The Way of Cain v The Way of the Cross

“The Way of Cain” Versus “The Way of the Cross”

There he was, a man who tilled the ground and grew food. His brother was a shepherd. Both men were good at what they did.
Their parents must have been so proud of their sons - Cain and Able. Mom and dad probably sat around and wondered if one of the boys was the savior God had promised after their little fiasco when they ate the forbidden fruit, got themselves and all mankind condemned to die, separated from God by sin, and forced to work for their food. Perhaps they had an idea that something was not quite right with their first son. Perhaps they knew Cain was looking for a way into heaven that didn’t require following the instructions given to them by God.
I expect that both Adam and Eve reminded their sons quite often of how disobedience to God had gotten them all into this mess in the first place. They warned against future disobedience. They knew the end of disobedience is disaster. Or put another way, ‘the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Probably Adam and Eve didn’t know the name of the promised savior; but they did know that on the day they ate the forbidden fruit, they had died spiritually. The also began to die physically. They were able to bear their sorrow because of the promise God had given them of a coming savior. They wanted their sons to avoid their mistakes. They wanted them to be obedient to God.
Cain was not ignorant of the events that led to the fall from grace. But apparently he was willing to remain a ‘little confused’ about the remedy for rebellion and disobedience. He was ‘willingly ignorant’. In his rebellion, Cain set out to discover another way into heaven that was ‘reasonable’. Cain probably reasoned, “I surely worked as hard as my brother Able. I am older than Able, which should have made me the leader. Able isn’t a follower of anyone but God. And look where that has gotten him. He is just a sheep herder. Is that the kind of success God gives to those who follow him?” Cain became even more dissatisfied.
Sadly, Cain rejected the way of salvation as ‘too harsh’ or ‘too narrow minded’. Yet, he still wanted to be reconciled to God. He wanted the good things God had to offer; but he didn’t want reconciliation badly enough to seek it on God’s terms. He refused to obey God’s instructions and offer a blood sacrifice as a symbol of atonement for sin. He had to come up with a substitute.
Cain came up with the idea that he would give God the very best of what he had to offer. He would sidestep the time and effort it would take for him to obtain a lamb from his brother. He would also sidestep the messy spectacle of actually sacrificing the lamb. He would go to God by works. And that is what he did. Of course, God refused to even consider the offering. You know, Cain might have offered God enough fruit and vegetables to feed the current population of the entire continent of Asia. I imagine he really put on a good show. It was all in vain because God knew what was in Cain’s heart. It was rebellion. And God says ‘For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft’ (1 Samuel 15:23). God tells us ‘thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’. (Exodus 22:18) The substitute offered by Cain wasn’t even worthy of a glance from God. It was as nothing.
Able on the other hand, went beyond reason and stepped through the door of faith. And his offering God accepted.
Living by faith doesn’t mean you have given up your reason and have gone off chasing illusive and impossible dreams. It means you have found ‘reason’ an empty well or a cloud without water. It means you have sought and found truth. It means you have accepted the mercy of God that allows repentant men and women entrance to heaven. It means you have chosen the narrow way that leads to life everlasting. Within the boundaries of a life lived by faith in the Son of God, the believer is to fear (or have a reverent awe) of God and keep the commandments.
Cain gained condemnation for his offering of human reasoning and works; and Cain died in his sins. Able gained justification by faith; and Able lives in heaven for all eternity. That same door of faith is still open. Sadly, most of humanity has learned nothing from the story of Cain and Able.
The proud walk the earth like giants of old, basking in the glory of their powers of ‘reasoning’ and ‘persuasive abilities’. Measuring their abilities by the abilities of those around them, they think themselves wise. Then belonging to the elite group of wise people, they suddenly believe themselves to be able to contend with the God of creation regarding who shall enter the kingdom of heaven.
How then does ‘reason’ tell us that we may enter the kingdom of heaven?
‘Just do more good deeds than bad deeds and you can enter the kingdom of heaven.’ (‘There is non righteous, no, not one;’ Romans 3:10)
‘Die in a holy war fighting for Allah and you can enter the kingdom of heaven.’
‘Work out your bad karma through endless death and rebirth - don’t worry - you’ll finally get it right.’
‘Forget seeking and pursing peace with God, and instead seek to bring about world peace through a social gospel.’
‘Forget the God of Bible and BECOME GOD YOURSELF!!!”
‘You can’t know God - don’t worry about it.’

