John the Baptist and Jonah the Prophet - He Must Advance We Must Retreat - Getting In or Out of God's Way

Have you been praying about anything for what seems like an eternity? Perhaps you've been praying for unsaved family members? A breakthrough in your ministry? That's a good one. Maybe in your finances or relationship? Take your pick. The fact is, sometimes it's not about you waiting on God, it's about God waiting on you. For what? To get out of the way. That's what.

Yes, I know I'm getting a bit cheeky but I am not only the messenger but also a target of this word.

So how do we get out of God's way?

John 3:20- 21

"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed."

Look at verse 21. "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  Remember, "faith without works is dead." James 2:20. It is impossible to be a true person of faith without doing what the Word instructs. Someone who says they have faith in Christ where there is no fruit is deceiving themselves and everyone around them. How do we do truth? Obey His Word, follow the Way the Truth, and the Life. Be a doer of His Word and not just a hearer only.

JOHN THE BAPTIST - PREACHER OF REPENTANCE

Move on or Drop Back When God has Sent Another Leader

John 3:30

"He must increase, but I must decrease."

In other words, John is saying, "now that the One for Whom I made a way is here, I can fade into the background." Keeping in mind, that up until around this time, John was the only one preaching and baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ. So I translate this to say, "His ministry must advance and mine must retreat. He has come to replace me because I was sent to make a way for Him Who is the Way."

John's ministry, therefore, was absorbed into that of Jesus. John had done his part in advancing preparing for Jesus before He came on the scene. But once Jesus came on the scene, John was no longer needed. That is why the message John was preaching is exactly what Jesus continued to preach, only Jesus was the Anointed One.

Leaders have to be willing to "drop back" when God raises up another. The Lord may have something else for the leader to do and perhaps he is to move on. This is a huge pride test. Ideally, the old leader would willingly mentor the new leader to be an even better leader than he or she was. Yes, John was modeling a kind of leadership that is rare today. He bowed to the Master and completed His mission. Once the mission is over, please move on. When we remain where God's grace for leadership is no longer present, it only sets the stage for the enemy of our souls to cause havoc among the body of Christ. This is the way to guarantee strife and ineffectiveness. Move on or drop back when God has raised up another to lead.

JONAH - HE NEEDED REPENTANCE

Salvation Belongs to the Lord - God will Show Mercy Upon Whom He Chooses

Jonah 4:11

"And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left - and much livestock?"

We don't get to choose where God sends us to preach the Gospel. Jonah had gotten it all wrong and God had to talk him down from the proverbial ledge. He wanted to die because God did not destroy the people of Nineveh. Have you ever heard of someone being so successful in an evangelical crusade that he wanted to die because He did not what to see the people experience God's mercy. Isn't that crazy? Not only was he disobedient, we was also defiant in his response to God about a plant that had died that he apparently loved. Whereas, the people of Nineveh, he wanted to see them destroyed. And isn't it interesting that God includes the animals in that group of important lives.

That one of the many things I love about the Bible. God never presents His servants as perfect people. They were all messes.....like us. But He used them to do great things for Him anyway because it was never about them and their abilities but their yieldedness. Sometime, they are not even that yielded. Like Jonah. Hiding from God! Really?


The Book of Jonah Ends With God's Question?

What is interesting about the book of Jonah is that it's ends with a question. I believe God asks us the same question today. You may ask yourself the same questions of that person your consider your enemy.

"And should I not pity whomever the person(s) is(are) in your life, that great ____, who  cannot discern between their right hand and their left - and much ________?"

You get the picture. God is not asking Jonah for his advice. Instead, God is saying, though Jonah's revelation that, Salvation is of the Lord, (Jonah 2:9), not of Jonah and whomever he considers worthy. It was in the belly of the whale when Jonah repented for rebelling against God that he realized this. I don't get to decide who is worthy of God's mercy. Similarly, we don't get to pick and choose the people whom God seeks to show mercy. Jonah, who had blatantly rebelled in his disobedience to God's direct order, experienced God's mercy ad salvation to live on dry land again after living in the belly of a great fish for 3 days. He was restored to His place in the Lord. (Remember when Peter denied Christ?)


