Proverbs is a treasure. Filled with pithy maxims, the book of Proverbs can help you live a life of skill. In a waffling world, we need the bottom lining Proverbs provides. It gets to the point. I know you have your favorite blog or podcast, but Proverbs is better. I promise.Proverbs deals with life right now. There are approximately 900 brief precepts that deal with everything earthy. Success and self-control. Finances and friendship. Marriage and masculinity. Citizenship and sex. Generosity and joy. It's all there.Proverbs covers life now. Little is mentioned of the after life. Proverbs deals with what you deal with, the here and now.What is a Proverb? The word originates from a verb meaning “to be compared with.” So Proverbs often draw a comparison, and the choice is yours. Wisdom or folly. Life or death. Riches or poverty. Health or sickness. Love or hate. Proverbs are designed to help you choose well.This wisdom is powerful in the age we swim in. to be transformed into the image of Christ, we need mind renewal (see Romans 12:2). The age we are in has its own wisdom. It always has, always will. But we need more.In Proverbs, wisdom means skill. The same Hebrew word described those who skillfully crafted the tabernacle (Exodus 31:6). In the Bible, good leaders and sailors are described with this word. Singers and counselors too. This is the kind of wisdom found in the Proverbs. Proverbs wisdom helps us gain skills, skills for life.But how is a Christian to read the Proverbs? How can we glean the most from them?DesperatelyWe ought to read Proverbs with desperation. If we feel Proverbs is optional, just another man’s opinion, we will miss out. With a humble spirit be teachable. A desperation to acquire the skill we need should drive us. We must feel we don’t have it all together, that we need guidance.Without this we won’t pursue the wisdom full on, but we must. This life is short. We only live it once. Eternal life is a different kind of life. Our time on earth is our only chance to live by faith. As Jesus illustrated with the parable of the talents, we must steward these lives well. This is our one shot.Folly gets in the way so often. Skill can help us overcome. This desperation is vital to the reading of Proverbs. Need must be felt.GenerallyWe ought to read the Proverbs knowing they are generalizations. In other words, these are statements that are generally true in life. They aren’t meant as absolute rules, but as the general realities. Solomon, the main author, helps us understand how the world works. But the world is broken, so there will be exceptions to the rules.Take Proverbs 22:6, for instance. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Got it. I build up my children, train them, and when their older the path I’ve shown them will be there fore them. Do not neglect this truth. Many have and have paid the price.But many Christian parents have considered this an absolute promise. If their child strays from the path they take it as a personal failure. “I thought I trained them,” they say, “Yet they departed from the path, so I must not have.” But this is a false reading of Proverbs. Generally, what a parent puts into a child will remain with the child, but this is not a guarantee of saving faith. Generally, though, that is how it works. Teach them. When they are old they won’t depart from it.This is found often in the Proverbs. We will read of lazy men whose lives are in shambles. This is generally so, but in life we will find exceptions, lazy men who have wealth. We will read of hard working men who receive promotions. But in life we’ll see hard working men who never get the promotion they deserve.The Proverbs describe the general rules of life and society. These aren’t hard rules and promises, but generalities, inspired guidelines for life.FearfullyWe ought to read the Proverbs with a fear of the Lord.One factor sepa

Jesus is the ultimate man. Examples of men are plenteous in our culture, but who should we emulate? Ronaldo? Chuck Norris? The Biebs? Jesus Christ is the answer. He is the perfect man. No one is awesome like He is. Forget your personal hero, unless it’s Jesus. He is the one to emulate. He is ultimate. God wills to transform Christian men into the image of His Son. God wants to make us like Jesus. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We know we need the Spirit of God to transform us to be like Jesus. We get that. Still, it is helpful to think about what the Spirit is trying to do in us. Who does He want to change us to be like? Knowing the destination is important. In recent years, attention has been given to the prophet, priest, and king roles within ancient Israel. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all three roles. He is our great high priest. He is the greatest prophet who ever lived, the Word made flesh. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.With this in mind, His men can think about how He might want to work in us. His role as Prophet, how does it impact us? His kingly skill, how would it influence us? His priestly service, do we copy it? In other words, Jesus is the perfect prophet, priest, and king. The Spirit wants to infuse Jesus’ life into ours, so we will grow in all three areas. Remember, "Your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). He has something for you. He longs to transform you. Let’s set our sights upon Jesus: specifically, upon two elements under each subheading. Jesus as King, two things. Jesus as Prophet, two things. Jesus as Priest, two things. This is not exhaustive. But I believe the Spirit wants to infuse these six attributes into us as God’s men. King JesusJesus is supreme. He is the highest. He is to have the preeminence