Human reason actually can take you to a predetermined destination. However, it is not the same destination to which ‘faith’ will take you.
Let’s consider the place to which a faith like Abel’s will take you. Able lives in the place where the God of creation lives. God owns this place. We call it heaven or paradise. God is there. The light of God is there. Love is there. Peace, harmony, joy, grace, mercy, innocence, trust, and things so wonderful that we can’t even imagine them are in heaven.
As the owner of heaven, God certainly has the right to say who can enter into his realm. Actually, He owns everything else as well, but the place of perfection we call heaven is the home of our God. To enter this place only requires faith on our part. To ask us to get to the place God calls heaven by works is like asking a new born baby to build a bridge strong enough to span a treacherous and mighty ocean. It cannot be done. Thankfully, our merciful God did the work for us. He made one way into heaven. It cost a terrible price. It is big enough and strong enough to accommodate every single person who is willing to obediently enter through faith in the promised savior - who we now know to be Jesus Christ. When a ‘religion’ offers salvation by any other name or any other way, they are not speaking of the place Jesus Christ calls home.
There is a place Allah calls ‘Paradise’. Yet the paradise of Allah not only accepts murderers, it rewards them. John 8:44 tells us ‘He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.’ This verse is speaking of Satan - the father of lies. The paradise of Allah is not the Paradise of Jesus Christ.
There is supposed to be a place called “Nirvana’ where Hindus and Buddhists supposedly go when they achieve enlightenment. Upon arrival they unite with their god - and individualism is lost.
This is not the heaven of Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 13:12 tells us, ‘For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.’ We will not only know Jesus Christ, but we will know those around us. Our saved loved ones and friends will not be lost to us, but will fellowship with us for eternity!
The Pantheist likely worships the creation instead of the Creator of all things.
The Humanist sees heaven developing on earth through the works of mankind. The ‘little god’ in all of us will come out if given the chance. This is the socialist gospel now being preached in the place of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in many churches and all aspects of society.
All these ideologies are really the same thing. They are following ‘The Way of Cain’.
They have rejected the TRUTH of Jesus Christ. They are apostates from truth.
They have reasoned their way to a ‘substitute’ for the truth. They have changed the truth for a lie. Romans 1:25 says ‘Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.’
Their end is destruction. God will not accept their offering anymore than He would accept Cain’s offering. In seeking a substitute for the sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ, they are instead following God’s adversary the devil. What does the devil offer to his followers?
He offers them lies, for he is a liar - and the father of it.
Satan lies when he helps the arrogant and rebellious reason against the truth of God.
Satan lies when he suggests any substitute will work when approaching the Most High God.
Satan lies when he offers a home in ‘paradise’. He owns no place called
Paradise - or any other place for that matter.
Satan lies when he says people will be reborn and have another chance to live a better life. (It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27)
The ‘RELIGION” of the individual is his or her own deeply held belief system.
It is not the religion of anyone that will get him or her into the heaven where Jesus lives. It is their “FAITH” that will get them there.
Everyone makes a decision. They will live by faith - or they will live by what seems right to them.
Romans 1:17 says, ‘For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.’
We are justified by faith in God. Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’
Walking any path except the path offered by Jesus Christ is the walking the way of Cain. The end of that path is eternal separation from God in a place called hell.

Redeemed - a favorite hymn of mine.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOytmkPzhLo

Thank you so much for reading my article. God bless you.

Barbara Henderson.
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What is Bible Doctrine and Why is it Important?

Can You Define the Word ‘Doctrine’?
By Barbara Henderson

In the Bible we find many recorded words of God. Actually, the entire Bible is the written Word of God. Some of it is recorded history. Some of the Bible is direct quotes from God Himself. He makes some very definite statements on how people should act. It is settled for true Christians that God has the authority and the power to make the rules. What seems in question for some Christians is, ‘Did God REALLY mean what he said? Are His rules still relevant, and are they for everyone in every situation?’

