1 John 2:1 English Standard Version (ESV) My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

An advocate is a lawyer. Lawyers do not pronounce judgements, they only plead the case before the judge. Advocates need to know three things, the law and everything their client has done and the circumstances that led up to those charges being brought against their client.

Yesterday it was suggested that we can be spiritual advocates for the lost. There is a similarity in advocacies which have the same basic issues. We must know the spiritual demands, the spiritual absolutes, which are required to set the lost free. We must know what the lost sinner has done and the circumstances surrounding those sins.

The reason circumstances are an issue for the advocate is because it goes to the sinner’s state of mind. It is often discovered that rather than admitting to themselves that they have in fact sinned, they blame others or refuse to understand that sin was committed.

The arguments that are offered up in defense of the guilty, and all our clients are guilty, are prayers.

It is important to understand the pleading of a case in the spirit to Christ as our advocate in order for Him to take on the case before the Father. We might think of ourselves as junior law partners who find clients and try to argue the merits of a case before the Head of the law firm.

To be effective advocates we must do the grunt work. We have to do the interviews and convince the client that it is in their best interest to accept us as their advocate here on earth.

How do we find clients?