in all things. There is never a room He walks into where He is not the greatest. He is always supreme. Additionally, He knows this. He is not insecure or uncertain of the incredible position that is His. He gets it. The night He was betrayed, He knew. “Knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God,” He then washed the disciples feet (John 13:3). Full of that knowledge, He humbled Himself and served His men. So, Jesus, the King and leader of all. He is supreme, yet he humbled himself and served. He lowered himself. He “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). Jesus lowered himself. This is the kind of King we have in Him. The servant of all. HumbleSo the man of God will humble himself. God has put people in your life. Your aim isn't self-promotion, to climb the ladder of success, but service. Climb the ladder of service. "The greatest among you will be the servant of all," Jesus said (see Mark 10:41-45). We lower ourselves like Jesus lowered Himself. Who has God given you responsibility for? Lower yourself for them. You aren’t the King of Kings. You’re not even the king of your living room. If the King of Kings lowered himself for his people, we must lower ourselves for our people. Our community needs us to humble ourselves for them. Our families. Our wives. Our children. Our friends. Our churches. We must lower ourselves like Christ. SentJesus, as King, was also a sender. “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” During his earthly ministry, Jesus prepared people for their mission. He raised them up. He built them. Then he sent them. Perhaps you recognize how he’s done this for you. He’s built you up. Patiently, he has spoken the word into your life and heart. He has given you time to learn and grow in him. He’s watched over and opened doors for you. He did this for Peter, Paul, and now you. He has built you up to send

Christina and I have tried to build our marriage upon God and his word. We have appreciated all the passages in the Bible which speak directly to the married life. But we have also loved many other Scriptures which have helped our marriage. In this short four-part series, I will write about four of those Scriptures. In each, I will elaborate on the principle found there, along with how it has applied to our marriage. Our prayer is that every believing marriage would find grace and strength in the word of Christ. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." — 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) Christina and I are not the same people we were in 2002, the year we stood before God and witnesses and declared our covenant of love for one another. As age and life has ticked by, we have both matured. In a sense, because we were relatively young when we married, we have grown up together. But our personal growth is not due entirely to the natural flow of life. No, we have both experienced spiritual transformation at the hands of Jesus Christ. He has shaped and molded us over the years.The verse above captures another marriage principle Christina and I feel is responsible for much in our married life— real transformation comes from walking with Jesus. In the larger passage, Paul taught that just as Moses received a law written on tablets of stone, so now we have received a new covenant written on human hearts. The idea is simple. When a person comes to Christ, they are made into a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Internally, we are different. We are born again. Then, after that past moment of salvation, as we walk with Christ, he makes that newness shine. We are not to be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). As we unveil our faces and behold Christ and his gospel, we go through a process of transformation. We become like him, slowly and steadily, “from one degree of glory to another.” Here are some ways this truth has impacted our marriage: 1 The priority of a quiet timeSince “beholding the glory of the Lord” leads to personal transformation, Christina and I have always encouraged each other to protect a daily morning quiet time. Because the new nature in us is brought out as we fellowship with Christ, each of us reads the word and prays each morning. We seek to spend time with God. I don’t think this practice would have become routine in our home had it not been for the belief that personal transformation is (A) needed and (B) found there. 2 A grace-and-life, rather than law-and-death, environmentIt is the Old Covenant Paul refers to when speaking of “the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone” (2 Corinthians 3:7). He said it was a “ministry of condemnation” (2 Corinthians 3:9) whose glory was passing (2 Corinthians 3:9-10). But the New Covenant with Jesus is “the ministry of the Spirit,” a “ministry of righteousness,” with surpassing glory (2 Corinthians 3:8-11). Because Christina and I are under the New Covenant, we try to have a relationship based on grace, rather than law. We don’t count each other's sins, but instead celebrate the righteousness of Christ in the other, realizing we both need his grace and mercy on the daily. 3 The prioritization of Spirit-saturated settingsWe believe encountering Christ, beholding his glory, leads to personal transformation, which causes us to pursue settings where the Spirit is present. God has put his stamp of approval on the Bible, the gathering together with other believers, prayer, giving, and service, so we prioritize all those elements in our weekly rhythms, partly so that he might transform us. We believe transformation comes as we read and pray, but also as we extend ourselves in generosity, fatigue ourselves in service to others, and