So God's word to each of us: John 3:30 - "He must increase. But I must decrease." 

Side bar: Now why a "but" instead of an "and"? That implies a correlation between the two, the "increaser" and the "decreaser." They depend upon each other; they cannot co-exist. For instance, if of the 100% of a thing, I have 60%, then 40% remains for you. If you have 50%, then an equal portion of the whole, the other 50% is reserved for me. This means, whatever part of the ministry John insisted on holding onto, was not released to Jesus so that He could use it for God's glory. Stated another way, the "but" meant, "He must increase, but [in order for that to happen] I must decrease.

We have looked at John the Baptist and Jonah's approach to ministry.

JOHN THE BAPTIST or JONAH THE PROPHET: Which One Are You?

Jonah's Call - Ignored then Obeyed

Jonah decided He knew better than God, disobeyed a direct order, and attempted to hide from God by "running" in the opposite direction to where God has sent Him to preach the need for repentance. And yet, before the end of the whole ordeal, Jonah himself needed to repent and seek God's mercy. Nothing like the worst object lesson you ever want to learn.


John's Call - Obeyed with Passion and Reckless Abandon

John the Baptist on the other hand, saw that the reason for which he was sent was nearing the end, as he had indeed made the way for Jesus' ministry. But even before that, John gave up all to follow the call of God on His life. That call caused him to be ostracized and ridiculed but he passionately obeyed the call on his life.

But now, the reason for which he had been born has culminated on the appearance of Jesus Christ to bring the Kingdom of God near to man once again. Jesus was on the seen and instead of John trying to hold on to the power and authority, not to mention, his followers, he graciously stepped out of the way for Jesus to do what He had been sent to do. John was a team player. His days as a "Kingdom quarterback" were over, Jesus was now on the scene to run that Ball to the End Zone and score the ultimate Touchdown on the Cross of Calvary. He had one plan and one play and He had to win it regardless of all of the ones who tried to intercept Him, some like Peter and Judas, from His own team. There are so many lessons here for us today.

Our Response to our Naysayers and Detractors

For one, there are many reasons people marginalize, or even, sabotage us. But that's not where we focus. We focus on God and let Him deal with malefactors in the Body of Christ. Those who object to God's plan in our lives, or try to sabotage what He is doing, will have to answer to Him. We move on and keep pure hearts towards everyone, especially our "enemies." Not sure why I mentioned that but someone needed to know it. 

Our true enemy is stealth. He knows if he can get our focus off of Jesus, he's beginning to win, because, like Peter, instead of walking on water, we'll begin to sink. But we can't. So be encouraged. What often seems to be the end, such a Jesus death on the Cross, is very often just the beginning, like mankind's reconciliation to God. We need to be drastically removed from some situations in order to encounter and advance God's new beginnings in others. Can you think of some other "ends" that were only "beginnings?" Remember David, Joseph, Moses? How about in your life? Remember how, although times were rough, God brought you through to the other side. Well, this time, it's no different. Keep you eyes on Jesus!


The Conclusion of the Matter

What is the end of the matter then? To paraphrase John's powerful words, He must advance, but I must retreat. He is here now, I can exit this scene, I have done what I was sent by God to do. But Jesus is no longer here physically. He resides in us in a spiritual and more powerful sense, and we know from Paul's experience, that He can show up anywhere. He is omnipresent - everywhere at once.

So, like John, as Jesus steps forward in you to minister through us to anyone anywhere in the world, we must take a step back for there to be real Kingdom fruit that remains. The true anointing is not a person being a spiritual superstar. The true anointing by Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with fire, is Jesus ministering using our members. No room for the flesh. In fact, the flesh has to die because it only ruins good ministry, and when it goes unchecked, often a "good" minister.

God bless you as Jesus steps forward in you this year, take a step back and watch what He will do in, and through, your life.