When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father
Since the devil can be defined as an accuser, as the one who tries to make the case against us (see Revelation 12:9-11), the Holy Spirit is fittingly described as the Advocate. The Holy Spirit is the one who acts as a teacher and guide as we navigate the trials of life.
Jesus said that when we stand before rulers and authorities we need not be anxious about how we should defend ourselves or what we should say (see Luke 12:11). The reason we need not fear is because the Holy Spirit is able to teach us how to give testimony. He himself assists us both from within and without. He helps us know what to say even as he helps prepare the hearts of others to receive what our message. This is what happened with Lydia when "the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying".
Since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Light, he himself is the "Spirit of Truth". When we are tempted to embrace dishonesty because it seems easier he himself reminds us that the truth is essential. Like in any courtroom it is in some sense our relationship to the truth that determines our judgment. When we are tempted to think things like, 'Well just this once', or, 'Something so small doesn't matter', he reminds us that sin is sin, and that complicity in small sin makes larger sin harder to avoid.
When the fear of men makes us want to capitulate the Spirit comes to our aid and gives us courage. When we are tempted to think, 'I can't', he reminds us that we can do all things in Christ (see Philippians 4:13). When we think we've already lost and the game is over he reminds us that Jesus said, "take heart; I have overcome the world" (see John 16:33). When the struggle doesn't seem worth the effort and the suffering seems too great to bear he reminds us of the joy promised to us by Jesus, and that "no one will take your joy from you" (see John 16:22).
Our life is in some sense a trial, but one which is only secondarily about us. It is rather one in which the testimony of Jesus is once again put to the test. And so the goal is not simply for us to be excused as innocent, but for Jesus to be validated and vindicated once more in the eyes of the world in the context of our own lives. We do, however, have a part to play. But we have seen that the Spirit himself teaches us precisely how to play that part. We don't have to worry that it is all up to us. The Spirit himself is the one that, in every age, produces sufficient evidence to prove our claims about Jesus. He is the one who teaches us persuasive words with which to give testimony. He not only works from within us, but even within our enemies, to soften their hearts and open them to the truth. The exhibit of our lives as evidence of the truth of the Gospel, however, is something he will not fabricate whole cloth.
I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
In this era of our nation Christians may not be persecuted in the same ways they were in the time of the Apostles. But even so, we still need to be prepared to give testimony. The world is gradually chipping away at the Christian moral consensus. The God-given dignity of others is more and more forgotten, as living for the sake of self-interest is increasingly normalized. We may fear that the main reason Christians aren't persecuted in our nation is because those who would stand to benefit from silencing our voice of moral protest haven't realized yet that they could probably get away with it by now, or, if not now, then in the decades to come. It's not inevitable that our nation goes down that path. But in the absence of a mainstream political alternative, it does seem frighteningly likely. We remember this now, so that, if it happens, we can be prepared to face it. Just as looking back to what the Apostles endured can help give us firm resolve, so too can fact that the future will inevitably be filled with challenges, whatever they may be. The key to being prepared for such a future is the same thing that will make us ready for any eventuality. That is learning to rely more and more on our Advocate, the Holy Spirit.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you.
Elevation Worship Featuring Chris Brown - Trust In God
Newsboys - Truth Be Known
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