Jesus told his disciples that, though he was going to ascend into heaven, he wasn’t going to leave them alone. He was going to send “the Advocate,” a title for the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wasn’t sending the Spirit to replace him; rather, he was sending him to assure us of Jesus’ eternal presence and power in our lives. With the confidence of Jesus’ ongoing power to save, the Holy Spirit equips his church - us! - to participate in Christ’s saving work. Through our testimony, the Spirit raises the spiritually dead to life, just as he did on the Day of Pentecost.