There is proof aplenty that many who claim to be followers of the God of the Bible do not do the things God says to do. They claim to accept Jesus, but they disannul the DOCTRINE of Christ in order to follow their own doctrine. They in fact, reject the doctrine of God as revealed to us in the Bible in favor of cunningly devised fables. Actually, some people turn from the doctrine of Christ in order to follow their own selfish lusts and ideas. There is often nothing ‘cunningly devised’ in the fables they follow. My dad says they get their theology from the seat of their pants.

Cunningly devised fables can be identified in worship services that put the traditions of men above the doctrine of God. ‘Tradition’ did not die for sinners on Calvary. Traditions that work for our good are traditions that make worship of Christ and following His teachings easier. Traditions are wicked when the tradition itself begins to substitute for true worship. Keep in mind that if there was salvation available in following the ‘traditions of men’, then Christ need not have died that we might be saved.

Cunningly devised fables may be seen in rituals. There are ritual religions outside and inside Christianity. People believe that through certain repetitions and rituals they will be able to obtain something they want, cause someone to do something they want done, and even gain eternal life. You can also gain wealth and health through ritual sacrificial giving according to some purveyors of cunningly devised fables. That means watch out for the wealth and health preachers. Remember, that if there was salvation in rituals, then Christ need not have died that we might be saved,

Cunningly devised fables may be seen in vain repetitions and babbling. People will chant a mantra as though often repeated words somehow gain the power, or call upon some unknown power to grant their request. It may work even better if the mantra is chanted while the chantor is sitting in some uncomfortable position. Again, if vain babbling and chants could gain salvation for the lost soul, then Christ need not have died that we might be saved.

A rampant cunningly devised fable in the church today is the myth that church growth is proof of a spiritual church. A growth oriented church, believing that church growth proves their relationship with God is good, will often set aside doctrine in favor of ‘doing what it takes to get the church roles to grow in number.’ Such churches are willing to destroy families in order to establish a mega church. Everyone in the church is supposed to be involved in every church function, or their salvation is suspect. A family cannot survive as a strong family under such circumstances.

In order for His children to avoid being deceived by a cunningly devised fable, God gave us DOCTRINE.
This doctrine is based on the truth, as given to us by our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, infallible Creator and God. This Doctrine is written down for us in the Bible. It is not a tradition that was handed down by word of mouth for a thousand years and then written down.. It was written down directly from the mouth of God through the hand of the writer. Knowing and living the Doctrine of the Bible gives us the prescription to avoid being deceived by the great abundance of cunningly devised fables.

According to biblegateway.com the term ‘doctrine’ is used in the Bible fifty (50) times. Due to the limits of space, I won’t be able to include all fifty here. However, I will use some of them.
Proverbs 4:2
For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Remember that the doctrine given us by God is infallible. It is correct, truthful, and good. To forsake it is foolish; yet many do.

Isaiah 28:9
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
God will give understanding to the willing. Often Christians are like adults who try to live as though they were still teenagers. They never grow up, and they are very unpleasant people. They are also useless to those around them. There is nothing lovely or cute about idolizing the foolish actions of rebellious teenagers. The same goes for Christians. There is nothing cute or appealing in a Christian refusing to learn the things of the Bible, preferring instead to remain ignorant and easily beguiled. Remember Eve. She was beguiled and look what happened because of her actions.
Jeremiah 10:8
But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
Beware of vain doctrines. Only those teachings that are completely within the boundaries of the teachings of the Bible are good. Vain doctrine places man, or a particular man, or a particular humanist ideology as the solution to the world’s problems. Jesus Christ is left somewhere out in left field.

Matthew 7:28
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
The doctrine of Jesus Christ is astonishing. It stays in the mind of the hearer.
Mark 1:22
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
The Triune God of the Bible is the authority behind the doctrine of the Bible. It is powerful and astonishing when told in humility by believers.

