He Must Become Greater
Greetings in the Lord!
Today's verse comes from John 3:26-30:
"They came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, that man that was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.' To this John replied, 'A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, "I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him." The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less."
In receiving this word today, I was struck by the sadness in the voices of John's followers as they asked him about Jesus. You can almost hear them question in their hearts the meaning and purpose of what they had been doing--had they been mislead in following John? Why were they to become less? What were they supposed to do now? The Lord put on my heart that there will be more of this feeling as the Church is being prepared for her Bridegroom. As we begin to experience His glorious Presence more and more, desiring to worship "in spirit and in truth," and becoming even more like Christ in our daily walk, we will see distress in the Christians that are unwilling to surrender and "become less." Maybe those are the ones who have been in ministry or a certain position for a long time and were not aware of how much security or self-esteem was wrapped up in having those positions. For others, it will be a letting go of treasured manmade traditions. Here in the Philippines, as in some other countries, it will require a change in how one perpetuates and celebrates their nation's history, as the Catholic church had been a big part of establishing their government and laws, and ultimately how they live and worship God. At any rate, the Church is most certainly being prepared, purified, and empowered to be more like Christ and it requires that we become much less of ourselves so that He will become greater in our lives, nations, and the whole earth.
Yesterday I was led to meet with a pastor of a 1000+ member congregation. It was so awesome to hear what the Lord is doing in their church, even in pouring out His touch in healing, prophetic, and other ministries for some members of the church. The Lord gave me words of affirmation to share and also some words of guidance for prayers that had been on the pastor's heart, including a new focus of taking prophetic evangelism to the streets of Manila. The pastor also shared that there were groups in Manila that specifically prayed for their President, as she is a godly leader actively seeking the Lord's guidance in conducting the duties of her office. Praise God! It was a great ministering time.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today's verse comes from John 3:26-30:
"They came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, that man that was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.' To this John replied, 'A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, "I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him." The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less."
In receiving this word today, I was struck by the sadness in the voices of John's followers as they asked him about Jesus. You can almost hear them question in their hearts the meaning and purpose of what they had been doing--had they been mislead in following John? Why were they to become less? What were they supposed to do now? The Lord put on my heart that there will be more of this feeling as the Church is being prepared for her Bridegroom. As we begin to experience His glorious Presence more and more, desiring to worship "in spirit and in truth," and becoming even more like Christ in our daily walk, we will see distress in the Christians that are unwilling to surrender and "become less." Maybe those are the ones who have been in ministry or a certain position for a long time and were not aware of how much security or self-esteem was wrapped up in having those positions. For others, it will be a letting go of treasured manmade traditions. Here in the Philippines, as in some other countries, it will require a change in how one perpetuates and celebrates their nation's history, as the Catholic church had been a big part of establishing their government and laws, and ultimately how they live and worship God. At any rate, the Church is most certainly being prepared, purified, and empowered to be more like Christ and it requires that we become much less of ourselves so that He will become greater in our lives, nations, and the whole earth.
Yesterday I was led to meet with a pastor of a 1000+ member congregation. It was so awesome to hear what the Lord is doing in their church, even in pouring out His touch in healing, prophetic, and other ministries for some members of the church. The Lord gave me words of affirmation to share and also some words of guidance for prayers that had been on the pastor's heart, including a new focus of taking prophetic evangelism to the streets of Manila. The pastor also shared that there were groups in Manila that specifically prayed for their President, as she is a godly leader actively seeking the Lord's guidance in conducting the duties of her office. Praise God! It was a great ministering time.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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