A couple years ago, a story made headlines across the world… a young girl committed suicide because her pastor husband stalked and threatened her when she finally had enough courage to leave him. Shockwaves hit the church. It has now resurfaced with a new docuseries about Mica Miller and her sociopath husband, J.P. Miller. We shake our heads at how in the world this could have happened. I’ve watched some of his messages and I must say that he often used the Bible to support his sinful and demented desires. We ask… How could the people of the church stay there? Why didn’t they see what was going on? Why didn’t the leaders in the church take him down?
Here’s the thing… this is a lot more common that we think. And these things will continue the closer we get to Jesus’ return. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.” And the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:13 that “[these people] disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.” So, we ask… how can we protect ourselves from this? How can I be kept from falling for these deceptive wolves? The answer is found in the One who lives inside you… the Holy Spirit. Let’s examine His work based on what Jesus told the disciples in our key verses in John 14:15-16: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.”
The moment we say YES to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. So, what is His purpose for indwelling believers? The answer? To continue the work Jesus began. Therefore, believers (you and me) are called to continue Jesus’ work… but only with the Holy Spirit’s help. We cannot do it without Him. There are many functions of the Holy Spirit, but here are three…
To advise us! Jesus said the Holy Spirit is the one who leads into all truth (John 14:16). He will reveal lies to us and show us what is truth.
To defend us! Satan is always accusing us, but the Holy Spirit comes to the Father on our behalf and defends us with truth. The Holy Spirit disarms every lie the enemy brings against us.
To protect us! The Holy Spirit’s job is to protect us from falling into the enemy’s hands.
With that said, we may ask… then why are so many Christians deceived or unable to see the enemy right before them? Because the Holy Spirit must be at work in our lives… active. He can be present but inactive. I believe the way He becomes active goes back to a message Jesus spoke in John 15… it was an allegory about the Vine (Jesus) and the branches (believers). In this message, Jesus said that the branches must stay connected to the Vine because it’s the Vine that breathes life, energy, and nutrients into the branches.
Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus also said in John 15:7 that we must remain in Him and He in us. This is a continuous action… something we need to be doing daily. Spending time in prayer and the Word of God. This activates the Spirit’s power and work in our lives. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. We must walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and that comes from a daily seeking after Jesus. The Holy Spirit wants to rise up in each of us but the way we live our lives (growing in our relationship with Jesus) gives Him that fuel. Let’s not be deceived like so many others. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to continue Jesus’ work in our lives… let’s be a light, showing people their need for Christ.