The Gathering of Believers Part 1
If you read the article in the link "The Polygamous Church" in last week's post, you know that William Tyndale, the premier Bible translator, gave his life refusing to translate Ekklesia Church. The truth matters, as does courage.
The Greatest in God's Kingdom, says Jesus
John the Baptist was the man who paved the way, so to speak, for Jesus Christ the Messiah. Of John, Jesus said, "I say to you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John..." Luke 7:28. Again, it is written, "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. "This is the one about whom it is written; BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.'" Think about for whom John was preparing the way.
What was so great about John? Some weak commentators say it was his proximity to Jesus Christ. It may sound good, but there is more to John than just his proximity to Christ.
The first prophetic voice was heard four hundred years following the close of Malachi's ministry. That was a very long period of silence. When the Jews sent priests and Levites to John from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" especially note how scripture records John's reply, "And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: "I am not the Christ." Just thirty years earlier, shepherds spoke of a sky of angels. "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted" at Herod's attempt to kill the prophetic word that came of the coming Messiah's birth. Let us remember a woman of past age who gave birth to Zachariah, the priest's son, John. All these things and more, plus Zachariah quoting prophesies concerning John, were known to some because they were quoted by Luke, the journalist.
It is not hard to understand that John's preaching was so powerful that we read, "Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins" in Matthew 3:5-6. In Israel, at the time of Christ, baptism was done to proselyte Gentiles. If you are aware of the prejudicious disdain that Jews had for Gentiles, you can imagine the preaching it would take for them to confess their sins as if they were Gentiles. Now consider the number of "successful" pastors who have fallen in the previous forty years. Success can be a challenging temptation to carry. John lived under the heaviest weight of temptation to be proud of all the prophets before him. Yet at the height of his ministry and as he was being replaced by another at the ripe old age of about thirty, his attitude was, “He must increase, but I must decrease" John 3:30.
The Greatest in God's Kingdom Separated Himself from a Worldly Lifestyle
John chose to live, excluded from the world. "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 to Israel" Luke 1:80. By choice, his garments were nothing to brag about. "Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey" Matthew 3:4. Jesus said John was misunderstood and spoken of wrongfully. Concerning John, Jesus said, "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' These were the religious leaders' accusations. However, Jesus also said, "And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come" Matthew 11:14. And of all Jesus said about John, the thing that cut the religious leader's miser ways to pieces was this, "Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds" Matthew 11:19. John's deeds that vindicated his wisdom were to separate from a wicked, lustful, materialistically driven world like no other men.
The Greatest in God's Kingdom Preached a Hard-to-Hear Message
First, consider how people in our culture feel about any person telling them to repent. Then, consider the thrust of John's preaching. "Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" Matthew 3:1-2. Yet, "When all the people and the tax collectors heard [this], they acknowledged God's justice [righteousness], having been baptized with the baptism of John" Luke 7:29. John preached so that sinners appreciated God. However, "But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John" Luke 7:30. The spiritual leaders of the day rejected God's purpose for themselves, unlike the unwashed. Think about that!
The Greatest in God's Kingdom Concluding Thoughts
No man who succumbs to pride in ministry, no matter that he lives in the kingdom of God, can be greater than John. So then, what is the meaning behind Jesus' words, "yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he [John]." I will tell you. Jesus said, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all" Mark 9:35. That is a prophetic pronouncement. Jesus also said, "The one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant" Luke 22:26. When Jesus refers to the least as being greater than John, He is not referring to those who are the worst or accomplishing the least but of those who are least in their own eyes.
The Apostle Paul said, "For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" 1 Corinthians 15:9. Under the inspiration and fullness of the Holy Spirit, he also said, "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all" 1 Timothy 1:15. Do we think these words of his are cheesy and cheap or should above all others except the Lord Jesus Christ seek to follow in his footsteps and in his ways?
A gathering of individuals where all are expected to prayerfully evangelize (birth) and disciple (parent) a spiritual child as the family of God, and not a hierarchal collegiate instutution is far more conducive to humility. Remember how John viewed the religious leaders of his day. "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance" Matthew 3:7-8. Do you think John attended the synagogue regularly?
The Greatest in God's Kingdom takes the lowest place not because it's the right thing to do but because they, in all sincerity, can't see themselves any other way.
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