Written and published by Jean-Louis Mondon
John the Baptizer was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, the 1st advent, in the power of Elijah.
Interestingly enough Elijah performed many miracles, but John performed none.
Ways to follow in John´s footsteps and prepare the way for the Lord’s second coming
As John was preaching repentance and heralding the first coming of Christ in the flesh, so the main work of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus-Christ through words and deeds in preparation for His second Coming as King and Judge of all the earth.
Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way
for the people. Build up, Build up the highway! Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the
nations. The Lord has made proclamation To the ends of the earth: “Say to the
Daughter of Zion, See, your Savior comes! See, His reward is with Him, And His
recompense accompanies Him". Isaiah 62:10,11.
John the Baptizer was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, the 1st advent, in the power of Elijah.
Now we Christians have to do our part to prepare the way of the Lord for His
glorious appearing, the second advent. Matthew 3:3 declares:
“It’s the
voice of a man crying in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight
paths for Him”. Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist is the
one who would prepare the way according to his father Zacharia´s prophecy in
Luke 1:76-79 (NASB):
“And you, child, will be
called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare
His ways; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy
of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the
shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”Interestingly enough Elijah performed many miracles, but John performed none.
Ways to follow in John´s footsteps and prepare the way for the Lord’s second coming
As John was preaching repentance and heralding the first coming of Christ in the flesh, so the main work of the Church is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus-Christ through words and deeds in preparation for His second Coming as King and Judge of all the earth.
“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. 24But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.…
Jesus said: “Among those born of women
there is none greater than John, yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God
is greater than he".
How is it possible?
Here the Lord is making a connection with the attitude of John "He must increase, but I must decrease" John 3:30
and the attitude that should be the distinct characteristic of the servant of
God found in Philippians 2:5-8:
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
In the eyes of the Savior, humility and faithfulness in announcing the Gospel of Salvation and knowing and obeying the Lord are more important than being perceived as a great spiritual leader by performing miracles, signs and wonders.
Here are some ways to be Christlike from Paul´s exhortation to the Philipians to demonstrate a loving attitude and behavior in their midst that caused him to rejoice through their "fellowship of the spirit, affection and compassion":
Lord Jesus, our love supreme example
In chapter 13 of John, Jesus shows His disciples how to serve one another after having loved those who belonged to Him in this world by soon showing them His sacrificial love on the cross. Obviously, it is the love of Jesus through the Holy Spirit in the believers, for Jesus said: ” Without me you can do nothing."
These attitudes and actions are based on the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper. The Lord Jesus will never ask us to do something He didn’t demonstrate to us while He was on this earth.
In John 15:12-14 Jesus reminds us that: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.… "
Paul uses a superlative when he describes the face of love: “And now. I will show you the most excellent way.” I Corinthians 12:31.
Going back to John, chapter 13, verse 1 states that Jesus: “having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love, or he loved them to the last.” Another superlative!
The following scene while He washes the disciples’ feet shows us the example of love in action, first in the Savior’s attitude of humility and then by the practice of service to His disciples. It is in this service to our brothers and sisters in the church, our spiritual family, whatever their needs might be, that we find the answer to the question: “What would Jesus do?"
How did He demonstrate His love for them?
With the right attitude of a servant:
Further down, Jesus tells His disciples: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” and elsewhere “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. It is wonderful to receive instructions from our Lord and to get the understanding from the Holy Spirit, but the blessing comes from applying the teaching of life and truth which results in bearing fruit.
Jesus’ teaching is not only about the spiritual side of life but also about practical preparation. The work of God is done on both levels. Luke 12: 42, 43 tells us that the faithful servant feeds the other workers their portion of food, at the right time. But before that, the table must be set, the floor cleaned, the chairs properly arranged. Is it not the duty of the deacons or the persons in charge in the church to make sure that everything is ready in order for the service to begin and for the pastor to feed the flock with the Word of God?
Old Testament examples of preparing the way for others
When Israel was in the desert, the Angel of the Lord went before the people preparing the way for them. The 12 spies were sent to the land before the Israelites were to go in. The 2 spies went to Jericho before the army marched around and defeated its inhabitants. David prepared the way for Solomon to build the temple by giving to him the instructions and the plans that the Lord had revealed to him.
The prophets prepared the way by proclaiming the word of the Lord before a battle or when instructing the people of Israel.
Examples found in the New Testament as well
Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the way for the Lord to have the Passover supper with His disciples. In Acts 19:9 the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him not to fear the Corinthians because He had many people in this city. He was preparing the way for Paul to preach, teach and plant churches. And even now the Lord Himself is preparing the way for us to meet Him one day soon and be with Him eternally. He is preparing us a new tabernacle to dwell in, a new glorified body fit for heaven.
Jesus said: “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s kingdom there are many dwelling places, I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with me that you also may be where I am”. What marvelous words of comfort from the very lips of our Lord and Savior!
The Holy Spirit was sent to us to reveal to us the Lord Jesus, His person, His works in us and through us.
The people of Israel were to follow the presence of the Lord in the ark of the covenant. Now under the new covenant of the blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer guiding him, instructing him what to do, where to go, what to say and how to say it just as the Father did with His son Jesus while He was on this earth.
We will know where to go and what to do because our Lord Jesus delights in revealing His will to His faithful servants who want to do His will and please Him in everything.
Joshua 3:4-5 (NIV) Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
The Lord has given His body various positions of leadership and various spiritual gifts to help us grow and do works of service, but it is the responsibility of all the members to be diligent and not only serve others, but prepare the way so each of us might serve more effectively.
Ways in which we can prepare the way to help other people For example, a husband not only helps his wife by praying for her and with her, but also anticipates her needs, physical and emotional. He can relieve the burden of a hard day, by helping her with the household chores or taking care of the children. This is not only washing her feet and washing with the water of the word, but preparing the path on which she will walk more safely, surely and securely.
Let's remember that we are sheep and we follow, but also shepherds who go in front of whoever the Lord has given us to watch over and to prepare the way for them to follow the great and good Shepherd more closely. We can also warn the people of the many stumbling blocks and traps from the enemy, remove the stones, so to speak and make their paths smoother.
A neighbor can do the same by praying for a neighbor’s salvation and provides some help and fellowship in order to show them the love of Christ and witness to them and invite them to church.
All this can be done to prepare the way for the Lord coming. This is a way to help all parts of the body of Christ, our brothers and sisters to grow into the fullness that the Lord intended for us.
Someone helped us and prepared the way by showing us kindness and talking to us about the Lord Jesus and how to be saved. May each of us do the same and in this way fulfill the commands of our Lord to reproduce and produce good fruits for His kingdom and His glory.
In closing, here is a quote from the New Testament looking forward to the time in which the Lord will bring down the New Jerusalem from Heaven:
In Revelation, we find the same words of promise spoken in Isaiah by the Savior Himself:
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me And I will give to everyone According to what he has done… Blessed are those who wash their robes That they may have the right to the tree of life And go through the gates into the city”. Revelation 22:12,14.
Amen, Come Lord Jesus.
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
In the eyes of the Savior, humility and faithfulness in announcing the Gospel of Salvation and knowing and obeying the Lord are more important than being perceived as a great spiritual leader by performing miracles, signs and wonders.
Here are some ways to be Christlike from Paul´s exhortation to the Philipians to demonstrate a loving attitude and behavior in their midst that caused him to rejoice through their "fellowship of the spirit, affection and compassion":
- Being of the same mind,
- Maintaining the same love,
- United in spirit,
- Intent on one purpose Philipians 2:1-2
Lord Jesus, our love supreme example
In chapter 13 of John, Jesus shows His disciples how to serve one another after having loved those who belonged to Him in this world by soon showing them His sacrificial love on the cross. Obviously, it is the love of Jesus through the Holy Spirit in the believers, for Jesus said: ” Without me you can do nothing."
These attitudes and actions are based on the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper. The Lord Jesus will never ask us to do something He didn’t demonstrate to us while He was on this earth.
In John 15:12-14 Jesus reminds us that: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.… "
Paul uses a superlative when he describes the face of love: “And now. I will show you the most excellent way.” I Corinthians 12:31.
Going back to John, chapter 13, verse 1 states that Jesus: “having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love, or he loved them to the last.” Another superlative!
The following scene while He washes the disciples’ feet shows us the example of love in action, first in the Savior’s attitude of humility and then by the practice of service to His disciples. It is in this service to our brothers and sisters in the church, our spiritual family, whatever their needs might be, that we find the answer to the question: “What would Jesus do?"
How did He demonstrate His love for them?
With the right attitude of a servant:
- Kneeling is a posture of humility, respect and readiness for service.
- Taking his clothes off shows vulnerability (figuratively)
- Acceptance of others, whoever they may be (not the acceptance of, nor participation in their sins or their sinful life style). Ex: Judas who was not a true believer was not sent away until before Jesus started the teaching on the Holy Spirit which can be shared only with true believers. He not only allowed Judas to partake of the last supper, but He also washed His feet.
- Focus on the work at hand: Jesus who knew that Judas was about to betray Him didn’t rebuke him and send him away. He was focused and refused to be distracted by His knowledge of the heart of man and the terrible next few days leading up to His death.
Further down, Jesus tells His disciples: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” and elsewhere “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. It is wonderful to receive instructions from our Lord and to get the understanding from the Holy Spirit, but the blessing comes from applying the teaching of life and truth which results in bearing fruit.
Jesus’ teaching is not only about the spiritual side of life but also about practical preparation. The work of God is done on both levels. Luke 12: 42, 43 tells us that the faithful servant feeds the other workers their portion of food, at the right time. But before that, the table must be set, the floor cleaned, the chairs properly arranged. Is it not the duty of the deacons or the persons in charge in the church to make sure that everything is ready in order for the service to begin and for the pastor to feed the flock with the Word of God?
Old Testament examples of preparing the way for others
When Israel was in the desert, the Angel of the Lord went before the people preparing the way for them. The 12 spies were sent to the land before the Israelites were to go in. The 2 spies went to Jericho before the army marched around and defeated its inhabitants. David prepared the way for Solomon to build the temple by giving to him the instructions and the plans that the Lord had revealed to him.
The prophets prepared the way by proclaiming the word of the Lord before a battle or when instructing the people of Israel.
Examples found in the New Testament as well
Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the way for the Lord to have the Passover supper with His disciples. In Acts 19:9 the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him not to fear the Corinthians because He had many people in this city. He was preparing the way for Paul to preach, teach and plant churches. And even now the Lord Himself is preparing the way for us to meet Him one day soon and be with Him eternally. He is preparing us a new tabernacle to dwell in, a new glorified body fit for heaven.
Jesus said: “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s kingdom there are many dwelling places, I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with me that you also may be where I am”. What marvelous words of comfort from the very lips of our Lord and Savior!
The Holy Spirit was sent to us to reveal to us the Lord Jesus, His person, His works in us and through us.
The people of Israel were to follow the presence of the Lord in the ark of the covenant. Now under the new covenant of the blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer guiding him, instructing him what to do, where to go, what to say and how to say it just as the Father did with His son Jesus while He was on this earth.
We will know where to go and what to do because our Lord Jesus delights in revealing His will to His faithful servants who want to do His will and please Him in everything.
Joshua 3:4-5 (NIV) Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
The Lord has given His body various positions of leadership and various spiritual gifts to help us grow and do works of service, but it is the responsibility of all the members to be diligent and not only serve others, but prepare the way so each of us might serve more effectively.
Ways in which we can prepare the way to help other people For example, a husband not only helps his wife by praying for her and with her, but also anticipates her needs, physical and emotional. He can relieve the burden of a hard day, by helping her with the household chores or taking care of the children. This is not only washing her feet and washing with the water of the word, but preparing the path on which she will walk more safely, surely and securely.
Let's remember that we are sheep and we follow, but also shepherds who go in front of whoever the Lord has given us to watch over and to prepare the way for them to follow the great and good Shepherd more closely. We can also warn the people of the many stumbling blocks and traps from the enemy, remove the stones, so to speak and make their paths smoother.
A neighbor can do the same by praying for a neighbor’s salvation and provides some help and fellowship in order to show them the love of Christ and witness to them and invite them to church.
All this can be done to prepare the way for the Lord coming. This is a way to help all parts of the body of Christ, our brothers and sisters to grow into the fullness that the Lord intended for us.
Someone helped us and prepared the way by showing us kindness and talking to us about the Lord Jesus and how to be saved. May each of us do the same and in this way fulfill the commands of our Lord to reproduce and produce good fruits for His kingdom and His glory.
In closing, here is a quote from the New Testament looking forward to the time in which the Lord will bring down the New Jerusalem from Heaven:
In Revelation, we find the same words of promise spoken in Isaiah by the Savior Himself:
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me And I will give to everyone According to what he has done… Blessed are those who wash their robes That they may have the right to the tree of life And go through the gates into the city”. Revelation 22:12,14.
Amen, Come Lord Jesus.
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