Lord's Day Devotion - John the Baptizer's Mission

 

Every single summer of my childhood and into my teens, my parents would help out at The Gospel Tent.  Eventually, the running of this outreach endeavour was handed over to my Dad. There was no escaping it for my siblings and I any way you looked at it.

Part and parcel of that, we could not escape having to memorize Scripture verses, either.  As we were stepping out of childhood into the teen years, we were switched from single verses per day to whole or large sections of chapters and expected to get it all under our belts in two weeks' time.  These chapters were usually from the gospel of John, and of course, from the good ole King James Version.  Ha, ha!

What reminded me of this is when the preacher last Lord's Day was talking about John the Baptizer and read from John chapter 1.  Later, I reread and began from "In the beginning...."  The memories flooded back, and I could mostly recall many of the verses.

They were warm memories actually and like being greeted by an old friend.  Yes, of course I've read and reread this chapter numerous times since those days when we suffered through but the reviewing these past few days really sparked up, not just the friendliness of the words but to rejoice in our Lord and Savior to Whom John and John the Baptizer directed our atttention.

The preacher remarked, John the Baptizer was trying to get the people of his day to know about Jesus but the religious leaders had missed the point.  They wanted to know about John the Baptizer:  who he was and who had sent him.  John the Baptizer's mission was to teach who Jesus was and Who had sent Jesus, how to prepare for His coming and why it was needful.

"Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29 KJV).

Praise the Lord, by and by the first disciples got the point.  In due course, multitudes more since that day until the present, also got it.  These are the all,

"who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God...born of God" (John 1:12-13).

Does this not rejoice your hearts, brothers and sisters-in-Christ?!  I feel like singing, "Praise the Lord; Hallelujah!"  Join me...

With hearts, minds, and mouths full of praise and thanksgiving, let us partake of the Lord's Supper, the broken bread and the drinking of the cup of wine in rememberance of what Jesus our Savior has done for us.  Through Him we have become children of God because we have received Him and believed in His Name.  He made it possible.

Give thanks this Lord's Day for all the "fullness of His grace" we have received (v 16).  Let us continue, often, with our heartfelt praise, adoration, worship and service until He comes.

                                                  ~ERC  December 2022~

Based on the gospel of John 1.

Sing, All Our Praise and Worship, along with Pelita Creatives. (Note:  This song begins in English, switches to the Malaysian Language and then back to English to finish off.)