Mark 1:27
And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

The mighty power of the doctrine of the Bible has not been seen in any earthly teaching, theology, ideology, sorcery, or anything else outside the Bible.
Mark 11:18
And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
The doctrine of the Bible brings about fear in those who reject it. They will seek in vain to destroy it. They know that if the doctrine of the Bible is true, then all other beliefs, or belief systems, or deeply held beliefs, are false. The Bible is not compatible with any other doctrine. When you see someone trying to be reconciled with other doctrines, then they are following fables.
Luke 4:32
And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
The doctrine of Jesus Christ has power.

John 18:19
The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
The doctrine of Jesus Christ causes curiosity when people hear it.

Acts 2:42
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The doctrine of Jesus Christ inspires great loyalty in those who believe.
Acts 5:28
Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
The doctrine of Jesus Christ cannot be stopped by the edicts of men. The Christian will be like the Psalmist who tried, but could not keep his mouth shut. (Psalm 39:1-3)
Acts 17:19
And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
The doctrine of the Lord arouses curiosity. It is something new and wonderful to those who have not heard. They want to hear more.
1 Timothy 1:3
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
Christians are charged to teach no other doctrine. That really kicks things like all the eastern mystic teachings out of the church. Things outside the gospel have no place in the church, no matter how much they will ‘help people lose weight’, ‘chill out’, ‘get in touch with themselves’, and so on. They certainly have no place being taught to the youth of the church, except as things that are outside the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Churches should be teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ alone. By the way, when I was in school in Anchorage, Alaska, we were to taught to sit and stand straight, breath through our nose, and keep our shoulders back. No one had ever heard of yoga; it was just commonly accepted as good health practice. And it was not taught in church.
1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Christians are to continue in the doctrine that is taught in the Bible. This keeps the believer out of trouble and converts those who hear what the Christian says. (That is not out of all the troublesome trials of life, but out of the stupid mistakes made by those who step outside the doctrine of the Bible.)
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
Preach the doctrine of Jesus Christ with patience, continually, and with sound theology.
Titus 1:9
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
It takes a solid knowledge of the doctrine of Jesus Christ in order to convince non-believers. Nowhere does the Bible teach that we are to look for things we have in common with non-believers. We are to teach them and tell the truth according to the Bible.
2 John 1:10
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
When someone comes to you with a different doctrine than what was preached by Jesus Christ, you are not supposed to let him into your house, nor bid him God speed.
Nowhere does the doctrine of the Bible teach that we are to band together with unbelievers in order to bring about good. This means any mega church that is trying to be inclusive and work together with all faiths is not following the teachings of the Bible.
Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
The doctrine of Balaam was ‘anything for money’, even treachery toward one’s own people. Today the ‘anything for money’ doctrine is seen in politicians, businessmen, and Christians all the way up to the clergy.
Revelation 2:15
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
This is the doctrine that believes that ‘once saved one could still engage in sin because they are no longer under the law’. Naturally Christ hates such false doctrine.
There is no question that Biblical ‘doctrine’ is important. Doctrine is the message of the Bible. How foolish that some people who profess Christ as their savior don’t even know what it is. Many church members have no idea what their church teaches as doctrine. This is the fault of the church leaders. It is their duty to instruct their flock in the doctrine of the New Testament Church. It is the duty of the pastor to oversee those he allows to teach in the church that God has given him. It is the duty of the pastor to spot error in its infancy and squash it before it has time to grow.
It is also the duty of every Christian and church member to check the things the pastor/preacher teaches against the Bible itself. We have the Bible readily available. We have no excuse to put up with preachers spewing false doctrines from the pulpit.
Doctrine, doctrine, doctrine….. Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone. His teachings are the foundations of the faith. This is the doctrine by which we are to live. The doctrine of the Bible does not change. The doctrine of the Bible provides stability in an unstable world. The doctrine of the Bible is the key to wisdom and understanding.
There are those who seek to destroy the doctrine of the Bible, in which case the world would be left worshipping one of Satan’s many lies. All religions and belief systems outside the doctrine of the Bible are false religions. They are based on lies. Satan is the father of lies. Therefore, any doctrine outside the doctrine of the Bible is really Satan worship. In that case, is there any way the importance of the doctrine of the bible can be overstated? The answer is, ‘No! The importance of the doctrine of the Bible cannot be overstated.’ That is why Satan is trying so hard to do just that.
Christian, are you willing to follow the instructions in Jude 1:3 which says, ‘Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
If you answered, ‘Yes! I am willing to earnestly contend for the faith.’ you need to realize something very important. No matter how willing you may be, you cannot earnestly contend for the faith if you do not know the doctrine on which the faith is built. Without knowing the doctrine of the faith you profess, then you will be like Eve. You will be beguiled and led into tragic error. Zeal, but not according to knowledge, is a tragedy waiting to happen. For your soul to prosper you must know doctrine.
The song for this article is ‘My Sheep Know My Voice’. When you know the doctrine taught in the Bible then you will know the voice of the Shepherd.
Barbara Henderson
My Sheep Know My Voice
‘My sheep hear My voice, and the path that I take,
They follow wherever I go;
My sheep know My voice and come at my call,
But a stranger’s voice do they not know.
Refrain
My sheep know My voice, and day by day
They abide in the fold and go not astray,
They love Me because I have made them my choice,
And they follow My call for My sheep know My voice.
My sheep know My voice, and the pastures of green,
Where I lead them so often to feed;
My sheep know My voice and the cool sparkling stream
Where beside its still waters I lead.
Refrain
My sheep know My voice, and the valley of death
Through which I shall lead them some day;
But no danger nor harm can touch one of them,
For I will be with them alway.
Refrain
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/y/mysheepk.htm

