Must Go Away

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (John 16:7).

I am not trying to get you to sit and compare which is better, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. They are both vital to our lives. The question is not which is a better teacher. God in the form of the Holy Spirit is more effective in motivating, moving, and leading millions of believers at the same time. And Jesus-Well, He is Jesus!

Lets get real here for just a moment. Most of us have thought or said something along these lines in the past. We have secretly believed the disciples had a great advantage over us because:

They were able to sit and listen to the very words of Jesus. They were able to physically see Jesus’ face. They were able to physically hear Jesus’ words. They were able to witness how Jesus acted. They were able to walk with Jesus and bear witness to all His miracles.

What an advantage they had! How many of us have felt, “Oh, if only we could have been there, if only we could have seen what Jesus’ disciples saw! I know my walk with the Lord would be stronger.” Yet, Jesus told His closest followers very plainly it was to everyone’s advantage He needed to leave. He basically communicated, “Look, it is going to be better for you when I leave. For when I go away, the Strengthener will come.” It is the Strengthener, the Helper, and the Comforter who meets our needs from within. This was what these disciples needed and this same Holy Spirit is what we need today.

I know it is hard for us to grasp that we are better off with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Did you ever notice in reading through the Gospels that when Jesus finished some of His greatest messages, the disciples still were clueless? They never went away with their faces aglow, their minds full of understanding, their hearts committed, and ready to work? They were blown away, but not radically changed. Instead, the record tells us that every time Jesus talked to them, He puzzled them. Those closest were perplexed. They couldn't figure Him out. Many times the disciples went away arguing about what He had to say. Jesus’ actions produced more questions and on occasions created disputes within their ranks.

The day after Pentecost, when the Spirit came. This same group was in unison, ready to face all of life’s challenges. Their faces were radiant and joy was in their hearts. Before the Holy Spirit came, they all ran from death and persecution. After the Spirit came, they welcomed persecution. This is what the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer. It was indeed to their advantage and to ours that Jesus was not with them.

We have the same access to the Father and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. We are simply not taking advantage of what we have. You I need to get to know the Holy Spirit. What we may need is a reintroduction to what it means to walk in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. This was Jesus’ desire.

The Lord only shares with us the things we need to know in their season. Jesus has been talking to the disciples about some very serious issues which He couldn't speak to them about in the beginning of His ministry. Now it was time for them to hear these new instructions. The focus of Jesus’ teachings was upon the type of relationship His followers would have with the Holy Spirit "not" the gifts the Holy Spirit brings to the relationship. This is very important for us to understand. If we would but first get the relationship correct with the Holy Spirit, then everything else would fall into place, including spiritual gifts.

“But 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. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;” (John 16:7-8).

I wonder if there are any verses of Scripture more frequently misread than these in (John 16). It is commonly quoted and read as though the Holy Spirit was going to come into the world and work directly upon the hearts of unbelievers, those who are not Christians. Those who read it this way leave the believer totally out of the equation. But if you read and interpret in this fashion, you have not read this verse correctly. This is not what Jesus was trying to communicate.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come (to you), He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

You see, the Holy Spirit is not coming to the world; He is coming to you, the church, the Christian, the believer. When He comes to the follower of Christ, this will convince or convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. I believe this is what Jesus was trying to communicate. The Holy Spirit does not come to the world; He comes to us. Unless the Holy Spirit comes into our life and abides in us, He will not be able to accomplish all those things Jesus wants done in the world. If the world around you is "not " experiencing conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment, whose fault is it; God’s or Ours’s?

How many of us have gone to the grocery store in the past two weeks to buy milk, or some other type of drink. The supermarket always provides liquids in some type of container. We must have containers to carry our liquid refreshments. What if the store simply poured the milk into our hands? Obviously it would pour all out into the floor and be wasted. Well, at least we would get an ounce or two.

God always pours out the Holy Spirit unto containers, or vessels, if you will. The Lord did not send the Spirit to “float around“, but to indwell the hearts and minds of believers. The Holy Spirit is, He is a person of the God-head. Because the Holy Spirit is a Person, we must be willing containers which desire a relationship with Him.

The Holy Spirit will only get into the world (via) indwelling your life. If the Holy Spirit is not indwelling the world around you, it is because you are not carrying the Holy Spirit with you. You are an empty vessel. Jesus told us what to expect; I will send Him unto you!

We simply become a container of the Holy Spirit. The more space we give Him, the more of Holy Spirit we will have. The Lord doesn't want us to do the Holy Spirit’s job. This leads to man-made religion. Our job is to be filled.