"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. "I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you. "I did not tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you. (Jn 15:26-16:4a)
The spirit will testify. You will testify. To testify means to bear witness. It means to speak for the other; to stand for the other; ready to face any consequence for the other; be ready even to give one’s own life for the other. Why to they testify? They testify because they have been with Jesus. Theo spirit is from Jesus which means spirit has been with Jesus. The disciples bear witness because they have been with Jesus from the beginning. Total and complete indwelling is needed to testify or to bear witness.
They will expel you. Because one belongs to Jesus or because one bears witness to Jesus he will be expelled. Not only they will expel the disciple by they will also think that they are doing the right thing in front of God. They may even consider this as sacrifice and worship. But Jesus says that they are all wrong. Because any one who belongs to Jesus or any one who has the indwelling of Jesus then he belongs to God and he cannot be expelled. It only means they do not know God.
Knowledge of God; closeness with God; will make one inclusive. Anyone who says that he belongs to God but in stead begins to divide and speaks of divisive language then he does no have the indwelling of God in him. This is a beautiful criterion to find out the presence of God in one. God is present in anyone who welcomes the other and allows the other to grow and helps him to succeed to find God.
