And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth… –John 14:15

Many people today doubt Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit. They cite declining church attendance as well as the indifference of many, particularly the youth. They fear that Christian belief will diminish and become irrelevant.

The history of the Soviet Union is instructive on this point. Lenin and Stalin believed that religion was “the opiate of the masses,” a device that secular leaders used to keep the common people under control. They disbanded the clergy and took over the church buildings. For 75 years their powerful publishing house, Pravda (Russian for “truth”), poured scorn and ridicule on followers of Christ, using such devices as cartoons showing Jesus being kicked out of his Church. When Communism collapsed Pravda fell on hard times with no more propaganda to publish. However they soon revived their fortunes with a new best seller which soon became their major product, the Holy Bible! The Holy Spirit had flourished underground and Christianity came back stronger than ever.

Two of the most ruthless tyrants in history showed that not only is the Holy Spirit not in danger of dying out from indifference, you can’t kill it.