John the Baptist and You

The Voice Crying in the Wilderness
John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

2000 years ago there came one John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea. He preached saying, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:1-2 paraphrased)
( Are you preaching in the wilderness the world calls civilization? Does your mind run continually to the thought that lost souls will be eternally separated from the love of God? Is your heart breaking for loved ones and friends who will not hear the message of salvation? )
John had a job to do. He was to prepare the way of the Lord and make straight his path. (Matthew 3:3 paraphrase)
(Isn’t that the job of every Christian today? Aren’t we supposed to point others to Jesus Christ?)
John was the first prophet Israel had had in hundreds of years. He was the last prophet the world will see until the time of the tribulations when the two witnesses will come.
John preached the Word of God with power and humility. Preaching the gospel was more important to John than his appearance or his food. He wore camel skins and a leather girdle. That was probably out of fashion even in those days. His food doesn’t sound good either. I don’t mind ‘wild honey’, but locusts??? John was single minded. His purpose in life above everything else was to do God’s will.
(What is your purpose in life? Your purpose in life is also to do the will of God who created you. If you don’t know what that is - I’ll give you some ideas. First - be saved. Study the Bible so you don’t remain a baby Christian. (By the way - those who remain baby Christians turn into useless brats.) Then actually apply God’s rules to your personal actions. Whatever you do must always be within the boundaries of behavior that is acceptable according to the word of God. God doesn’t make exceptions. THEN - follow your heart. When your heart is obedient to God - God puts the right dreams and desires in your heart. I am sure that John WANTED to preach. You know - it really isn’t much of a sacrifice for us to do something we want to do with all our hearts anyway. )
John’s success is recorded in the Bible. Jesus says, “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (John was the greatest on earth - but in heaven the least is greater than John was as a mortal man.)
That’s interesting. John - the one called to make straight the way of the Lord was greatest.
Moses - the mighty prophet who led the children of Israel out of Egypt was ‘very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3)
Abraham - father of Israel - was called the friend of God. (James 2:23)
Daniel - was a man ‘greatly beloved’. (Daniel 10:19)
(What title would God give to you today - if He were describing you to those around you?)
Moses, Abraham, and Daniel were obviously great, but we have to wonder what made John the greatest? He certainly had a shorter career than Moses, Abraham, and Daniel. I am guessing that it was just something in John’s heart that only God could accurately measure.
(Only God can accurately measure what is in your heart.)
It is often thought that John - the voice crying in the wilderness - had few listeners. After all, he was preaching in the middle of nowhere. It almost seems like he was shouting into the winds of the wilderness. Who would be there to hear John? A few shepherds or travelers? The truth is a lot of people heard John preach.
Matthew 3:5 says, “Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan.” It sounds like John had a huge listening audience.
Verse six tells us that “they were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.” Still, John is called the voice crying in the wilderness. Could it be that many of these repented with their minds, but they did not repent with their hearts.
This is very important today. Christians tend to measure church growth by numbers. Mega churches are supposedly the churches doing the best job of spreading the gospel. The Christian with the most perfect church attendance record is the most spiritual Christian. This is not the standard by which God measures holiness in the individual, or in the church.
(How would God measure the holiness of your heart? Are you one who takes to heart what your ears hear and your eyes see? Or are you one who is outwardly acceptable as a Christian - but inwardly - your heart is far from God?)
John said, “I am not the Christ, but I am sent before him.” John did not fall into the sin of Satan. He didn’t decide that HE (John) could do a better job than Jesus. Even though great crowds followed John, he didn’t fall in love with his fame. Instead he said, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ (John 3:30)
