Our Compulsion John the Baptist had a driving force beyond his ministry. His compulsion was to see Jesus increase and himself decrease (John 3:30). John knew the he was temporary and transitory. Jesus was from above and eternal. In ministry, we do not try to attach people to ourselves. Our job is to attach them to Christ. What is the driving force behind your service to God?
--to increase the scope or size of your ministry
--to increase funding or facilities
--to make a reputation for yourself
--to win people to Christ
1.) We Are the Friend of the Bridegroom.
--In John 3:29-30, John used an analogy all Jews would understand. He called Jesus the bridegroom and himself the bridegroom’s friend. The bridegroom’s friend served as the liaison between the bride and bridegroom. He arranged the wedding, sent invitations, and presided over the wedding feast.
--He brought the bride and bridegroom together. He didn’t begrudge either one of them and he knew his only task was to bring the couple together. He then willingly and gladly faded out of the center of the picture. He was content with his place.
--Our place as Christians is to bring people to Christ!
2.) We Must Be Urgent In Our Tasks.
--We find in John’s analogy a sense of urgency in our tasks. The friend of the bridegroom couldn’t do things at his own pace. Time was of the essence! He had a mission to accomplish!
--We too must sense and urgency to the task at hand.
--Over 1.7 billion people have little to no access to the Gospel. We need to see a world full of people without Christ. We need to have a world vision.
--Read the Great Commission of Matthew 28: 19-20. Christ didn’t say wait to spread the Gospel, he said do it now!
