By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

It is here in John chapter 14 that we can develop a Pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit) straight from Jesus’s lips.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you” (John 14:15-17).

The first thing Jesus tells us is that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth. Everything we think and everything we say can be filtered between what is true and what is a lie. Many times the Enemy will be shouting lies in our ears. You’re useless. You’re hopeless. You’re good for nothing. You can’t outrun your past.

But, thank God, we are given a Spirit of truth, who simply by His presence is able to dissolve the lies of the Enemy and replace them with truth, purpose, and love

The second thing that Jesus tells us is that the Spirit is not welcome in some hearts. While the Holy Spirit is calling and tugging on the hearts of everyone, even before we believe, the Holy Spirit can only abide with those in whom He is welcome. 

It’s not difficult to recognize those who have yet to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit brings joy, peace, patience, and self-control. While we may be able to experience some of these things apart from the Spirit, it is only with His indwelling that we are able to experience the “fruits” continually and to their fullest.

Jesus also tells us that the Holy Spirit abides with us. There is nowhere you can go to be separated from the Spirit. In the highest of highs and lowest of the lows the Holy Spirit is very present and very real. He is feeling your joy and experiencing your suffering. This fact should bring us comfort in that we are never alone.

Finally, Christ also shows us that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. How does the fact that you are a temple for the Holy Spirit change the way you live? Do you take care of your body? Do you make attempts at being healthy? If our bodies are the home for the Spirit, we must ensure that we are doing everything we can to ensure they are in tip-top shape.

I thank God for the Holy Spirit. It is because He sent His Spirit to dwell and abide with us that we were not left to our own devices when Christ left. But instead, we have an Advocate, a Teacher, a Comforter, a Perfector, and a Friend in the Holy Spirit of God.