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In Benjamin Franklin’s Almanac of 1732, he quoted Poor Richard saying, “A word to the wise is enough.” But the idea behind that phrase is much older. In fact, before Christ went back to heaven, He conveyed that idea to his disciples. Here are Jesus’ words from John 16, “The time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service to God. I am telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning.” Jesus knew this word of wisdom could help prepare the disciples for what would follow. Jesus prepared them further by telling them that the Holy Spirit would come after His departure. He said when the Spirit arrived He would be their Comforter. By Comforter, He meant not simply a blanket to keep them warm, but an all-around Helper. The Spirit would help them cope with whatever life brought them. Jesus said when the Holy Spirit comes, He will do 3 things with respect to the world: (1) He will convince people of their sin of unbelief, that they can have perfect standing with God when they accept Christ as their Savior; and that judgment lies ahead for unbelievers and Satan. Since the Holy Spirit does much of His work through us, God counts on Christian believers to be His agents in the world. Jesus gave another word to the wise, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
