How John the Baptist’s Ministry relates to us

For one of my assignments at Regent, I was required to look closely at Mark 1:1-13. The last thing I was to do for my assignment was to write down anything I thought God had spoken to me through the passage. Well, I tend to be hesitant in saying God has spoken something to me! What I can say is, any time I ponder a section of His Word for a little while, I see things I hadn’t before. I glean knowledge of the Lord.

As I looked at the beginning of the Gospel and read about John the Baptist, who we know was the precursor or forerunner of Christ, I saw some principles regarding ministry in general that could apply to any of us. I thought I’d share them with any of you who might want to read this blog.

First of all, I see that John was sent by God. I believe he knew that and knew what his mission was. It was very clear to him. Likewise, I think we as believers need to know that we too have been sent with a ministry/mission. We may not have had the kind of experience John must have had. But if we’re saved, we’ve had an encounter with the living God, and we’ve been made into His sons and daughters, and His ambassadors. God tells us this in His Word (specifically in the Great Commission), that we are sent forth with a mission just as much as John was.

We need to understand that, and like John, we need to know what it is we’re called to do. We’re called to present the gospel to every creature. (Mar. 16:15) We’re called to make disciples out among the people of this world. (Mat. 28:18-20) We’ve been given a ministry of reconciliation, calling people to be reconciled with God. (2 Cor. 5:18) That’s the mission of every Christian. So we’d better recognize it and be busy about our Father’s business! In other words, we all need to know the gospel and how to present it.

I believe the fact that people came out to hear John indicates God was really behind his ministry – otherwise, it is hard to understand or imagine why people would go out into the barren wilderness to hear this man who was quite unconventional! (Assuredly, some would have said John was, “a wild man”!) Likewise, we may not preach to multitudes, but we can be sure that God will be with us as we try to reach people for Him and serve Him. His Spirit will convict people, will open their hearts, will help them hear and understand. On our side, His Spirit will also empower us to do what God wants us to be about.

It’s amazing how God used the instrumentality of John to accomplish His purposes. When the people listened to him, they were convinced and convicted. They recognized their sins, and apparently made up their minds to repent. They followed through on that decision by confessing their sins and submitting to baptism (though not necessarily in that order.)

God was working in their hearts; there can be no doubt of that. But notice, God worked through the ministry of John. If he had not obeyed God by proclaiming what he proclaimed and living as he lived, these people would not have been so impacted. He obviously knew what to proclaim and how to carry out his ministry. He knew what he was trying to get people to see and do, and he was effective in bringing them to that conviction and response. He got them to do what God had called him and them to. He’s surely a model for us all!

It’s not enough to just speak words into the air. The Word of God must have an effect. It is meant to produce a response. We must apply it to our lives. John told people to repent and be baptized, and by golly, they repented and were baptized! He led them to that clear response. We should do our best to explain to people what God wants from them, and lead them to respond properly to Him. Now they may not be ready. They may not want to obey God. We can’t do anything about that. It’s on them. But we should know what we’re trying to lead them to. That’s our responsibility.

One last and very important point in this section is that repentance is what prepares the way for the Lord in our lives. He won’t come to work in us without sincere repentance. We need to understand this and be sure to preach and explain it to people when we tell them to accept Christ and follow Him. Too many today just tell people to repeat this little prayer to get saved. It’s almost like we think the prayer is magic. But “repeating a little prayer” will accomplish nothing if there isn’t true faith and true repentance behind it.

Repentance unlocks the door of God’s blessing. Author Gary Chapman, in his book, The Language of Apology, says that even God won’t forgive a person who doesn’t ask for forgiveness! Profound, but true!

Last week, the pastor of the church we visited gave an altar call, and said something very similar that relates here. He said the essence of the Kingdom of God is asking. It’s recognizing our need and coming to God to meet it. Repentance fits with that. We must recognize our failings and our sins. We must recognize our need of forgiveness. And we must repent of our sinful, selfish ways, and ask God to forgive us if we want His forgiveness.

That’s really the doorway into the Kingdom of God. It’s what really prepares the way for Him to enter and work in our lives!