Stay in Christ
The great writer Mark Twain wrote an interesting story. He said that one day when the king and queen of a distant land brought home their newborn little prince from the royal hospital, their carriage collided with the cart of a poor beggar. In the humble vehicle, the poor man brought his wife and newborn baby from the midwife's home to his home. In the confusion of the incident, the two couples accidentally exchanged the babies, and so the little prince got into the beggar's house to be raised by him and his wife.
When the baby grew into a boy, he was forced to go out into the streets begging for food. Unknowingly, it was actually on his own streets that he begged, as they belonged to his real father, the king. Day in and day out he would go to the castle and look through the iron fence at the little boy playing there and say to himself, "If only I were a prince". Of course he was a prince! But he was aware of the fact The boy lived a life of poverty because he didn't know who he really was, precisely because he didn't know who his father was.
But this also applies to many Christians! It's so easy to go through life without knowing your identity. Some of us have never really taken the time to figure out "who they belong with." Since the day we were born spiritually, we are now sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords! We are royal heirs. How sad to think that we often live in self-imposed spiritual poverty, deprived of the riches of God's wonderful grace. This wealth is there whether we knowingly enjoy it or not. Many believers are somewhat "unbelievers" when it comes to taking God at his word when He tells us who we are in Jesus.
The moment we came to faith, God gave us everything we need to live a Christian life. Jesus promised to send his disciples a "helper." "When the Advocate [Helper] comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also are my witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning." (Joh 15,26-27).
Jesus spoke to his disciples about the secret of a converted spiritual life: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Joh 15,5)Our abiding in Christ, his abiding in us, and the coming of the Holy Spirit are closely intertwined. We cannot truly abide in Christ without walking in the Spirit. Without walking, there is no abiding. Abiding means that something is constantly present. Our Christian life began with a once-for-all commitment of our lives to Christ. We live this commitment day by day.
The word "helper" (Greek Parakletos) means "set aside to help". It refers to someone who comes to the rescue in court. Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit teach truth, remain in disciples, and bear testimony. The helper is not only essentially like Jesus, he also acts like Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the constant presence of Jesus in us believers.
The Paraclete is the direct connection between Jesus and his disciples in every generation. The Comforter, Encourager, or Helper remains or dwells in all believers. He leads us into the truth of God's world. Jesus said, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (Joh 16,13)He always points us to Christ. “He will glorify me, for it is from what is mine that he will receive and make known to you. All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said, ‘He will receive from what is mine and make known to you.’” (Joh 16,14-15)The Holy Spirit never glorifies Himself. He does not seek His own glory. He desires only to glorify Christ and God the Father. Any religious movement that glorifies the Spirit instead of Christ is not in accordance with Jesus' teachings about the Holy Spirit.
What the Holy Ghost teaches will always be in full agreement with Jesus. He will in no way contradict or share anything that our Redeemer has taught. The Holy Spirit is always Christ-centered. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always in complete agreement.
Entry into the kingdom of God does not succeed because of our best efforts, but requires a completely different life. We have to be born spiritually. It is a new beginning, a new birth. It is free from the old life. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Neither by our own strength nor by our own intelligence can we have a right relationship with God. We enter God's family when the Spirit of God fundamentally renews us. Without that, there is no Christianity. The Holy Spirit helps to spiritual life. It does not start with a desperate human attempt to create it yourself. It has nothing to do with own merit. We do not torment ourselves with it. We can not earn God's favor. What a privilege to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. We simply state what God has already done in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and He came to reveal Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. We are wonderfully blessed! God is for us, with us and works through us.
by Santiago Lange
