John 15:27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning
Someone has said, “Fools can ask questions that wise men cannot answer.” I suppose that is true. I easily come up with questions, and I do not easily come up with answers. Don’t we all know the experience of a young child asking questions that are simple but profound? We think, “I don’t know the answer to that question.” Sometimes we say, “That’s a good question” because we would rather praise their good question than admit our lack of ability to answer.
In John 15:26-27 we find out that we don’t have to have all the answers because we know the one who does. In verse 26 Jesus says, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”
A week ago I was talking to a group of summer camp church counselors here on the Bill Rice Ranch. I read these verses and made the point that you are not the counselor. Your job is not to dispense wise, sage advice. You are a witness. Jesus says, “I am sending you a Comforter, the Spirit of truth, a person, to you from the Father, and you also shall be a witness because you have been with me from the beginning.” So, you are not a counselor, you are a witness.
To be clear, you are not a defendant. Sometimes we can get defensive. We talk to people who may be resistant to the gospel and act as if it is something personal. It is not personal. It is not about you. You are not the defendant, nor are you the prosecutor. Often, we think we need to convince or convict people of their need and Jesus’ ability. No, God Almighty, the Holy Spirit, does that. There is a partnership. The Spirit of truth is going to bear witness. He will testify of Jesus and you also will bear witness.
In Acts 1 the disciples had a good question about future times. “Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus answered that it was not for them to know. He wasn’t going to answer that question, but He says, “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me.” The Holy Spirit is the source and bearing witness is the reason for which the Holy Spirit has been given. So, you are not a counselor; you are a witness. A witness just tells what he knows. I don’t have the burden of being a prosecutor or a defendant. I don’t have the burden of being a brilliant counselor. I am a witness.
There are a couple of things that are good to remember. First, you are a witness with the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who comes along beside you is called the Spirit of truth. He will be a witness and you also will bear witness. So, when you give the gospel, that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, you don’t do so alone. You do so with God Almighty in the person of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. So, we are witnesses with God, the Spirit of truth.
Second, we are witnesses of Jesus Christ. Verse 26 says, “Even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” I am a witness with the Spirit and of Jesus. It is not about me. It is not about you. In verse 19 Jesus says, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Then He says, “The servant is not greater than his lord.” Jesus had said this earlier.
I don’t need to take insults and resistance personally, like I have to make things happen and when they don’t it is on me. No, I am a witness with the Spirit of truth, of Jesus, and ultimately, I am a witness from heaven. We find in this portion of Scripture that there are three that are sent. One, the Father sent the Son. In John 17:18 Jesus says, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” So, the Father sent the Lord Jesus.
Then, the Father and the Son sent the Spirit, the Comforter. John 15:26 says, “But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father.” Was He from Jesus or the Father? Yes, the Father and the Son sent the Spirit.
Ultimately, the Lord sends you. In John 20:21 Jesus says, “So send I you.” The Father sent Jesus. The Father and the Son sent the Spirit to us, and then the Lord sends you. He sends you to a friend, coworker, neighbor, or any person who needs the Lord, but He doesn’t send you alone.
So, you are not a counselor; you are a witness. Because you are a witness, you witness with the Spirit of truth, of Jesus, and from heaven. May God help us in that endeavor today.