Baptized you with water

I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

If you were to look at John the Baptist from a worldly perspective, you might consider him a poor reflection of Jesus, the   One he came to herald.   You might see him as a tough guy preaching a fire-and-brimstone gospel—not very approachable at all.   By contrast, you might consider Jesus more of a soft touch—a gentle fellow, smiling as he heals people and tells us to love each other.   You might think that John wants to tell us what we’ve done wrong, but Jesus wants to be our friend.

But is this contrast justified?   In scripture, John is anything but a hardnosed preacher.  All he wants is to point people toward Jesus, the One who had come to give them the Holy Spirit.   He told the people that the reason for his call to repentance wasn’t to rail against them as if they were incapable of changing.   Rather, it was so that they would be ready to receive the salvation Jesus had come to bring. Interestingly enough, when Jesus does appear on the scene, he preaches the very same message of repentance—in the exact same words!—that John did.   It seems that John was more like Jesus than we normally think.

This likeness to Jesus can give us some insight into our own call to preach the gospel.   It tells us that, just like John, we too can experience the excitement and hope embodied in the phrase: “The kingdom of God is at hand!”   At its heart, the gospel is good news about a God who calls us to his side.   It’s the good news about a merciful Father who wants to wipe away all his children’s sins and free them from guilt.   It’s the good news about a God who wants to welcome us into his kingdom—forever!

It’s a great privilege to be called to do the same kind of work that John and Jesus did!   It’s a great privilege to show people the way into the kingdom of heaven.   Whether through our words or our example, we can become ambassadors for the Lord.

So what’s the good news you’re going to share today?   How will you announce the kingdom?

word among us