We are to Bear Witness

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27 ESV)

Do you ever hear God speak to you in your mind with words that you can hear in your mind (not audibly)? I do sometimes. But I will add a word of caution right here at the beginning and say that Satan will plant words in our minds sometimes, too. So when we hear a voice in our head speaking to us, we must test that voice to make certain that we are hearing from God, or not, before we just presume it is God’s voice speaking to us, when it might not be. So I did that when I heard this phrase in my mind yesterday:

“Dear Sue, I just initiated a conversation with you to be read to the whole..."

I had been writing devotions throughout John 15:1-25, as led by the Holy Spirit, and I didn’t think that I would be writing on verses 26-27. So, as I prayed about this voice in my head, and what it said to me, I was led to go back to John 15 and to read verses 26-27, and there I realized that the voice in my head was talking with me about what was being said in these verses to the Lord’s disciples, of whom I am one of them in this present time.

Now these words were spoken to the Lord’s disciples prior to Jesus going to the cross to die for our sins. So the Holy Spirit had not yet come into the hearts of our Lord’s followers. But since the time that Jesus died on that cross, and he rose from the dead, and he ascended back to the Father in heaven, and he sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his followers, all those who have believed in Jesus have been given the Holy Spirit (the Helper) to live within them and to teach them all things about Jesus, and to guide, counsel, and empower us in our walks of faith.

And the Holy Spirit is indeed our helper who guides and directs us into all truth and who warns us of the lies of the enemy. And he speaks to us within our minds and hearts, which is not usually an audible voice, but an inner voice which helps us to discern right from wrong and truth from lies if we will listen to his voice, and if we will not shut him out. He also helps us as we are reading the Scriptures to discern what they are teaching us and to hear from the Lord what specifically he wants to say to us through his word.

So, as I thought about that role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, I went back to this phrase that I heard in my head:

“Dear Sue, I just initiated a conversation with you to be read to the whole..."

So, I looked up the individual words. To “initiate” something is “to cause (a process or action) to begin”. And a “conversation” is a talk between two or more people where information is exchanged. But in the Scriptures (KJV) the word “conversation” can be used to mean “one’s course of life, manners, and behavior, especially in respect to morals” (see Philippians 1:27; 1 Peter 1:15 KJV). And to “read” can mean to “look at and comprehend the meaning of or to discover information.” And “to” is “in the direction of” or “reaching.”

So, putting it all together, in relation to John 15:26-27, this is about Jesus sending us the Holy Spirit to bear witness to us about Jesus Christ – about his life and death and resurrection, and why he died on that cross, and about his gospel of salvation and how that is related to us regarding how we ought to live our lives. So we are not to leave the Holy Spirit out of this equation. We are to be listening for that voice within us teaching us the way in which we are to go and counseling us in making the right decisions, etc.

And then we are to be sharing with the world and with the body of Christ, i.e. with all who believe in Jesus, what we are learning from our times spent listening to the Holy Spirit teaching us from God’s word in regard to what this Christian life is to be all about and how it is to impact our daily lives, and what our relationships with God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – should look like in daily practice, too. And “to the whole” is to everyone. And we are all to be doing this if we are the Lord’s true disciples by genuine faith in him.

For the Holy Spirit is the one who interprets the Scriptures for us and who gives us understanding of what they are saying, but as to be applied to our daily walks of faith, too. So don’t shut him out as so many are doing these days. And please seek his counsel and wisdom with regard to all that is going on in the world around us. For so many “Christians” are following after men and are making men their gods, and not God, and who are looking to men to be their Saviors. But those men could be of the devil, in reality.

[Mk 13:11; Lu 2:26; Lu 4:18-19; Lu 10:21; Lu 12:11-12; Jn 14:26; Jn 15:26; Jn 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2; Acts 20:23; Rom 8:9,14; 1 Co 2:14-16; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 12:1-31; Rom 12:1-8; Eph 4:1-16, etc.]

Teach Them  

An Original Work / May 24, 2012

Based off various scriptures

Open up the blinded eyes of

Those who walk in sin’s darkness.

Turn them to the light of Christ

And to His righteousness.

Turn them from the pow’r of Satan.

Turn them to the peace of Christ,

So they may receive forgiveness

And eternal life. 

Teach them to put off their old selves

And their former way of life,

And to put on their new self,

Reborn to be like Christ;

To not copy worldly customs;

Be transformed in life and mind;

Obey freely His word in them,

Pleasing unto God.

Teach them how to love their neighbors

Truly as they love themselves;

Be a witness; share the gospel;

Satan’s lies dispel;

Comfort all who mourn in sadness;

Share Christ’s love and joy today.

Do this through your life and witness

For your Lord always. 

https://vimeo.com/125485489