Comfort, Defend and Encourage — 

When Jesus was about to exit this world, he promised another comforter — an encourager, an advocate — in John 14:16. The word another in Greek implies someone, a Person who encourages and defends others just like Jesus. Temptations to denounce and reasons to condemn fellow Christians and other denominations are everywhere. But Jesus came not to condemn but to save. The Holy Spirit does not defend an inerrant Church nor infallible individual Christians. Christian history is a mixture of good and evil. The Holy Spirit is like a defense lawyer who stands beside each person in the Church giving comfort and encouragement, while the accuser attacks. Christians everywhere know their own guilt. The prosecutor has a solid case, except for one thing, the cross. Without the cross the accuser wins. Should we likewise comfort, defend and encourage one another?