 The Proclaimer
The Comfort of the Holy Spirit
“So the church
throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and
walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was
multiplied” (Acts 9:31).
Disciples in the
first century church walked in the “comfort of the Holy Spirit,” and so can
we today. But does this imply that this comfort comes from the Holy Spirit
directly in some miraculous, supernatural and mystical sense? Jesus
promised before He left this earth that the "Comforter” would come (John
14:16), identifying this “comforter” as the “Spirit of truth” (v. 17). The
word “Comforter” is parakletos, which means literally “called to
one’s side.” It has an ordinary sense of “succorer, helper, assistant.”
If you look at
the context of John 14 you will find that Jesus has just told His apostles
that He would soon have to leave them, and “Whither I go, ye cannot come”
(John 13:33). Obviously they were concerned about being left alone without
the Lord to teach them and lead them. They were concerned about being able
to remember all that He had taught them. And so, Jesus answers their
concern by promising that “another Comforter,” the “Spirit of truth” would
come and, “He shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all
that I said unto you” (John 14:26). He tells them the Comforter, the Holy
Spirit, “shall bear witness of me: and ye also bear witness, because ye have
been with me from the beginning” (15:26, 27). “And he, when he is come,
will convict the world in respect of sin . . . he shall guide you into all
the truth” (16:8, 13).
We must
understand that this promise of the miraculous intervention and revelation
of the Holy Spirit as “another Comforter” was given to the apostles. They
needed this Divine intervention, for they would soon be given the “Great
Commission” to take the gospel throughout the world. Luke records that
before His ascension Jesus tells His apostles, “Ye are witnesses of these
things. And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you: but
tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high” (Luke
24:48, 49). They did just that. And on the day of Pentecost this promise
of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, was fulfilled as they, that is the
apostles, “were all together in one place . . . And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-4).
Certainly the
Holy Spirit will comfort us today, but not in some miraculous, “better felt
than explained” way. For the Spirit operates through the revealed word of
God. As we read and hear the written word we too can walk in “the comfort
of the Holy Spirit.” It simply is not necessary for God to speak to us
directly today. Paul says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped
for ever good work” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
The
Holy Spirit spoke through inspired men the revelation of God and we have
that revelation recorded so that when we read it, the Holy Spirit speaks to
us to instruct us and encourage us. Are you discouraged as a Christian? If
so, you need to spend more time with the Spirit of God, and you do that
through reading, studying, meditating and reflecting upon the Word of God.
-- Clark Dugger
The Proclaimer
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