transformed to be more like Christ. The Spirit desires us to live life to the fullest and find freedom and he knows exactly how to do that. And if you are not a believer the Holy Spirit still plays a role in your life. "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me" John 16:8-9.
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