As I prepared for my Gospel Magic Presentation as my part in the Sunrise Service, I looked for something BIG and VISIBLE. I looked over my past presentations and found something that I performed and lectured with at a Fellowship Of Christian Magician’s Conference in Cedar Rapids in the early 90’s. (See the Pictures on my Facebook under the album Sunrise Service 2010) “God can only get BIG… When I get LITTLE!” The text was from John 3:22-30.
As with all scripture we need to understand a little of what is going on. John the Baptist was baptizing and some of his disciples saw Jesus not far from them with his disciples, and they were baptizing. They were concerned that people were going to Jesus instead of coming to John as they had been. It was here that John began to describe the Bridal Paradigm as we know it.
John said in verse 30, “He must Increase but I must decrease.” John the Baptist is beginning to understand that: He is not the light. John 1:20: He is not the Christ. John 1:21: He is not Elijah and not the prophet. John 1:23: He is just a voice crying in the wilderness. John 1:27: He is not worthy to unstrap Jesus’ sandals. John has humbled himself and exalted Christ .
He begins to understand to live in Christ is to make all of life’s issues around you small issues. That way, Christ can be victorious in your life.
The Attention must go to Jesus.
If you’ve got Financial Issues you get concerned with “I- itis” (Thinking about yourself, woe is me!) If you’ve got health issues, you get “I-itis” again. When you are so focused on what is being done to you, Christ can’t work in the situations!
John is becoming filled with the joy of Christ. See how verse 29 emphasizes John the Baptist’s joy: “The friend [that’s John] of the bridegroom [that’s Jesus], who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” Those are strong words: “rejoices greatly” and “this joy of mine is not complete.” Great joy. Complete joy.
The Bridegroom is getting all the attention. The cameras are flashing all in that direction. The rice is flying in that direction. The honeymoon is in that direction. And nobody glances back at the silenced voice sitting on the church steps. The voice of the Bridegroom, the voice of the Shepherd, has replaced the voice crying in the wilderness. And in a few months, the sword of Herod will absolutely silence John’s voice (verse 24). And John’s response to this—to this diminishing, this decreasing? This great joy of mine is now complete (verse 29).
I must decrease so He can increase. Have you decreased today?
i know that i myself, when i get caught up in MEitis, where its all about MEMEMEME, i often fail to remember , that, when im facing possible removal of certain things in my life, it ISNT something that God is doing TO me. its not a form of PUNISHMENT for being a bad boy. if im persistantly remaining in the role of being stubborn and rebellious, over things Hes trying to deal with me on, sometimes He has no choice but to pull out the big guns. i know theres been a few times in my life ive just had to be blunt with others and tell them like it is.
ReplyDeleteGod loves us and wants whats best for us. this means sometimes, like i remember hearing during a service a while back during a Word of exhortation, sometimes God wants to pry things out of our hands, becsause He DOES love us, and He recognizes that what were holding onto so tightly is standing in the way of recieving something much better that He has for us. God is also a God of order. when our priorities get out of whack, and the things that shouldnt be at the top of our list, well end up losing anyway.
theres no such a thing as rebuking a storm. He DID guarantee us that well get safely to the other side.