Jesus says, “When the Advocate comes whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify on My behalf.  You also are to testify because you have been with Me from the beginning.  I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling.”  John 15:26-16:1

With these instructions Jesus completes His Upper Room discourse.  As Jesus was with the men and women disciples so the fullness of His Holy Presence has been given to you through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth.  You are to generously witness to  His Presence alive within you.   Here, and many others places in Scripture, Jesus expresses His desire to give you all that He has, everything that He is, and lift you out of this world into His rhelm of continual joy and peace.  Jesus completes His discourse with heartfelt love and pure kindness.

Yet in this closing fragment of text Jesus includes rebuke: that we are to love one another with the same love He has for us.  Love one another, He says.  Christians are to love one another even with our differences, flaws, preferences, and misunderstandings.  Love, He says.  And if Jesus had not come and openly shown you the Heavenly Father then the greatest sin, that of rejecting Jesus Christ, would not have been revealed to you.  Denial of Christ would put you in the same category as Judas Iscariot, who turned his back on Jesus.

There is heaven on earth and there is hell; let us love one another so intently to choose to witness to His gift of Holy Spirit Presence within our hearts and minds, let us offer His salvation to each person.  All praise to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior that He has given us His blessed Way so one stumbles.  Receive His strength through your prayers to stand firm with Him.