Based on John 1:29-34 (New King James Version)
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.’ And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
For better or for worse, it is our responsibility as children of God of whether the Gospel keeps spreading throughout the world or not. No matter how you want to look at it, we are the vehicle that God established so that people could know about Him and His plan. And if it does not happen, it is not God’s fault, but rather, it’s our fault. We see this in the Scriptures: “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:14-16. So then, we are the ones that need to go into all the world. We are the ones that need to preach the gospel to every creature. And we are the ones that need to baptize and instruct new believers. There are those that think of themselves as being quite knowledgeable in the Scriptures that think this: But the Lord does everything. And yes, from a certain point of view, that is true. Nothing moves without the will of God. But also, God created us with free will and with reasoning so we could be able to fulfill His will, so things like “responsibility” and “obedience” do not invalidate the issue that God is the one that is behind everything, but moreover, it reinforces the idea that you don’t need to use very deep theology (per se) to avoid doing that which is our job and our part in the matter.
What does this have to do with today’s passage? All of the work and glory is God’s, but God made us with the goal to want (which is part of the will) to be part of what He wants to do in the world. Man is part of the equation. You cannot see the movement of the Spirit without man, and this has been since the beginning. Man has to teach his neighbor. Adam had to teach Eve what was is wrong and right. God used Moses to speak to and instruct His people. The Law indicates that the heads of families were the ones that needed to teach their families, from generation to generation, telling them about what God did for them. God established the priests, so they could share the teachings. God sent the prophets to admonish and correct what was wrong in the people, starting with their kings. God took the form of man through Jesus so that the Gospel could be revealed personally to men. And the Lord left the disciples the task of sharing the Truth of God with every creature. And from there, it must continue from generation to generation until the Lord comes for His people. And through this passage, we see John the Baptist and the Apostle John as transmitters of the Truth of God. Man has always been the vehicle to broadcast and share the Truth of God with every human being.
So then, and knowing that, what is necessary to do this? What is vital is the character, or the walk, or the testimony of a person. So, what if John the Baptist or the Apostle John were not trustworthy people before God and men? Could we believe what they said or wrote? What validity would their testimonies have? And this is the problem that we see today, and the reason for why the Gospel of God does not spread in the world as it should. Unfortunately, there is no reality of God in the lives of those that are in position to transmit the Truth of God. This is not the world’s fault. The world is 100% and totally innocent of this evil. This is a problem of the church of God. And if we ourselves don’t believe or obey the Lord, then how will others be able to, those who need this truth so much, so they can be freed from an eternal hell? Many so-called servants of God have lost focus of this because of their love for money, because of humanism and carnality, and because of vying more for personal interests than for the interests of God and others. Large buildings and large personal economic empires are built, but not the church, nor the genuine evangelization of the world. I say, “genuine evangelization” of the world because many times people are not sought after to help grow the kingdom, but rather, to increase tithes and offerings, to cover salaries and building expenses and operations. The church has turned into a business, and it is a lucrative one.
Notwithstanding, within all these problems, and now coming back to a personal level, what is necessary to be able to fulfill the work the Lord has left for us? What is necessary is quite simple, but at the same time, it is extremely difficult because it has to do with eliminating pride and selfishness: and we are talking about love, faith, and truth. First, love is at the top because we need to learn how to love God and our neighbor. Without love, nothing can work. And by virtue of that love, obedience forms part as well. If you love someone, you obey them, right? Second is faith. If you don’t believe in God and in what He teaches, then why do you follow Him to start with, if you don’t believe it yourself? And if you don’t even believe, then how will the world learn to believe in Him through you? And third, the truth is essential. Following God does not imply perfection, so you don’t have to pretend in front of others, nor try to show yourself as “holy” per se. We need to be honest, trustworthy; open letters like the Apostle Paul said. We all have issues, and that’s what letting God work in our lives is about. But if we are liars, deceitful, and dishonest, can people believe what we say and preach? And if we have ulterior motives, don’t you think they will notice? The world is not dumb.
This is the counsel we receive from the Word: “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.” 3 John 1:11-12. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16.
So then, do you want to be part of spreading the Gospel, or bringing shame to the Gospel? Lord bless! John