| Written by Andrew and Jamie Wommack |
The sixteenth chapter of John has one of the most remarkable statements in the Bible.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go
not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him
unto you.
John 16:7
The disciples were shocked to hear that having the Holy Spirit with them would be better than
having Jesus with them in His physical body. Of course, what Jesus said is absolutely true.
Obviously, we need to understand and value the ministry of the Holy Spirit as Jesus does.
The Lord has given me ten reasons why it is more advantageous for a believer to have the
ministry of the Holy Spirit than the physical manifestation of Jesus in their life. Understanding
this will hopefully bring us into agreement with Jesus that the present-day ministry of the Holy
Spirit is better than Jesus’ limited earthly ministry.
#1 The first reason is that having the Holy Spirit in us spreads God’s power to a greater
extent.
While on earth, Jesus was limited by His physical body. He could only be in one place at a time,
and therefore, He was not always with everyone who believed in Him. But as He was ascending
back into heaven, He promised He would be with us to the end of the world (Matt. 28:20).
Jesus is now with each believer constantly. He will never leave or forsake even one true
Christian (Heb. 13:5).
When a person is born again, Jesus comes and lives inside them. Galatians 4:6 says, “God hath
sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”
On Resurrection morning, two of Jesus’ disciples were walking to Emmaus, which was about
seven miles from Jerusalem (Luke 24:13–32). They had heard reports that Jesus was raised from
the dead, but they struggled to believe it.
As they journeyed, the resurrected Jesus joined them and explained to them through Scripture all
about His own death and resurrection. Yet even though they were walking and talking with
Jesus, they didn’t recognize Him.
If that could happen back then, it’s even more so now that we can’t see Him. Instead—since the
Resurrection—we can have Jesus in our spirits at all times rather than His limited presence in a
physical body.
#2 The second reason is that when we make Jesus our Lord and receive salvation, we are
born again with an absolutely perfect spirit man living inside us.
There are three times in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus where Jesus expounded this truth.
John 3:5–8 says,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell
whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
This new birth that Jesus speaks of is brought about by the Holy Spirit. But this wasn't possible
until Jesus’ death and resurrection. At salvation, the Holy Spirit seals our born-again spirit so
that sin cannot pollute it. Our spirits are eternally redeemed (Heb. 9:12), saved (Heb. 9:15),
sanctified (Heb. 10:10), and perfected (Heb. 10:14) because of the Holy Spirit’s preserving
power. Praise the Lord!
I wish I had the space to explain all ten reasons why it’s better to have the Holy Spirit in us than
to have Jesus physically present with us. We just weren’t meant to get through this life without
the Holy Spirit. If you want to grow in your relationship with God and your understanding of the
Holy Spirit, I encourage to visit awmi.net for countless hours of free teaching and resources. I
guarantee it’ll be a blessing to you. If you need someone to pray with you, you can call our
Helpline at 719-635-1111 where our trained prayer ministers are available to you 24/7.
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie Wommack
