January 19, 2010
"And it is he (John the Baptist) who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people for the Lord" (Luke 1:17)
We know that John the Baptist is a major figure in Biblical history. What is most unique about him is that he was specifically called to be a forerunner of the son of God at His first coming. Taking it one step further, he also serves as a foreshadow of the ensuing corporate Elijah, the Church, in preparing the way of the Lord for His second coming. As Peter wrote, "...what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God..." (II Pet. 3:11b-12a). There are many parallels which can be drawn from John the Baptist and applied to the Church in terms of calling, preparation, and ministry. Let us now take a closer look at these characteristics which moved Jesus to proclaim, "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist" (Mat. 11:11a).
First, let us look at his ancestral heritage. He was of a priestly lineage whose family had served in the Temple for generations. As was the custom, he would have been expected to follow in those same footsteps, training for, serving as, eventually training others for the perpetuation of that particular priestly ministry. Yet, in the fullness of time, the same God of Israel who had long ago established this very institution along with its practices, was about to introduce a radical departure from the religious status quo. We must always remember that it is the Lord’s prerogative to "give and take away," and that He often enacts the principle of, "He takes away the first, that he might establish the second."
Unfortunately, men have a nasty habit of preferring to hang on to shadows and symbols at the expense of receiving spirit and substance, to perpetuate some "thing" of God rather than to receive a fuller expression of His Person. John the Baptist was ordained at birth to the ministry to which he was called, but was not to go the way of his forefathers. God was about to bring about something new by doing something radical. Therefore, it required a radical preparation to produce a radical man for a radical ministry in order to bring about a radical change.
What essentially was John’s calling? "And you child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sin" (Luke 1:76-77). He was to be the messenger of God, but more than that, he was to be the very embodiment of that message. The man and the message were to be inseparable. He was to prepare a people by his giving and their receiving of the message in order that the people would ultimately receive the Lord of that message, when the Word would become flesh and dwell among them.
John’s calling was not an end in itself, but only a means to an end, and that end was fulfilled in the revelation of Christ Himself. This is to be the chief end of all ministry. Does our ministry lead others to Christ? Does our ministry lead others to a fuller revelation of Christ? Or does our ministry lead others no further than ourselves? Do we obscure Christ through ministering in His name, the way the Moon blocks out the Sun from view during an eclipse?
Now, what of John’s preparation for his calling? Like the Church (the ecclesia, "called out ones"), he was called out from among the people to be prepared by God in the wilderness. Had God wanted him to be a "new and improved" type of messenger within the established religious system, he would have simply been trained in the traditionally accepted manner as all Temple priests had been up to that time. But, the Son of God who would come from another realm and live and minister in a way unlike anything that had been seen before necessitated a forerunner who would also be unlike the norm.
John’s preparation was not done in the formally established School of the Priests, but rather "The School of Christ." The location of this school will always be found along the desolate back roads of obscurity, the place where a man’s secret history with God is born and bred. This is fundamental to a man’s ministry, and the longer the preparation, the greater the ministry. John the Baptist’s educational preparation can be summed up as follows: "And the child continued to grow, and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance in Israel" (Luke 1:80). The English revivalist, Leonard Ravenhill, put it this way, "John the Baptist prepared for thirty years and preached for six months. Today, we prepare for six months and preach for thirty years."
And, what about John the Baptist’s ministry? It bears repeating that the man and the message are one. They are inseparable. "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he," and, "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." As to background and appearance, like His Messiah, "He grew up before Him as a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should be attracted to Him" (Is. 53:2). "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces" (Mat. 10:8). "Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Mat. 3:4)
Additionally, "He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him" (Is. 53:3). In this respect, John the Baptist was truly a forerunner of Christ. Those who were drawn to John, like Christ, were attracted, not by the flesh or its means, but by the Spirit. Do we have the integrity to truly examine by what means our churches are using to draw the masses? Only that which is truly born of the Spirit will produce true "fruit that remains."
In reference to John’s character, again he was much like Christ as he "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant.....and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death..." He was totally self-effacing. He exhibited extraordinary humility and brokenness. "It is he who comes after me, the throng of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
He was totally consumed with exalting the preeminence of Christ. He vehemently refused to call attention to himself. Instead, he consistently deflected man’s attempt to place the focus upon him, and directed people to focus upon Christ (John 1:22-27). Another significant trait was that he was feared because he was known to be a righteous and holy man (Mk. 6:20). How often is the Church worthy to receive such accusations with ample evidence to convict?
So, what was John’s message? If ever there was an example of giving the full gospel and whole counsel of God, this was it. It was direct and to the point. It included everyone and spared no one. The same messenger who proclaimed, "For God so loved the world hat he gave His only begotten Son..." is the same messenger who also proclaimed, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand," who is the same messenger who further proclaimed, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with your repentance."
John the Baptist did not compromise his message, regardless of the audience or cost, "For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison (and eventually beheaded) on account of Herodius, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife."
Same man. Same message. Most importantly, his preaching pointed people to Jesus. He did not preach in order to gain a following unto himself. "Again, the next day John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus." This principle must not escape our notice. John the Baptist speaks, and it is not him that they follow, but Jesus. Now, that is one fool-proof test to see if a ministry is truly of God or not. Any takers?
And finally, what was John’s ultimate purpose in the pursuit of fulfilling his calling? What goal did he continually work towards? What was the process in pressing towards that end? What was the burning desire that drove him to the end? It was both simply and powerfully this, "he must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Only the genius of God could have produced such an "other world" concept. Personal decrease is not part of our human mind set. Would to God it were more commonly found within the Church’s mind set. John’s all-consuming mind set of personal decrease prepared the way for the Lord. In view of this, what can be the outcome of an imbalanced gospel proclaiming an emphasis of personal increase? Or, as Paul sadly expressed, "who set their minds on earthly things. But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way."
By acknowledging the preeminence of Christ and seeking to see it manifest, we will ensure that the way of the Lord will be prepared and made straight. Therefore, may every roadblock be removed which would impede the coming of the Lord, both in our present lives and in the great visitation to come.
Fred London