“and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:17)
Do you remember your first job interview? If it was a job you really wanted, you probably made all of the necessary preparatory steps to make a good first impression. You had your resume all updated, you dressed in accordance with the type of job you were applying for, and maybe you spoke with someone who offered you tips on how to interview well. You might have had some sort of anxiety within leading into this interview. It would be helpful to have a career coach who would give you all of the information you would need to be ready for the meeting.
John the Baptist was commissioned by God to prepare people to meet Jesus from before he was born. His commission to serve God this way was evident in every way. His life was fully absorbed in this task.
As those who are also called of God (Eph. 1:3-4; Col. 3:12), we too have been commissioned to prepare people to meet Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Our mission, while different in some ways, has numerous parallels that can help us become more effective in our mission.
We Must Be Filled with Reverence.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)
Notice the level of worship and honor that John had for the coming Messiah. This same spirit can be observed in the Apostles.
“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32–36)
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11)
It is essential for us to “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” as we seek to prepare people to meet Jesus. He must be “preeminent” in our lives. His praise should “continually be in our mouths” (Ps. 34:1). This will happened when we are filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18-21). When we are truly enamored by our Savior, others will notice and be intrigued.
We also see another factor in John’s fruitfulness.
We Must Be Filled with Gravity.
“Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. . . . His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:10, 12)
What is on the line when someone meets Jesus? It is far more significant than which job we obtain. When we meet Jesus, it is eternity that is at stake. John the Baptist was well aware of this, and this truth shaped his ministry. Remember when he looked at the Pharisees and said, “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Our mission should also carry this gravity. The Apostles displayed this understanding in their preaching.
“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11–12)
If people do not repent and trust Jesus Christ, they will experience the wrath of God without mixture. For as our Savior told us, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). Our mission is the most serious mission of eternity. We offer to people the words of eternal life as we offer them the Word made flesh.
One last factor we can gather from John’s fruitful ministry.
We Must Be Filled with Confidence.
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)
When he was preaching in the wilderness, he had no doubt about the authenticity of this Messiah. We know that later in his ministry he had some moments of question while he was sitting in prison. Ultimately, Jesus, in His patient way, sent back word confirming that He was the Promised Messiah. Of all the evils in this world, John knew that there was only ONE solution, it was Jesus. He came to take away the sin of the world.
In our mission, we too have confidence that there is ONE solution to prepare people to meet Jesus … and it is JESUS. He, the Savior, prepares us to meet Himself, the Judge (Rom. 8:31-34). He is the exclusive pathway. He is the exclusive Savior.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
We can confidently affirm that Jesus can save anyone, for we have “tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Pet. 2:3b). We present to others that they can “know that they (you) have eternal life” if they “believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). This is not theory; this is GOSPEL.
Have you been commissioned with the Gospel? If you have been saved by God, you have been commissioned to prepare others to meet Jesus. John’s ministry demonstrated fruitful traits that we must employ: a holy awe of Jesus, a sense of the sinner’s fate, and a bold confidence in our Redeeming God.