"John witnesses concerning Him, and has cried out, saying, This One was He of whom I said, He coming after me has been before me, for He was preceding me." John 1:15 What should be the focus of our witness? Should it be on us and our faithfulness? Should it be about our church and all that we are doing? Or, should it be on Christ and what He has done for our salvation?
Look at John the Baptist. "John witnesses concerning Him, and has cried out, saying, This One was He of whom I said, He coming after me has been before me, for He was preceding me." Did John testify of himself and all the work he was doing? Did he focus on how many people he baptized in the Jordan? No, he pointed to Jesus.
And what did he say of Jesus? That "He coming after me has been before me, for He was preceding me." Even though Jesus was born after John (being about six months younger), and even though John's ministry came before that of Jesus, John directed people to Jesus and said that Jesus was to be preferred before him. And even though John was older, yet John testified that Jesus already was before him; for Jesus is the eternal Son of God who was made man to redeem us!
John pointed people to Jesus and not to himself, for Jesus is God the Son, the Messiah and Savior! "And there is salvation in no other One, for neither is there any other name under Heaven having been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12).
It will do no one any good at all if we direct people to ourselves and to our church but do not bear witness to Jesus and what He has done for us and all people on the tree of the cross. We can save no one through our services and programs. Jesus is the Savior of the world. He shed His holy and precious blood on the cross to redeem all.
Let's point people to Him!
O Jesus, eternal Son of God come into this world to redeem us, grant that we testify of You and direct people to You, for You only are our Savior. Amen.
Scriptures quoted from Green's Literal Translation (LITV) by permission.Copyright 1993 by Jay P. Green Sr. All rights reserved.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 08/19/2009