“This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while” (Romans 15:22–24). Have you ever wanted to know how some of the most Spirit-led people make decisions? What does it look like for the ultra-godly to choose where to go and what to do? When Paul closed out the letter to the Roman church, he explained to them his tentative plan to come visit them. In writing on this subject, he declared some of the reasons he wanted to go to them. He gave them five reasons he wanted to visit them. 1. His work was done.He wrote: “I no longer have any room for work in these regions.” It wasn’t that there was no Christian ministry for him in his current region (Corinth). It's just there was no more of his brand of Christian ministry. He was a pioneer and always sought to go regions Christ had not yet been named. That work was finished, so Paul felt it was time to move on. 2. He’d always wanted to.He wrote: “I have longed for many years.” This had been a simple desire of Paul’s heart. We know he did eventually make it to Rome, although as a prisoner, not a freeman, but he made it nonetheless. But his reason is simple; he just wanted to. 3. He could visit them and Spain in the same journey.He wrote: “In passing as I go to Spain.” Spain qualified as a pioneer work for Paul, so going there made sense to him. Rome was on the way. To Paul, Rome was a logical visiting point along the way. 4. They could financially support his work.He wrote: “To be helped on my journey there by you.”He suspected the church in Rome would aid him in his journey and ministry to Spain. They would provide emotional and spiritual support, to be sure, but also financial support. 5. He wanted to enjoy the Roman church a bit.He wrote: “Once I have enjoyed your company for a while.”He thought a visit to the Roman church, unlike some church visits, would be enjoyable. It would not be a confrontational trip, but an enjoyable one. It ought to be mentioned that Paul, elsewhere, was led by dreams and visions. But his decision making process here was straightforward. Logic pervaded this man’s mind. He thought it time to go to Rome. Perhaps a glimpse into one of the greatest Christian lives ever will serve us as we make our decisions in life.

”Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." — 1 Corinthians 13:7, ESV No two people are alike, and if by some miracle they are, they won’t automatically like each other for it. We are people with brokenness, sinful desires, and bad histories, so it is inevitable conflict will come. Christina and I have our fair share of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and selfishness. Fortunately, we always get back to forgiveness, communication, and love. Rather than stay stuck in a crazy cycle of conflict, we have found there are attitudes which underpin a healthy relationship. One of them resides in the little verse above. When in conflict or disagreement with one another, 1 Corinthians 13:7 has served Christina and me well. When the flesh begins to grow angry or impatient, the Spirit will often remind us of what true love looks like, particularly this aspect. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). For many people in our modern age, love is a sappy and meaningless word. But love does not mean accepting everything, thinking critically about nothing, and believing nothing (or mutually exclusive things at the same time). Believers do not embrace a nonsensical “what-the-world-needs-now-is-love-sweet-love” approach, a feeling of bliss that magically washes over us, but a course of action that longs to get outside the self for the betterment of another. Love is what drove Jesus to come to earth to die for us. Love is what motivated the church to preach the gospel even when persecution hit. And love is what keeps a marriage alive. Here are some ways this type of love impacts our marriage: 1 We bear the load the other cannot lift.Since love “bears all things,” Christina and I try to help with the load the other cannot lift. I have many deficiencies and flaws in my personality; Christina works hard to compliment me in those areas. Together, we pitch in where the other is not as gifted. For instance, Christina is gifted in reading how others might be feeling, while I can be obtuse. She has born that load many times as we’ve interacted with others and has helped me grow in reading how others might feel or think. In areas like finances, friendship, planning, entertaining, commitment, service, hospitality, generosity, chores, fun, Sabbath, sacrifice, listening, sharing, etc. one spouse will likely be stronger than the other. We try to bear with the load the other cannot lift. 2 We believe the best about the other’s intentions.Since love “believes all things,” Christina and I try to believe the best about the other’s intentions. There are bound to be moments where we do or say something (or don’t do or don’t say something) the other finds hurtful. In those moments, the hurt person tries to believe the best, remembering the heart of the other. We aren't the same gender. We don't have the same personality. Our backgrounds are different. Intellectually, we understand how hard it is to understand the motivation of the other. But when conflict comes, it is incredible how quickly we think we know exactly what the other person was thinking, or why they did what they did. Our flesh quickly projects dubious motives onto the other. Instead, we must slow our roll and love one another by believing the best about the other's intentions. 3 We hope for breakthroughs in the other’s life.Since love “hopes all things,” Christina and I remain positive and confident about Christ’s work of sanctification in the other. She believes that Jesus is shaping and molding me, and I think the same for her. We don’t hope this in a manipulative way — Here’s something to work on, sweetie, I know Jesus will help you (smile, wink). We don’t hope this is a selfish way — I can’t wait for Jesus to work that tendency out of them. My life will be so much easier when he does. No, we love one another, so we know the other is not happy with their limitations. We can see

