BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

B V O V : 2 3 that it was having on me until the Holy Spirit revealed it to me. He gave me just what I needed—His help. Jesus Promised To Send the Helper In John 16, Jesus made a revolutionary statement to His disciples. He'd been teaching about the kingdom of God and demonstrating the power of God through signs and wonders. His followers were amazed by what they saw. Then He said something none of them expected: "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 depart, I will send Him to you" (verse 7, New King James Version). The disciples had walked with Jesus, talked to Jesus, seen the miracles He performed, and asked Him questions whenever they wanted. They'd known the joy and privilege of having the Messiah with them, and suddenly He was announcing that He was leaving. But He wasn't abandoning them. He was sending someone special in His place—the Helper. He was talking about the Holy Spirit— the Encourager, the Comforter or, as the Apostle John wrote in his Gospel, the Paraclete: the One who comes alongside. This pivotal moment happened just as Jesus promised. When He rose from the grave and returned to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit. Up until then, the Spirit had played a di"erent role. In Genesis, it says He hovered over the face of the deep. Under the Old Covenant, He "came upon" judges, warriors and prophets. But when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, everything shifted. The Spirit came to live on earth, in us. The Holy Spirit Dwells Inside Us In Luke 3:21-22, we see a historic moment when all three of the Godhead took action: "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended He also tells us things that are coming into our individual lives. He wants to show us what to avoid and what to embrace. in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." Right then, everything changed. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus. The Son knew the Holy Spirit, but right then, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. Jesus, the Word of God, had become flesh. Together with the Spirit, Jesus revealed the Father. They worked together to show mankind the power of God. Today, every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them—His revelation and power. Of course, not every believer allows the Spirit of God to move in their life. All of us have had times when we should have taken help from the Holy Spirit, but didn't. Nevertheless, His help is available. The Holy Spirit Rests Upon Us The Spirit of God is not only within us, He also rests upon us. He can descend upon us, just as He did with Jesus. After Jesus told the disciples He had to go away so He could send the Helper, He went on to say, "And when He has„ come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:„ of sin, because they do not believe in Me" (John 16:8-9, NKJV). Believers must believe. We must take hold of what the Word says, regardless of what is happening around us. The Holy Spirit reminds and instructs us what we must take hold of so we can believe correctly in God, and in Jesus. We don't only need to believe in Jesus' sacrifice, but we also need to believe in the Holy Spirit's capacity to do what is beyond our natural ability. We're to think thoughts we wouldn't think ourselves and speak words we wouldn't otherwise speak. We do all of that and more by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit Speaks As much as I have learned, there's still so much more for me to learn—not only by Dennis Burke

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