The Positive Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Jesus had just revealed a whole new way of relating to God in John 16:8-11. The Holy Spirit wouldn’t be convicting people of individual sins but of the singular sin of not believing on Jesus. That’s the root of everything. And then the Holy Spirit would reveal to us that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (John 16:10) and that Satan has already been judged (John 16:11).
Then Jesus said He wanted to tell them more, but they couldn’t receive it yet (John 16:12). Here, He spoke about how the Holy Spirit will lead them into all of these new things. So, receiving these revelations from the Lord that they were unable to receive at that time was dependent on them receiving this ministry of the Holy Spirit.
John 16:13 – It’s such a wonderful promise! Imagine having a personal Comforter; a personal guide! That’s what the Holy Spirit is here for: To show us things to come. If we will listen, we too can receive from this ministry of the Holy Spirit. And it will change our lives. He will help us avoid many problems and help us to take advantage of opportunities we would otherwise miss.
But if we don’t receive this positive ministry of the Holy Spirit that Jesus revealed in John 16:8-11, our further revelation from the Holy Spirit will be blocked. What a powerful truth. This elevates the necessity of understanding and receiving this positive ministry of the Holy Spirit to an essential ingredient of revelation knowledge.
Praise God that you understand now the positive ministry of the Holy Spirit! You can praise God that it is no longer a mystery.