John 15:26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father–the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father–he will testify about me.”

Jesus refers to the Spirit as the “Counselor.” If you know the King James Version of the Bible well, maybe you remember that there this is translated “Comforter.” Or perhaps you are familiar with the Greek word behind these terms, “Paraclete,” from hymns or Bible studies that deal with the work of the Holy Spirit.

Most literally, this word refers to someone who is called to stand alongside of you. That could be your lawyer at a trial, standing beside you, giving you legal counsel, and arguing your case for you. That could be a friend who throws an arm around your shoulder and gives you a little comfort and support when things are tough. That could be anyone who rolls up his sleeves, stands beside you, and helps you through the task in front of you. One Central African translation of the Bible even translates using a term that describes a person who kneels down next to someone who has been seriously hurt to care for his needs and carry him to safety– something like the picture we have of the Good Samaritan.

Here is the point of all this: we are not alone in the work that God has given us to do. Sometimes we may fear that the task of spreading the gospel sits entirely on our shoulders. It is up to us to come up with a compelling argument to defend Jesus’ teaching. It is up to us to present the message so well and so precisely that people will have to believe what we say. The success of our preaching, teaching and witnessing begins and ends with me, me alone. No one is more tempted to think this way than Christian pastors, but all of us can be guilty of it, especially when there is someone or other we really want to come to faith.

If we think this way, we have intruded on God’s territory. What did the Apostle Paul tell the Corinthians? “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but the Lord made it grow.” That’s not saying we shouldn’t work hard, and make our best presentation. But if we cut God out of this, and put it all on us, we are setting ourselves up for a number sins.

One, we fall into worry and all kinds of false guilt when we don’t see the kinds of results we think we should.

Two, we are tempted to tinker and “adjust” God’s message to make it work better. But if people are believing something that God didn’t actually say, then it isn’t God that they are actually trusting, is it.

Three, when we do see success, false pride fills us. We take credit for God’s work, and we miss the fact that we didn’t make the person believe. God worked a miracle.

This is why Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. He calls him Paraclete, Counselor, Comforter, because he has something to say to us. He comes along side of us and throws the warm, comforting arm of the Gospel around our own shoulders. He assures us our God not only stands alongside of us. He stood in our place. Jesus stood with the weight of our sins on his shoulders instead of ours. He stood under the judgment our sins deserved, and died the death for them that we should have died. He stands alive today to promise that every sin is forgiven, our full debt is paid, all God demanded has been paid in full.

But his work with us hasn’t stopped there. He not only stands alongside us. He lives inside of us reaffirming our faith, giving us the tools for the task God has given us, even accompanying our words so that they hit home in human hearts. What did Jesus’ say about the word? “The words I have spoken to you ARE Spirit and they ARE life.”

You see, we are not alone (and that’s not just a statement about space aliens). We are working with the Counselor, who is beside us, even in us. As believers in Jesus, that is true at all times. The Spirit is living in us even when we don’t “feel” him. He hasn’t left us when we are sleeping. He hasn’t left us when we are concentrating on work or play or something that seems completely secular in nature. In fact, we should be careful not to confuse him with our own emotions or a rush of adrenalin. The Spirit may be capable of producing such things, but they are not the Spirit himself. So long as we still sincerely believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, the Counselor is with us, for “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”