“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, ‘Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with Him.'”  John 14:21-23 NKJV

This one is a mind-blower! Through the connection of the Holy Spirit, Jesus promises to “appear” to the believer who keeps His commandments or teachings. The word, “manifest” used in this verse means to, exhibit, disclose, appear or declare openly. The incredulity of this powerful statement caused Judas to ask for clarification. Just as it is hard for us to imagine Jesus literally appearing to us and communicating personally with us after his death and resurrection, so Judas struggled to understand how the Lord would need to!

The disciples enjoyed a deep personal relationship, or state of “communion” with the Lord, and feared that it was about to be stripped from them. We struggle to rationalize how we could ever experience what they had. Through the Holy Spirit both things are possible. Jesus said He and the Father would “come and make Our home with” one who followed the true definition of spiritual love. That means doing what He taught not just acting religious.

Modern Christianity is far from the level of the early church in many ways. When we read the “Acts of the Apostles” we see that after they were filled with the Holy Spirit they continued to have the same purpose, presence and power around their lives and churches that Jesus had when He walked among them.

What is different today? We just don’t grasp and/or believe passages like the one above. Jesus said He is coming to commune with us by the presence of the Holy Spirit abiding within our hearts, but we reason ourselves out of it. The problem is we love the world more than God most of the time, and it steals His place in our hearts.

The spiritual realm is a real place too, and we have the greatest friend and ally, the Holy Spirit, connecting that realm to each believer on earth. Look up today…ask Jesus to identify and come into your secret place…so you never fall away from the reality of God!