When I worked on the Billy Graham Crusade Staff in 2005, I learned that Operation Andrew was the heart and soul of their Crusades, and the secret of its success in winning so many people to Christ throughout the years. By the time Dr. Graham had his last major crusade in Queens, he had conducted crusades all over the world for over 50 years where more than 2.5 million people stepped forward to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The veteran staff members said the reason why the crusade meetings were so successful was because they learned from all their past mistakes! Through trial and error, Operation Andrew emerged as the best way to assure having a productive crusade. It entailed believers, months before the Crusade, listing on cards the friends and relatives they would pray for and eventually ask to come with them to the upcoming crusade services. Over 85% of those who came forward for the first time to accept Christ not only were on someone’s Operation Andrew list, but were brought to the Crusade by them.
It is not known how long Andrew was John the Baptist’s disciple, but the good and godly influence on him was unmistakable. When John pointed Jesus out as the Lamb of God, that was enough for Andrew (and another disciple, probably John, the Beloved).
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
Andrew followed Jesus, went to where he was staying and after spending the day with him, was ready to go witness to his brother, Peter. What an adamant, faith-filled statement he said as he stood before his brother and declared, “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew then brought Peter to Jesus. We see Andrew’s faith in leading him, and Peter’s faith in being willing to be led to a person he had never met before.
Though there is no mention here of Peter’s faith, afterwards in Chapter 6 we see Peter declaring, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (68-69)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Witness Who Saw The Holy Spirit, and Heard the Father's Voice
1:6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”
What an example of unselfishness we have in John the Baptist. He came to be a witness for Christ so people would put their faith in Jesus. Period. The Attorney deliberately chose to omit much of what is known about John the Baptist and his forerunner ministry as depicted in Matthew, Mark and Luke. John’s fiery preaching, as recorded in Matthew and Luke is omitted. John’s advice to the soldiers, the people and the tax collectors is all passed over in this account. The writer is not even interested in rehashing the miraculous events behind John’s birth as it is described in detail in Luke, nor his ministry of baptizing people. He is not even called John the Baptist in this Gospel, but simply John. (John, the author and apostle who functions as the attorney is never named in this book, other than being called the disciple whom Jesus loved.) This gospel writer is only interested in one thing regarding John the Baptizer: his testimony regarding Jesus:
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
John declared that he was neither the Christ (the Messiah), Elijah, or the Prophet. The coming of the Prophet was predicted by Moses in Deuteronomy, and was expected in Jesus' day. John denied being that particular Prophet (though he was a prophet). They asked John if he was the prophet Elijah, perhaps because not only did they have the same repentance message, but also the same type of clothing, and Malachi had prophesied 400 years earlier, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.” So why did John deny what Jesus conclude about him? I find Carson’s explanation to be the best one offered:
Though John denied that he himself was Elijah, Jesus understood more about this and saw John as fulfilling the prophecy about Elijah, the forerunner to the Messiah.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”
John the Baptist has tremendous insight into the mission Christ was on, for surely Jesus came into our world to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. How did he get such insight? For one, he was a prophet. Also, he was very in tune with the voice of the Father, as the next verse indicates.
I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (32-34)
The main testimony that is given is the fact that even John the Baptist did not “comprehend the light” and would not have except for the fact that God the Father spoke to him beforehand about the Messiah. Father God, who sent the Baptist to prepare the way for the Christ, told John, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” John saw this happen at Jesus’ baptism, and therefore he could adamantly declare, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
Isn’t it interesting that John’s Gospel omits Jesus water baptism, and yet it doesn’t. Jesus’ baptism is described, not by the author however, but as part of John’s testimony. John saw that the Spirit did not merely descend upon Jesus, (as He had with many of the Old Testament prophets) but He also remained on him; a sign of Jesus' divine anointing. In spite of the countless paintings to the contrary, I don’t believe the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove upon the Messiah. He came “in bodily shape” that is, in the shape of a human body, but descended down with the graceful movements reminiscent of how doves gently fly.
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”
What an example of unselfishness we have in John the Baptist. He came to be a witness for Christ so people would put their faith in Jesus. Period. The Attorney deliberately chose to omit much of what is known about John the Baptist and his forerunner ministry as depicted in Matthew, Mark and Luke. John’s fiery preaching, as recorded in Matthew and Luke is omitted. John’s advice to the soldiers, the people and the tax collectors is all passed over in this account. The writer is not even interested in rehashing the miraculous events behind John’s birth as it is described in detail in Luke, nor his ministry of baptizing people. He is not even called John the Baptist in this Gospel, but simply John. (John, the author and apostle who functions as the attorney is never named in this book, other than being called the disciple whom Jesus loved.) This gospel writer is only interested in one thing regarding John the Baptizer: his testimony regarding Jesus:
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
John declared that he was neither the Christ (the Messiah), Elijah, or the Prophet. The coming of the Prophet was predicted by Moses in Deuteronomy, and was expected in Jesus' day. John denied being that particular Prophet (though he was a prophet). They asked John if he was the prophet Elijah, perhaps because not only did they have the same repentance message, but also the same type of clothing, and Malachi had prophesied 400 years earlier, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.” So why did John deny what Jesus conclude about him? I find Carson’s explanation to be the best one offered:
Though John denied that he himself was Elijah, Jesus understood more about this and saw John as fulfilling the prophecy about Elijah, the forerunner to the Messiah.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”
John the Baptist has tremendous insight into the mission Christ was on, for surely Jesus came into our world to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. How did he get such insight? For one, he was a prophet. Also, he was very in tune with the voice of the Father, as the next verse indicates.
I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (32-34)
The main testimony that is given is the fact that even John the Baptist did not “comprehend the light” and would not have except for the fact that God the Father spoke to him beforehand about the Messiah. Father God, who sent the Baptist to prepare the way for the Christ, told John, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” John saw this happen at Jesus’ baptism, and therefore he could adamantly declare, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
Isn’t it interesting that John’s Gospel omits Jesus water baptism, and yet it doesn’t. Jesus’ baptism is described, not by the author however, but as part of John’s testimony. John saw that the Spirit did not merely descend upon Jesus, (as He had with many of the Old Testament prophets) but He also remained on him; a sign of Jesus' divine anointing. In spite of the countless paintings to the contrary, I don’t believe the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove upon the Messiah. He came “in bodily shape” that is, in the shape of a human body, but descended down with the graceful movements reminiscent of how doves gently fly.
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