>Christina and I have tried to build our marriage upon God and his word. We have appreciated all the passages in the Bible which speak directly to the married life. > But we have also loved many other Scriptures which have helped our marriage. In this short four-part series, I will write about four of those Scriptures. In each, I will elaborate on the principle found there, along with how it has applied to our marriage. Our prayer is that every believing marriage would find grace and strength in the word of Christ. ”For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21 ESV) When I was a boy, I loved to play with model trains. I remember learning about the engine, the car that pulled everyone else, but also the caboose, the car in the back at the end of the line. There were cars in the middle, but the engine was at the front, and the caboose was at the back, always.In a passage touching on the subject of money, Jesus introduced a fascinating concept. He said humans' hearts follow their money (“treasure”). The engine is your treasure, while the caboose is your heart. This truth is interesting because it seems we’d like to think it’s the other way around, that we spend our time and treasure on whatever our heart is into, but this is not so. Wherever we spend our time and treasure, eventually our heart will follow. Christina and I have used this truth to help us continually grow in our marriage. During the dating phase, there is a newness and excitement, but it must eventually give way to true love. An enemy of long-lasting love is familiarity. The heart begins to drift. But, according to Jesus, where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also, so we have tried to be disciplined about spending our time and treasure on one another, knowing our hearts will follow. Here are some practical ways this truth works out in our marriage: 1 We date each other.Before we had children, Christina and I began the practice of a date night each week. Since they are regularly scheduled, they aren't elaborate; sometimes we go out for Chipotle and a beach walk, other times coffee and a hike. Making this commitment of our time to one another has been great for our marriage. Once kids, church events, speaking engagements, ministry, friends and family, social functions, extracurricular activities for our children, and family-time came crashing into our schedule, our weekly date became all the more important. It gives us a protected time to be us. It communicates and lives out our belief there is no other human relationship more important than this one. 2 We talk to one another.To open your heart and speak to your spouse, especially given the pressures mentioned above, is challenging. But Christina and I have tried to make time throughout the week to sit with one another, walk the dog together, go on a short hike together, or linger at the breakfast table together, all with the hope of connecting in conversation. So much happens in life, so it’s been essential for us to spend our time on one another, catching up and sharing about what’s going on inside us. 3 We pursue romance.We have believed romance begets more, that one of the best ways to keep the spark alive is to throw fuel on the fire. When we treasure each other in this way, we find a deeper heart and love for one another than before. We believe that if we cherish each other romantically, our hearts will follow. 4 We spend time alone with each other.Dates are one thing, but since she is my favorite person and she is mine, we try to steal as many moments together as we can. We have responsibilities to many people, and we are happy to spend our lives on others, but this makes it all the more important to grab little slices of time together. It might be a two-three night trip together, which we try to take each year, or it might be a long car ride where we tell the kids that mom and dad are going to spend some time talking without interruption. 5 We pursue the other.Gifts

“And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life.” (Judges 16:30). In his younger years, he never would have said it. Samson, though gifted and called by God, was a self-willed as they come. But God would often redeem his self-determinate nature for his purposes. Are you angry they learned the answer to your riddle, Samson? Well, attack Ashkelon. I know why you’re doing it, your pride has been deflated, but at least you can be a hero for Israel in the process.Are you upset they gave your fiance to another man, Samson? Well, catch some foxes and light some fires in Philistine territory. I know why you’re doing it, you wanted a forbidden woman, but at least you can bring some of my judgment upon the Philistines in the process.Have you been bound and delivered to the Philistines, by your people, due to the chaos you’ve caused? Well, snap those ropes, pick up a donkey’s jawbone, and swing away. I know you picked up that unclean piece of bone to gain personal vengeance, but at least my people will find some deliverance as a result of your life. But, finally, a day came in Samson’s life where God departed from him. He no longer had the strength required to defeat his enemy. God would find other means to subdue the Philistines. Delilah betrayed him, yes, but Samson’s own heart betrayed him first. Captured and blinded, Samson toiled in Philistine captivity