What to learn from John the Baptist

[Christownsme]

I think people gloss over the significance of John the Baptist's teachings for believers today.

He said to 'make straight the path for the Lord', to repent and be baptized. What was he saying that we can apply to spreading the gospel today? What can we apply from it for our own lives?

 

[Aldebaran]

I think people gloss over the significance of John the Baptist's teachings for believers today.

He said to 'make straight the path for the Lord', to repent and be baptized. What was he saying that we can apply to spreading the gospel today? What can we apply from it for our own lives?

I always thought he was talking about preparing for the Lord's arrival, since he hadn't gone public yet. Of course, I could be wrong.

 

[dragongunner]

I always thought he was talking about preparing for the Lord's arrival, since he hadn't gone public yet. Of course, I could be wrong.

Yes. The sad fact is that you don't want to follow John the baptist. John did not follow Christ, John had no power, John did not know who he was, John did not learn from Christ. John who said this is the one who was to come, John who told Andrew and James that this is He who they should follow, did not he himself follow Christ. Christ and his followers Healed the sick, John did not. Christ and his followers cast out demons, John did not. Christ performed miracles, and had and showed his power....John had none, because he did not follow him. Instead john continue to make disciples. Think of being back there in the day.....who would you follow, Christ.....or John? Christ said that John was Elijah.....John said he was not. The Jews who later would kill Jesus asked John again if he was Elijah, because Elijah must first come.....John said NO! I am not Elijah.....Jesus said he was. Was John ashamed of his cousin Jesus...? John said that Christ must increase...but he must decrease. What bible did John have for this statement?....none. So why did he say it....Did the diciples of Jesus like Peter, Mark.....did the decrease.....or did they increase? They increased. Jesus said the works that I do ye shall do, AND greater works than these shall ye do because I go to my Father. So we can increase, and Christ wants us to increase with him.

And now the truth and saddest part of about John.....in jail, John call "his" disciples and says....go find Jesus, ask if he is the One.....or seek we another?

They go find Jesus and ask, and we know the story of what Jesus said to them to tell John. Then turns and tells his followers, John is the greatest born of a woman, but he shall be the least in the Kingdom of God...who so ever is ashamed of me, I shall be ashamed of before my Father in heaven.

Yes, the same man who baptized Jesus and said this is He, later asks "are you the one, or seek we another". Jesus and his believers had Holy Ghost power......John and his disciples had done. Sadly I wonder how many churches are still following John.

 

[Receiver]

John was the messenger, the bridegroom, the fanfare to Israel, introducing their Messiah.
he was to be listened to not followed. Once the Messiah appeared he was to decrease.

He baptised many in water, teaching that the Messiah would baptise in the Holy Spirit.
It seems relatively few got the baptism in the Spirit.
Same today, many more get baptised in water than in the Spirit.

 

[cardoctor]

It's really easy (for me anyway) to depersonalize characters in the bible, to stop looking at them as humans and strip from them all doubt and weakness. I recently have tried to view the world through their eyes, their emotions, their fears, their triumphs because it informs me about my own.

John prophesied in the wilderness, set himself apart, foretelling only what had already been foretold of in the past (not really much new). I have no doubt he had days sitting alone in the dessert wondering (in the flesh) if he was wasting his time. If he had somehow miss-heard God. I bet (total speculation here) If he wondered if he was bluffing with a pair of twos and the Messiah wasn't coming in his lifetime. He had no miracles to distinguish him as a prophet, though, all previous chosen men of God either has miracles of position to distinguish them. I imagine he sometimes wondered if he was nothing more than a car wash for sweaty gullible jews. I challenge you to realize the faith it took for him to carry on with his ministry!

In my own life i frequently bump into times where it seems perhaps I have no business ministering in God's name. I have times when my work seems fruitless and even time when I wonder what I think i'm doing giving up a solid career and following the callings God has on my life. The example of John teaches me that God is not constrained by past action and that ministry does not always look fruitful. We are called to minister on anyway. It is better to be made a fool in pursuit of God's work than to be well regarded building our own kingdoms

 

[tremble]

Hey cardoctor, I enjoyed your post.

He had no miracles to distinguish him as a prophet, though, all previous chosen men of God either has miracles of position to distinguish them.

I get your meaning though I personally kinda see it as a miracle that he was so faithful to God. He basically gave up his entire life out there in the desert to follow his conscience. The work he did in teaching people about the coming messiah was good, too. There were so many people claiming to be the messiah or important spiritual leaders.

Though Jesus himself said that he didn't really need John's 2nd witness to himself (because the miracles God gave to Jesus were his true second witness), John's witness still fulfilled part of the Jewish law for making Jesus that much more acceptable to the people.

They go find Jesus and ask, and we know the story of what Jesus said to them to tell John. Then turns and tells his followers, John is the greatest born of a woman, but he shall be the least in the Kingdom of God.

Hmm, I've not heard this interpretation before, but I don't think Jesus was saying that John will be the least. He was making a comparison between the old testament and the new. John was still part of the old testament. Jesus started the new testament.

Despite his lack of miracles, many people believed that John was a prophet. Political leaders listened to him. The religious leaders were afraid to speak against him. People were having trouble distinguishing between John and Jesus. Because John was on the scene first, they kept mistaking him for the messiah. Jesus said, "John was a great prophet, but he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than him" because the new testament is better than the old. He wanted to make the distinction clear that, although John was a great prophet for God, people should start following Jesus instead. Even the least of the New is better than the Old.

It wasn't a pronouncement against John personally. True, it does seem that John doubted, but he was in prison for a good deal of the time and there had previously been several people claiming to be the savior etc. Jesus was teaching a lot of crazy new ideas about greed, pride, respectability etc. He was getting into a lot of fights with the religious leaders. It must have sounded so mysterious to John sitting there in prison without being able to see firsthand what was happening.

I suspect the reason God didn't organize for John to start following Jesus as a disciple is precisely because John did too good a job being a spiritual leader for the people and it may have caused unnecessary confusion to see them together. God didn't want a situation where Jesus was constantly needing to correct people that he was the one they should be looking to and not John.