5. Witnessing and the World - John 15:18-27 

After years of sharing my faith with my family there came a crisis. This produced a spiritual move. Was God was using this tough time? Many of us invite people to services, hoping for a eureka moment. Most times nothing happens. I have run many exploring faith groups. But have only seen a few people come to faith. Others have turned away while others have faced opposition. It is easy to feel defeated! This is why we need God’s Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that draws a person to Christ. For this to happen then God, by His Spirit, needs to speak into a heart.

In chapters 14 and 15 John has reminded us of what Jesus taught the apostles. Yet the apostles were still in the dark. Yes, Jesus had said He was going away but they did not understand their role. Jesus knew He would die on a cross and would rise again and go to heaven. He knew that the apostles would be witnesses to the entire world. So, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to help them and us. In John 14:15-17, Jesus said to the apostles,
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments [which included his command to tell the world about him]. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.”

The Holy Spirit produces the character of Christ and strengthens the Christian. The Holy Spirit's purpose is to change the Christian into the Lord's likeness. 2 Corinthians 3:18 the Spirit seeks to produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22,23 we expect the Holy Spirit to produce these characteristics in the believer so as to strengthen them to become more like Christ. Acts16:7 Romans 8:9, Gal 4:6. His resources are available to the Christian. Phil 1:19 He upholds the believer Acts 9:31 He gives help in time of trouble. 1 Peter 4:14.

Jesus promised that the Spirit would help the apostles and then us to witness about him. In 14:25-26 the words are just for apostles:
“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” 

So, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would help the apostles to remember and understand what He had said. This would lead them to give us the New Testament. The big question is: “Will anyone believe it?” Now apart from the work of God’s Spirit, they will not!

Surrender and Love 15:9-24 - In these verses Jesus speaks about surrender to Him. Jesus makes clear that our obedience to His word is evidence of our love for Him. Our lips and lifestyle need to match!

The Promise of Love 15:21, 23 – is to those who are obedient to the Lord Jesus and His will for their lives. Therefore, the believer will walk in obedience which is a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit 15:16-18, 26 These verses tell of the coming of the Holy Spirit. We see several truths about Him and His ministry to believers. He is a person v16, 18.

1. Why we need the Spirit’s work v18-25
Verse 18 reminds us that the words in the Bible were not written directly to us, but to others for us. See now the second promise about the Spirit. This time we see it was originally for the apostles but also to us. Jesus said, “…, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” The world here means people in rebellion against God, living as if God was powerless. Everyone takes sides. John says: when it comes to Jesus, you either love him or hate him.

Jesus wants to be fir

What Jesus does next is to show us just how sinful is the human heart. In v22 Jesus’s speaks about those who saw and heard him. He says, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”  The sin Jesus is speaking about is hearing and seeing him and yet rejecting him. It is the human heart that rejects Jesus.

2. What the Spirit has to do v26-27
Look at v26-27, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.”

“Now you have been with me from the beginning” can only describe the apostles. We witness about Jesus through what the apostles saw and heard. We tell people the apostles’ message. v26 - The promise here applies to the apostles and then to us.

In v27 we read, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness”. This is the language of a courtroom. The world system is judge and jury. Jesus is on trial. We witness for Jesus with our Bible, telling again the apostle’s story and we also have the Helper (v26). Without the Holy Spirit our work in the courtroom would be hopeless. But the Spirit can change any heart.

So, as individual Christians and as a church, our job in the witness stand is to talk about the Jesus of the Bible. This is a true partnership! There is one thing that will always go hand in hand with our witness and that is prayer. The heart of prayer is to say to God ‘I can’t; you can; please will you help?’  

Bible Study 5 Questions:
Witnessing and the World - John15:18-27
Q1. Every Sunday people say, ‘I already believe in Jesus,’ and others say, ‘I’m just thinking.’ Now stop and think about what it is like to tell others about Jesus. On a gauge between 1 to 10, where 1 is very discouraged and 10 is very encouraged about sharing our faith. Where are you? And why?
 
Q2. What kind of reaction did the disciples expect from the world? (15:18,16:2) Why? v19-25.
 
Q3. How can I encourage myself to have a soft heart towards those who deny my faith in Christ (15:19–22)? What should a believer keep in mind when others deride them? How does it feel when people ridicule you because of your Christian witness (15:23–25)?
 
Q4. In v18-25 we see Jesus explore how our broader culture might think about Christians. What reactions should Christians expect in their lives? What encouragement does Jesus give here?
 
Q5. Why do we believe that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or power, but a Person? (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13a) What kind of activities that we attribute to persons does the Holy Spirit do? 
 
Q6. Jesus focuses again on the idea of the Holy Spirit in v26-27. What encouragement does the Holy Spirit bring?
 
Q7. Can a non-Christian understand the work and experience of the Holy Spirit? How might the Bible help?

Next Study: Study 6 Who is the Holy Spirit? (John 15:26 - 16:16)