It Is All About Him!
Opening Prayer
Gracious Lord, thank You for the hope that sustains me and for Your Spirit who empowers me. All praise to You.
Read JOHN 1:29–34
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“We have a great need for Christ, and a great Christ for our needs” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, 1834–1892). That is good news to share.
Think Further
Having explained himself to the religious authorities, John turns to the identity of the long-awaited Messiah. As he says in verse 31, the purpose of his baptizing ministry was to reveal the Messiah to Israel. He was unaware that his cousin would turn out to be the Messiah, but God had revealed to him that the Spirit would come upon a particular person as a sign, identifying him as the Messiah. Then, in turn, John could introduce that person to Israel. Similarly, we can only explain Jesus to others when we have had an experience of him ourselves.
John’s whole life was geared towards being a witness for Jesus. He never sought the limelight but merely pointed to the one who was to take center stage (30). We need the same clarity regarding our role as messengers of Jesus, heralding the Good News of him who took away the sins of the world. In our testimonies and teaching we should always be wary of allowing the “I” to be more prominent than the “he.”
Our call to be witnesses for Jesus rather than to draw attention to ourselves does not put us in an inferior role. Our worth or importance is not determined by ourselves or other people; it depends on the extent to which we are able to carry out the task that God has assigned us. John’s greatness lay in knowing that his role was to point away from himself to the one who was greater. His role as a witness is not separate from his role as a baptizer; rather, he witnesses as a baptizer. Similarly today, to be a witness for Jesus is not a role added to other ones: it is precisely in our existing roles that we should be a witness for Jesus.
Apply
Telling others about Jesus is not a task for the experts or clergy alone but for every believer. What this will mean for you?
Closing prayer
Thank You, Lord, that I have come to know You. Help me now to explain You to others.
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