for years. Eventually, a day came where the Philistine’s needed a new source of entertainment at one of their debaucherous festivals for their god Dagon. During the great sacrifice, they rejoiced that Dagon had given them victory over Samson. Weakened, a shadow of his former strength, Samson was brought forth and mocked. He'd become fuel for the fires of Dagon worship. At that moment, with the help of the young man who led him, blind Samson’s hands found the support pillars of the structure. He prayed to God. In a sense, it was the same story. He wanted vengeance for his two eyes. In another, though, it was a different story, for he was ready to die. “Let me die with the Philistines,” he cried. As he broke the pillars, the building toppled. He died, and many Philistines with him. More Philistines came under divine judgment during Samson’s death during the entirety of Samson’s life. Samson’s grandest victory did not come until he became willing to die. He is a muddle of failure and flesh, gifting and glory. Wading through Samson’s life is murky work. However, this much we know: when Jesus came, he showed us a Good Shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep. No ulterior motive existed. He was not in it for vain glory. He was in it for us. He was willing to die that we might live and that our enemies might be crushed. Let us imitate our Lord and take up our cross daily to follow him. Let us become willing to die to the self that we might give life to those around us.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28–30 ESV). He sat on the river bank to watch the water pass. Splash. Ripple. Gurgle. The water flowed from left to right. It never stopped, he thought. And it never returned. He was still. The river and everything in it was not. He felt the river was the same as yesterday but knew that was untrue. These were not yesterday’s waters, but today’s. Yesterday was gone. The current of life always moves; it cannot stop. God has placed humanity inside his creation. Part of God's creation is time, which runs, passes, and flows. We move with it. We cannot return to yesterday. But where is the current taking us? What is the point of this movement? In a recent sermon at Calvary Monterey, my father — Bill to you — taught on the point of life. His teaching was based off Romans 8:28-30. His bottom line? The point of life, for the believer, is to become like Jesus. It is not a goal Christians invented, God did. His intention for his people is that we would become like his Son. 1 The Goal Of Life Is To Become Like JesusSo he could show the result of God using all things together for good, my dad decided to teach Romans 8:28-30 in reverse. It is sometimes silly how Christians apply the truth “God uses all things together for good,” so it makes sense to see first how God applies it. The “good” God works to bring forth is for his children to be “conformed to the image of his Son.” “Life is like a great funnel. Everything in it leads us to become like Jesus,” my dad said. When we understand God intends to make us more like Christ than before, we will interpret everything in our lives through that grid. Though life is difficult, it is not purposeless. God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son. We are to become like Jesus; it is God’s goal for us. Is it yours? 2 It Is Guaranteed Believers Will Become Like JesusThe goal of God, his desire for us to become like Jesus, is guaranteed for all believers. We are “predestined” to it, Paul wrote. One day our glorification will occur. One day, that is our vantage point. But from God’s vantage point our glorification has already occurred. “Those whom he justified he also glorified,” Paul wrote. The deed, in God’s mind, heart, reality, and experience, is finished; the glorification of his children is past tense. Our past, present, and future have already been decided for us in the gospel. Everything in our past is taken care of; we are justified. Everything in our future is taken care of; we are glorified. So what matters now is our sanctification; to become like Christ today is the goal. But it will happen, guaranteed. 3 So What Is Jesus Like?When my dad posited this question I honestly wondered how he would fit an answer into one point of one sermon. What is Jesus like? There is too much to say. But he did a masterful job of drawing us to one Scripture to encapsulate all of what Jesus is like: “Grace and truth” was his description. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17). Jesus came in full representation of grace, but also the truth. He wasn’t fifty percent grace and fifty truth, but the full manifestation of both. To be full of both grace and truth is the result of sanctification. Your life becomes true, and truth flows from your life. Your life becomes grace, and grace flows from your life. 4 God Uses The Circumstances Of Life To Make Us Like JesusSo believers — Paul describes us as called by and lovers of God — are on a passenger train to Christ-likeness. God uses all things in our lives, works

“My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.” (Psalm 38:11 NLT). “So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.” (2 Corinthians 2:8 NLT). Like smoke’s residue, the stench of his rebellion clung to him. The waves and billows of David's sin had pushed him to the floor. He felt unable to stand. God may have accepted him, loved him, and put away his sin from him, but David thought himself a shadow of his former glory. Friends and family stood afar off as he endured the agony brought on by his rebellion. He said, "My loved ones and friends stand away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance" (Psalm 38:11 NLT). Years later, a man in the church of Corinth was in a similar predicament. He had ostracized himself through his own error. But the time for restoration had come. “Reaffirm your love for him,” Paul urged the church. Family and friends may stand at a distance, but God’s people do not. They are a new family and people-group for the wayward sinner. When Christ and his blood come rushing in to heal the repentant, a new member is added to the family. Angels sing. The Shepherd Son rejoices. The Spirit celebrates. The Father kills the fattened calf. The family is made new, reunited to God and one another. We must recall this: the church is to be a family for all believers, some of whom have lost loved ones, friends, and family because of brokenness and sin. Some might mourn with David, “Even my own family stands at a distance.” Watching, waiting, a biological family has been burned one too many times to believe a real change has taken place. But the church knows Christ, how he takes enslaved followers of darkness and brings them into his kingdom. A transfer occurs. The battle is not over, not in the least, for flesh rages against Spirit, but renewal has come. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).We do well when we remember this aspect of the local church. The church is many things — the pillar and ground of the truth, a disciple-making center, an outpost for the gospel, an earthly manifestation of the kingdom — but we are also a refuge for sinners, a new family for those covered by the blood. When the congregation gathers, it is all too easy to forget this, for pain in the soul is not always detectable in others’ outward appearance. Remember, some in your church have lost everything and feel ostracized by family and friends, perhaps because of personal sin, possibly because of the gospel itself. We must work to behave, as much as we can, as Christ's new family, a place of healing and restoration and grace for every tribe, nation, and tongue.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16–17 ESV). Under cover of darkness, they walked. Jesus would bring his disciples, on that final night together, to the garden. There, in Gethsemane, he would pray and await Judas’ betrayal.On their way, teaching spilled out of his heart and mouth. He would go to prepare a place for them. He would come back for them. He taught them to abide in him and to love each other. He readied them for the hatred and rejection of the world.He also promised them the Holy Spirit. He knew he'd ascend back to the Father. Once reunited in glory, he would appeal to the Father to send the Spirit. Jesus called him the Helper, and the Spirit would come to live in them. The Spirit of God, Jesus said, would begin to reside with his people. The temple had the holy of holies, and God dwelt there, but now God’s people would become individual temples of the Holy Spirit. Do you need help in life? The Holy Spirit lives in all gospel-believing-Jesus-people, and Jesus called him “the Helper.” The word is parakletos, and, because it’s a swiss-army-knife of a word, it is translated a few different ways. Let’s consider some of its shades of meaning below. 1 AdvocateThe Spirit is on your side. He works to open doors for you, empower you, and remind you. Because he is God, he sees the truest and loveliest version of you. He works hard to come alongside you to bring that vision to life. He is not against you, outside of you, merely watching you, waiting for your failure. No, he is for you, inside of you, engaging with you, waiting to witness your growth and success. 2 ComforterThe Spirit gives comfort. Life is a painful mess of challenges, limitations, and failures. You are always put face-to-face with life's difficulties. The soil produces fruit, but only with tears. We often agonize, but the Spirit lives within us to provide us with comfort. He works to bring Scripture, friendships, and perspective into our minds at just the right time. He loves to engage with you and be the still, small voice of God’s comfort during your moments of pain. 3 EncouragerThe Spirit urges you on through encouragement. People try to pump others — and themselves — up for life. "You got this!" "You can do it!" "Don't quit!" But those encouragements only go so far. The Spirit, on the other hand, lives within his people. He reminds you of who you are. He tells you of God’s love and grace. He urges you on to the sacrificial and beautiful things of life. 4 CounselorThe Spirit gives Christ’s counsel. Jesus is called the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), and the Spirit delivers his counsel to our lives and hearts. Open yourself to his word. Sit and listen to a sermon, but with your heart open and ready for the Spirit’s advice. Then sit and watch a sunset. Hear the Spirit counsel your soul. As you walk through the forest, or through Costco, ask him to lead and advise you. Hear him say, “Don’t believe that, believe this instead. You don’t need that. Here’s who you are…” 5 HelperThe Spirit helps you. Jesus called him “another Helper" of the same kind and quality. In other words, the Spirit would help the disciples (and helps you) in the same way Jesus helped his disciples while walking on the earth. He provided. He taught. He led. He worked miraculously. He emboldened them. The Spirit, unrestricted with spacial limitations like Christ was, would help them as they went throughout the world making disciples. And he will help you do the same.Too many people run around trying to help themselves. They turn to the wrong places for comfort, encouragement, or counsel. Many try to be “good Christians” by advocating for the self, believing God is their adversary in the process. All the while, the Spirit lives within, ready