Yeshua said three times that He would “take what is Mine” referring to His Spirit and give it to the Eleven and their spiritual heirs, which is us. One of the Spirit’s main duties is to help us recall what we have studied so we can recall it when it is time to give a testimony of what we know to be true. But this learning is not just for our comfort. It’s so we can bring truth and comfort to the world.
It is not a slip of the pen that the apostle Yokhanan (John) uses the same Greek to describe Yeshua as our Advocate and the Holy Spirit as our Helper. Both know our deepest anguish. Yeshua lived it Himself, and the Holy Spirit experiences it in us. They work as a team.
Spirit-minded believers are to be ekhad — one — with each other and with God. Believers must agape love each other, in other words, to esteem others the way Yeshua did us — selflessly. Apostle Paul advised believers to avoid division and strife in the “body” of Christ. Those who cause divisions are “worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.”
What is “grace” in the New Testament of the Bible, and who gives it? Did Yeshua’s grace replace or usurp God’s grace? No, God gave us grace when he gave mankind the Torah and then He gave us even more grace when He gave us Yeshua. One does not replace the other. Works of Torah obedience are only of use to the believer after one trusts in God for salvation — not before — because salvation cannot be earned.
The friends of God are those who trust the promises and testimony of God and want to communicate with God face to face, despite knowing how disastrous that could be for one’s casual observance of God. We can know God as one speaks to a friend, but once God calls you to be His friend, you life will never be the same.
If a branch is not productive, the vineyard owner sends out workers to prune away any branches that are sickly or unproductive. When one prunes a branch, it is removed. It can no longer get nutrients, water, etc. When it no longer abides in the vine, it dies. To live, the branch must remain attached to its source. Part of remaining in the vine is wanting to be connected to the vine, wanting to be connected to God and being in His presence. That is our great hope: to know God and be known by Him.
One of the main jobs of a friend or a BFF is to give comfort. Comfort is consolation, interceding, being an advocate. We have a limited understanding of this, in the concept of the best friend. When Yeshua was preparing for Golgatha, He repeatedly encouraged and admonished His disciples to comfort each other. Yeshua said we are no longer servants, but friends. A master cares little about his servant’s groanings but a friend deeply cares about our sufferings and comes along side and shares them. He also promised to send the Holy Spirit, as the ultimate Comforter. The Holy Spirit’s job isn’t just there to give us a hug but to advocate for us, to speak up for us to the Father. He is also there to help us comfort and support each other.