The Message from the Messenger.

I hear the words, “Come to me and rest in my love”. Thankyou Lord for receiving me and loving me – just the way I am. I spend some time just quietly imagining that I am sitting next to my Father and feeling His love and acceptance, recognizing his desire to protect me and provide for me. I ponder on the enigma of “the Lord of the universe – nailed to a tree “- for me as much as anyone else – such love!

” Yes, come to me is my invitation to you with whatever cares you may have, whether you are feeling weary or discourage or full of joy – I welcome you to sit beside me and receive my love and my forgiveness for your self-centredness and self-will. My offer to you is twofold – rest from your cares, with forgiveness opening the way for me to show my love and secondly, the invitation to take up my yoke – which has been specifically designed for you and as you start drawing on my yoke – serving me – you will sense I am yoked next to you and drawing with you so that it will be easy and you will not grow weary again”.

Our reading today is from John 1:19-34. John, the writer, returns to speaking about John (the Baptist), continuing to link his unveiling of who Jesus is/was from the Old Testament. John, the Baptist now has a chance to speak.

Firstly, he emphatically denies that he is the expected Messiah. Remember the expectation was high in Israel at the time for the imminent arrival of the Messiah, the future king who would come to rescue His people, Israel. John’s behaviour had obviously attracted the attention among others of the priests and Levites. So, their first interest was the question of whether he was in fact the Christ. As we read on through this passage, we see that there is an apparent emphasis on baptism. Apparently, there was an understanding that such a baptism would be associated with the coming of the Messiah. This explains the question in vs 24; “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”

John fields this question by directing the questioners attention to the fact that he himself is insignificant, placing himself in the position of “One calling in the desert, ‘Making straight the way of the Lord'”, a prophecy from Isaiah 40:3.

The thrust firstly of his reply is to compare himself in all humility to the real Messiah. He was not worthy of tying the thongs of His sandals. He was before him, existing from time immemorial and much greater. And while John’s baptism was with water, meaning it was symbolic of washing away sins on repentance, the One coming after him would baptize with the Spirit, bringing real transformation and power.

Now, I was involved in the 80’s in the Charismatic movement, where I was saved. I was attracted to the main teaching they were propagating which was the need and value of being baptized in the Spirit. Their teaching was that this baptism happened after salvation and empowered one for service. They spoke much of the power – dunamis (from which comes the word dynamite) which came with the Spirit’s presence. This is clearly a wrong doctrine, but in a way, they were right in their observation that the average Christian did not seem to have any power.

Firstly, the term Baptism in the Spirit describes our initial entry into the kingdom. It is another term for being born again, saved, converted etc. Paul makes this clear in 1 Co 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. There is no room there for someone to be a real Christian without this transformation which the Spirit brings.

However, having said that, their observation was and still is correct in many respects. There are heaps of people who call themselves Christian, the churches are full of them who don’t show the dynamic power of Christ’s presence in them. Paul describes this accurately in 2 Timothy 3:5 as having a form of godliness but denying its power. He uses this description to describe the church in the last days. They were just wrong in assuming that all these people are really Christians and this explanation of a “second blessing” as they often referred to it, explained it to themselves.

The reality of our gospel message is that each one of us, baptized in the Spirit, live in the power of God’s Spirit and presence every day. His Spirit enables us to be witnesses to His living presence, by our love and ability to reach out across difficulties to each other and the world.

Coming back to John’s testimony he draws it all together in the last paragraph where he refers to seeing Jesus being baptized and the Spirit literally visible in the form of a dove settling on him. He finally sums it all up in the last vs 1:34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.

As we see these proofs mount up as to who Jesus really is, my hope and expectation is that you will grow incrementally in your faith as we see more and more of them in this glorious gospel of John. God bless till next week.