“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” — John 1:35-37
“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:29-30
These verses amaze me about John. They truly convict me to the core. We must understand that John had a public ministry for quite some time before Jesus began His. John had influence, followers and spectators alike listening to his every word. Even Herod (a powerful governmental figure) was interested in John’s every move.
John was a man of influence — real influence. His life had become about telling others of the Kingdom of God. His message was that “someone greater than me is coming.” The people were looking to John for the answer, for the message he had for them. They were watching him and hanging on his every word.
Then came Jesus. John cried out: “Behold the lamb of God!”. The two disciples who were with John all along suddenly left his side to follow Jesus Christ. Imagine this moment. It was the beginning of Jesus drawing followers to Himself. But, it was the ending of John’s influence. In a single sentence, all of John’s influence was suddenly gone. As a result, all eyes were now on Jesus.
Learning to Become Less
I wonder how John must have felt? Obviously, this was the moment he had been waiting for — Jesus had arrived. The Savior was here. At the same time, I wonder if it was difficult for John to choose humility? Christ had to become greater, John had to become less. I wonder if it was difficult to pass the baton of influence for the Kingdom of God?
To be honest, I need to learn from John. I need to learn a lot. I am embarrassed to admit it, but oftentimes in my life, I compare my influence or my ministry to other people or churches. I look at their influence or their music or their vision; consequently, I wonder how I stack up. Even worse, sometimes, in my flesh, I wish that I had more and they had less.
Wow, how selfish and proud is the human heart?!!
Thankfully, Jesus Christ lives in me and His Spirit has taught me how to have eyes for the Kingdom and have a heart for the Word. Like John, I have had to learn to become less so HE can become greater.
I have, by the power of God, learned to pray for the success of other churches, the expansion of their ministries and the furthering of their Kingdom influence. Also, I have asked the Lord to make me smaller so that He may become greater in THEM. I want the Lord to make me a servant to them — not one who intimidates or belittles them.
He Gets the Glory
You know what is so great about giving away your influence or your portion of the “lime light” to other Christians? Jesus Christ gets the Glory He deserves!! When we all step out of the way, Jesus Christ and His love, His goodness, His power and His might take center stage! The best part is that when Christ takes center stage, we get our joy! In His love, He shares His goodness and glory with us. What a wonderful God we serve!
This week, let’s serve our brothers and sisters and applaud their influence. Let’s pray for other like-minded churches and ministries and glorify Christ IN THEM. Let’s learn from John the Baptizer and allow for Christ to increase and our selves to decrease!
Praying for Christ in YOU,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor