Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 11/2009 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 Baptist 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, so that the Lord in His mercy would shine His light “on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death to GUIDE OUR FEET in the path of PEACE.
Interestingly enough Elijah performed many miracles, but John performed none.
What are the ways in which we can follow in John 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.
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 direct connection with the attitude of John (He must increase, I must decrease) and the attitude that should be the distinct characteristic of the servant of God found in Philippians 2:5. In the eyes of the Savior, humility and faithfulness in announcing the Gospel of Salvation and knowing and obeying the Lord is more important than being perceived as a great spiritual leader by performing miracles, signs and wonders.
In chapter 13 of John, Jesus shows His disciples how to serve one another.
With the right attitude of a servant:
• Kneeling is a posture of humility, and readiness for service.
• Taking his clothes off shows vulnerability (figuratively).
• Acceptance of others, whoever they may be (not acceptance of or participation in their sins or their sinful life style)) : 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.
Jesus told His disciples: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” and “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?
In the beginning of the Christian Church, the Apostles were so busy administering the affairs of the growing of the congregations that they had to resort to the same dividing the responsabilities and delegate authority to a group of selected men, the deacons to take care of the practical side of dealing with the people´s needs.
The first deacons are chosen Acts 6:1-7
6 1-4 About this time, when the number of disciples was continually increasing, the Greeks complained that in the daily distribution of food the Hebrew widows were being given preferential treatment. The twelve summoned the whole body of the disciples together and said, “It is not right that we should have to neglect preaching the Word of God in order to look after the accounts. You, our brothers, must look round and pick out from your number seven men of good reputation who are both practical and spiritually-minded and we will put them in charge of this matter. Then we shall devote ourselves whole-heartedly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.”
5-6 This brief speech met with unanimous approval and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochurus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch who had previously been a convert to the Jewish faith. They brought these men before the apostles, and they, after prayer, laid their hands upon them.7 So the Word of God gained more and more ground. The number of disciples in Jerusalem very greatly increased, while a considerable proportion of the priesthood accepted the faith.
In the Old Testament, we find some 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.
Some examples are 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.
The Lord has given His body various positions in the leadership and various spiritual gifts to help us grow and do the 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.
Here are some 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.
