Who needs Him?

In yesterday’s post, I wrote how we are blessed that God has placed us in this time and place, because we are the ones to carry His message — the Gospel — to this generation. And I also noted that God has given us the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and give us the words.

But if we know the Gospel, have a powerful personal testimony and a modicum of courage, why do we need to rely on the Holy Spirit?

Because we’re human, is why.

“But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.

“And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

“But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

— Mark 13:9-11

Now, I believe that Jesus’ words about faith use extreme illustrations. For example, we may not be interested in shifting an entire mountain into the sea, but anything up to and including that act is covered by His declaration of what we can do if we have faith “as a mustard seed, and do not doubt”.

Similarly, we may not be hauled in front of rulers and kings and forced to defend the Gospel, but He says we need to turn to the Holy Spirit to speak through us in any situation up to and including that ultimate trial.

And frankly, any time we share our faith with someone who doesn’t believe (or we don’t know what the state of their faith is), we are, in effect, defending the Gospel. And the best One to declare the Word is the Word, Himself.

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;

“for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

— Acts 1:4-5

Now, at that time, the disciples would have been revved-up and ready to get out there and declare Jesus to the world: they had seen Him return from the dead, in the flesh, over the previous 40 days, with “many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3); and Jesus is telling them, “Cool your fans – wait for the Holy Spirit.”

We, too, may be charged-up on Jesus and ready to spread the word, and that’s exactly the time when we need to take a step back and call on the Holy Spirit to take over.

We need the Holy Spirit to guide us and provide us with the words we need, because, being human, we tend to go overboard in the fleshly desire to be right. And not just to be right, but to be seen to be right. When that happens, we often try to prove ourselves right by proving the other person wrong, and if that fails, then by proving the other person inferior. Nobody wins, and the Gospel is lost in the shuffle.

What’s more, we may run up against adversaries who are a lot more formidable than we expect – you know: the kind who might say, “well, the Bible was written by men to control others” or “Jesus set Himself up to be a martyr” or “Allah, Jehovah, God — they’re all the same, right?” You may be caught on your back foot and not know how to respond. But the Holy Spirit — Who’s heard them all, believe me — does know how to respond — or even if you should respond.

Remember that it’s all about the Gospel. Jesus reminds us, in the midst of describing being hauled in front of potentially dangerous unbelievers, that first and foremost, the Gospel must be preached. That’s the important thing, and those adversaries are much stronger than we will ever be. That’s why Jesus promises to send us the “X-Factor” — the Holy Spirit — when we call for it, who tips the scales positively, decisively and eternally, in our favour.

We are never alone in this.