When Christ was about to ascend into heaven, His disciples grew apprehensive at the thought of their Master's parting. So Jesus promised them a priceless gift, a personal Counselor and Guide:

“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, THE COUNSELOR will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. . . . When He, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, comes, HE WILL GUIDE YOU into all truth. . . . HE WILL BRING GLORY TO ME by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
—John 16:7,13,14. (Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptural texts in the DISCOVER guides are from the New International Version of the Bible [NIV].)

In the divine plan, Jesus needed to return to heaven as our representative before God's throne and “appear for us in God's presence” (Hebrews 9:24). But believers can, in a sense, have it both ways. While our crucified Lord represents us in heaven, we also have right here on earth, the Holy Spirit, Jesus' direct representative from heaven.

While He ministered within the confines of a human body, Christ couldn't be present everywhere. But the Holy Spirit has no such limitations; He can serve as a personal life-guide to countless individuals in many places at the same time. Christ meets our needs through the Holy Spirit.