(Do you love your fame or recognition more than you love Jesus? Can you set aside your own career if it will allow Jesus to increase?)
John was able to say that his joy was fulfilled because of the joy of Jesus Christ. John 3:29 says, ‘He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegoom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.’ John’s joy was in the voice of the bridegroom (Jesus). I suppose John didn’t even care what the bridegroom said. Just hearing His voice was enough to give John joy.
(Do you find joy in the voice of the bridegroom? Or do you only find joy in His voice when He says what your itching ears want to hear?)
John’s job was to prepare the way of the Lord. He did a good job, but John was still a human being just like we are. Given John’s clothing and diet, we can guess that he wasn’t a wealthy man. Yet he was highly respected by many disciples. He was a busy man. You can’t prepare the way of the Lord by preaching just three times a week. Then suddenly John was thrown into prison. He had time to think over the events of his life. He needed reassurance that he had not spent his life in vain. In prison, John heard the about the works of Jesus. He sent two of his disciples to inquire of Jesus, ‘Art thou he that should come, or de we look for another?”
Jesus reassured John by telling the disciples, ‘Go again and shew John those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanses, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matthew 11:4-5)
If Jesus had answered, ‘YES - I am HE!’ it would have only provided an answer. Jesus provided evidence that was the Messiah.
(How often do you wait for a ‘word’ from the Lord? Or a ‘sign’ that He is indeed the Messiah? Or that He is with you? You have all the signs you need in the record of Jesus’ life given to us in the Bible. Study the signs Christ ALREADY gave us in the Bible. We have evidence that Jesus is who He said He is, and that He will fulfill all His promises.)
Something very important that we can all learn from John’s life is that he never gave up. He is called the voice crying in the wilderness. Do you ever feel like YOU are just a voice crying in the wilderness, and no one is really listening? Maybe you are a preacher preaching to a huge congregation, but you still feel like no one is taking the gospel message to heart. No matter who you are or to how many people you tell the gospel story, the truth is that most people aren’t listening with their hearts. But two things are really important here. John’s main concern was to do what he was called to do. Because John did do what he was called to do, SOME heard the message with their hearts.
(Is your main concern to do what you are called to do? Or do you care more about the outward results of what you are doing? The end result of the individual believer preaching the gospel is up to Jesus and the hearts of men. To change the gospel message to anything less than the Bible teaches - is to trade real and eternal success for the mere appearance of success today.)
John’s success as an evangelist could be questioned by those looking at numbers as an indication of a successful ministry. We already covered that John really did preach to a lot of people. He was well known - even in the palace. But what about his lasting legacy? He is mentioned in the Bible, but not a lot is said about him. He didn’t personally write any of the books of the New Testament. We know that two of his disciples left John to follow Jesus. John 1: 35-37 tells us ‘again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.’
I can see John telling these two - ‘LOOK - there He is - the One for whom we have been watching - the One you seek. And then shooing them down the road after Jesus.
One of the disciples is named Andrew - who became one of the twelve apostles. I know John rejoiced to have been a part of sending two disciples to Jesus - sort of like his personal gift to the King. It would have been human nature for John to be a little sad at the same time; because when the two disciples followed Jesus, John was left behind.
From this we know that John trained at least one of the twelve chosen by Jesus. It is very possible that John trained some of the rest of them - maybe even all twelve heard John preach. Andrew is named, so it is certain that he was from the teachings of John the Baptist.
So - the voice crying in the wilderness trained (at least) one who became one of the twelve apostles. From the apostles, the gospel was spread. And, here we stand as Christians today.
