October
30 Bible Reading: John Chapters 1-3
CHRIST must ‘INCREASE’ as we ‘DECREASE’ daily!
And they came to John and said to
him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have
testified--behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John
answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to
him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, 'I am not the
Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the
bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,
rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease’. (John 3:26-30)
The
disciples of John the Baptist were deeply concerned about the decreasing
popularity of their leader. In their astonishment that Jesus was competing with
and surpassing John’s ministry, they came to John and exaggerated the
predicament, saying, ‘all are coming to
Him’. However, without any hesitation John clarified the relationship
between himself and Jesus. First, he
talked about himself (vv. 27–29); then,
he talked about Jesus (vv. 30–36).
In
his reply, John clarified that each
person has been given a place of service from heaven, and he had no right
to claim any importance other than what God had given him. In God’s plan, John
must diminish and Christ must continue to grow. John’s position was only as the
forerunner of Christ. He was like the
friend of the bridegroom, and his joy came from the success of the bridegroom.
So, rather than regretting his loss of popularity to Christ, John actually rejoiced
in his subservient role. John was content to be just a “voice” (1:23) and a friend.
John’s
declaration that “He must increase, but I
must decrease” (3:30) seems to repudiate the idea of personal achievement,
recognition, or material gain—common measures of success in our society.
Indeed, John labored ceaselessly to point men and women to the Lord, and to
make them realize His true worth. In doing this, John realized that he must
keep himself in the background only.
Why did
John the Baptist insist that Jesus had to increase? This
was primarily because the origin of Jesus
was divine (v. 31), the teachings of
Jesus were divine (vv. 32–34), and the
authority of Jesus was divine (vv. 35, 36). Jesus was the Son of God
(1:1-2); the Word who “became flesh and
dwelt among the people” (1:14). The
greatest joy of John the Baptist was from being privileged, as the forerunner
to prepare the people for the heavenly Bridegroom!
For
a servant of Christ to seek to attract attention to self is really a form of
disloyalty to his/her Master. Let us note the following five strategic principles pointed out by Nelson's New Testament
Survey that have been distilled through John’s reply (3:27–30):
- Every ministry is a God-given privilege.
- A servant’s role is to introduce others to the Savior.
- The joy of fulfilling service comes through serving the Master.
- A servant should always draw attention to the Lord and not himself or herself.
- The Lord’s servants must humbly recognize the Lord in their service to Him.
If we
want an increase of Christ in our lives, there must be a decrease of self on a
daily basis. Rather than desiring attention and adulation
to self, we must seek to glorify God alone through our words and action. We must emulate John who celebrated the
ministry of Jesus with his humility! Let us burn in order to shine for
Jesus today. The oil and fire – signifying the presence and power of the Holy
Spirit – are freely available for us to use. Let us be candles that melt away
in the process of giving light of the gospel to others!
"But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; … as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." (2 Cor. 6:4-5, 9-10)
