He must decrease...and I must increase?

 

Be wary of leaders who want to control other people’s lives

 

He must increase I must decrease - Full message 3/14/21

 

Speaking The Truth of God Can Be Unpopular

Throughout history many of the people who have spoken the truth of God forcefully, faithfully and accurately have been very unpopular, for example, Isaiah, John the Baptist and, of course, even Jesus, Himself. All three were executed. That’s what happens when you get REALLY unpopular. There have been many others, of course, these are just a few.

Even in more modern times there have been people who have spoken for God and found it was an unpopular thing to do. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., comes to mind.

The truth of God is often unpopular because it reminds people there is such a thing as “right” and “wrong” and the realization that we are doing something wrong is uncomfortable. Some people are unwilling to confront the fact they are doing something wrong so they become angry with the truth-teller as a way of denying the truth and coping with their discomfort.

In fact, the realization that we are doing something wrong can even make people feel threatened and fearful. When people feel threatened and fearful they can become quite dangerous to the truth-teller.

Because it can be very unpopular to speak the truth of God those of us who walk with God and take Him seriously will typically be tempted—somewhere along the way—not to speak the truth of God. I know this has been true for me on more than a few occasions.

I am writing this post to remind myself and challenge myself. Perhaps it will be a helpful and necessary reminder and challenge for you, too.

It is always best to be faithful to God. It is always right to be faithful to God. Even when it’s unpopular it is my desire—with His help—to faithfully speak the truth of God.

This Is What Humility Looks Like

When Jesus’ public ministry got underway—fairly quickly—He began drawing bigger crowds than John the Baptist. This would be troublesome and disturbing for most people in John’s position. Most ministers desire increasingly larger crowds not increasingly smaller crowds.

John’s disciples were bothered by this turn of events and went to tell John about it. They assumed, it appears, John would be upset. I think they may have even believed John would do something to get the crowds back.

But John basically said [this is a paraphrase], “It’s alright. I’m genuinely glad to hear about His success. This is exactly the way it’s supposed to happen. He must increase and I must decrease.”

[You can read this story in John 3:23-30.]

John’s maturity and his understanding of his own role in the larger ministry of Jesus was exceptional and inspiring. This story from the Bible is incredibly helpful to me because it helps me see what true humility looks like. 

John Says, "He Must Increase, I Must Decrease." -- Audio Podcast

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John The Baptist Testifies About Jesus -- Audio Podcast

John 1:19-28

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E-Flash From Dan -- This Sunday, June 24th

Dear E-Flash Friends;

You know that God can communicate a message using all kinds of different methods, right?  He can even work through supernatural methods.  That’s one of the privileges of being God.  (It’s amazing what you can do when you’re All-Powerful!)  But God frequently uses human messengers to communicate His messages. 

I’m bringing this up because we're going to be looking at a very interesting messenger of God this Sunday, June 24th.  In fact, you could consider this man to be a herald for the coming King.  The man’s name is John.  He’s called John the Baptist because his ministry also involved baptizing people.  What John has to say involves a message that is relevant, encouraging and inspiring for all of us.  I really hope you can come out this Sunday, I know you'll be blessed if you can be here.

The worship team is set to deliver some great music and help us praise God in song.

Also, immediately following the 11 o'clock service (approximately 12:15, or so) I will be having a book signing for my newly published book, "That's A Very Good Question!"  I’m excited to debut the book right here in our church.  Many of you have been tremendously encouraging to me regarding my first effort as an author and I am truly thankful for your support.  Thank you!

(I told Nadia that I would not be storing boxes of books in our basement for the next 15 years, so, if you can be here for the book signing it will be very helpful to me in that regard, as well.)

Hope to see you Sunday!

Love and blessings,

Dan

The Humility and Maturity of John The Baptist

At a certain point, John The Baptist’s once-large crowds began to dwindle and Jesus’ crowds were growing. John was not bothered by this. He said about Jesus, matter-of-factly, “He must increase and I must decrease.” Whenever I read this, I am moved and impressed by John’s humility, understanding, and maturity.