At times, every Christian will feel like a voice crying in the wilderness. It seems the gospel is fighting with the wind, and that it never even reaches the ears of the people we want to hear it. Sometimes we are left behind when our students or piers go on to what may appear as greater success or fame.
John continued preaching as long as he could - even though he was a voice crying in the wilderness. We should do the same thing.
John had results that will reach into eternity. So will all those who do the will of God above their own will. If we ‘cast our bread upon the water’ it won’t return empty. We may not always see the results, but good works done by faith bring good results.
Years ago my brother Dane worked on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico. The captain was an alcoholic drug addict. Because of working conditions, it was a very dangerous job. My brother left the job after an incident where he almost drowned because no one on the boat was sober enough to throw him the flotation ring. Before he left, he gave the captain a Bible - thinking it was a waste of money. About five years later he ran into the captain in Houston. He tried to avoid him - but the captain chased him down. Dane was surprised to hear the captian say - “I got saved because of the Bible you gave me!” Then he told Dane about how wonderful his life as a Christian was - and how wonderful being clean and sober was as well.
Now, the captain was saved and living a life for Jesus long before Dane heard about it. Dane could have lived the rest of his life and never heard about the captain’s life changing experience with Jesus. I think God let Dane know about it that day just to cheer Dane up.
India is a land of idol worshipers. But the number of Christians there are growing daily - in spite of persecution. This is due to missionary efforts - but those efforts began many years ago. The early missionaries probably felt like voices crying in the wilderness, but they laid the ground work for the successes of today.
South Korea has a Christian population that is growing by leaps and bounds. Even more amazing is the number of missionaries sent out by South Korea. The United States sends out the most missionaries of any country. But South Korea sends out the second most!!! The early missionaries to South Korea probably never dreamed of this kind of success. But they were necessary to plant the seeds for this kind of growth.
Our job is to speak the truth of Jesus Christ with grace and humility. The power of the gospel is what speaks to the hearts of people. We have no control over any one’s heart but our own. If we feel as though no one is listening, we are to speak up anyway. Truthfully, the devil can duplicate any feeling. The ‘feeling that no one is listening’ is just that - a feeling. We don’t know how many ARE listening. We don’t know how many who receive Christ will carry on the work of spreading the gospel. We can only know if we are obedient to live by the rules God has given us.
I think there was no greater than John the Baptist because he more fully gave his heart and mind over to God. That is the standard by which should judge ourselves. Am I more fully surrendered to Christ today than I was yesterday? Am I more obedient to His teachings than I was yesterday? Have I even studied the Bible enough to know what God’s rules are? Do I know enough to spot false teachers? Am I doing what God asked me to do today? Am I more thankful today than I was yesterday? Will I do what God asks of me even when I don’t see the relevance of it?
If you can answer ‘yes’ to questions like these, then you are living a successful Christian life. What God does with your obedience is up to Him.
When eternity comes, you will not be sorry that you weren’t as great as John the Baptist, or Moses, or Daniel, or any other great leader. You will be sorry that you weren’t the greatest and best that YOU could have been.
The song for this article is ‘Have Thine Own Way’. If you allow Jesus to have His way in your life, you will be the best you can be.

Thanks for reading my article. God bless you.

Barbara Henderson
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http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/t/hthineow.htm (Have Thine Own Way)
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.
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Another really good theme song for this article is “His Way With Thee’
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/i/hiswaywt.htm