The Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you.
John 14:26
The Comforter is the Holy Spirit said Jesus, and it is the comforter that will teach you all things. The Greek word for comforter is{parakletos}, which translates to mean counselor, consoler, and advocate. What would the believer do without the Holy Spirit for help and comfort? Jesus promised his disciples that he would not leave them comfortless [see John 14:18] or alone. He would pray to the Father to send the Holy Spirit who was to abide with them as well as with all believers. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. The Trinity consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the least understood member of the Godhead within Christendom. Many churches have taken an approach of controlling the Holy Spirit by excluding its works within their congregation.
Not all churches took the approach of denying the works of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the first Pentecostal movement began in the 18th century and its origins were British. John Wesley founder of the Methodist was an Anglican priest in England. Wesley not only included sound doctrine but the working of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life to be transformed to a new person in Christ and to live a holy live walking in the love of God. We also have Smith Wigglesworth also a Methodist who spoke about the importance of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. Wigglesworth was adamant about the importance of the filling of the Holy Spirit to guide the believer’s life to be effective in living out God’s will. He exhorted believers to repent and make things right with God to get the gumption of the Holy Spirit back into their life.
Both Wesley and Wigglesworth were moved and controlled by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel of Christ to bring renewal and healing to a person’s life. They were man filled by the Holy Spirit to do the work of evangelism. The importance of the love of God and faith are key to the workings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will always testify of Christ [see John 15:26], for Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The Holy Spirit will only come when a person desires to repent and be made whole. “Being made free from sin, and becoming servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life,” said the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:22. In fact, Paul exhorts to yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness in this verse and not to iniquity.
Many forget the threefold work of the Spirit in the world as Jesus exclaimed in John 16:8, “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” If you continue to read verses 9 to 11, you get the full picture of the work of the Spirit.
Of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
John 16:9-11
The comforter speaks to a personal relationship of being one with Christ in teaching us and helping us to remember the word of God. In verse 20 of John chapter 14, Jesus said, “I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.” For many the concept of being one in Christ is hard to conceive, yet we believe it in faith, and it becomes a reality when we sense the Holy Spirit in our life. It becomes an experience that we know without a doubt that we have the Spirit of Christ residing within our body. Living as a Christian becomes more then just a confession. It is a turning away from all the negative characteristic of humanity and living a new life that is born in the image of Christ. When we yield to the Holy Spirit we die to self. It becomes as Paul exclaimed in Philippians 1:21, “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The comforter helps us to pray and to live for Christ. May we all pray for the comforter to come and guide, teach, and bring healing to our body , soul, and spirit in Jesus name.
