I have been thinking lately (which has been known to be a dangerous thing) about the dynamics of that first Christmas season and all the incredible transition and revelation that was at work in the earth during that time. I am especially thinking about the relationship of John the Baptist as the forerunner to his cousin and Messiah, Jesus.

If I were to ask the question, "Was the ministry of John necessary before the revelation of the Messiah?", I suspect most people would quickly respond, "Of course". If I were to ask "why?", I suspect most people would pause longer and say anything from, "Well, it was foretold in the Scriptures" to "That was just the way God ordered it". Both answers have a place, but I think there was something deeper at work.

For most people John and Jesus contrast one another. In their perspective, John was the rough voice that confronted people with their sin and at times with great severity told them to repent or perish. Conversely, Jesus is viewed as the compassionate voice offering hope and redemption. It's fascinating that people never accuse you of not acting like John, but they will regularly point out that perhaps an attitude or action was not like Jesus. Oh, and let's not forget the bracelet, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), and how we are to be reminded about the qualities of Christ by looking at our wrists on a regular basis.

And yet... God sent a forerunner to "prepare the way of the Lord". Maybe this is the Scriptural foundation for "good cop - bad cop", that we see on all the police dramas on television. There has to be a reason that Jesus needed a forerunner and there has to be a reason it was someone like John.

Let me take a stab at it.

I believe that before a person gets a revelation of grace they may need to get a revelation of sin and before they can embrace a relationship with Jesus they have to embrace the need of repentance. For me, John is the spiritual "plow" that tills the soil of men's hearts to receive the promise of redemption and hope. Something needed to happen to ancient Israel that would awaken it's soul and shatter it's blindness to it's true internal state. Jesus Himself would later say of Israel, "You worship Me with your lips, but your heart is far from me" (Matthew 15:8-9). I hope you heard what the Messiah was saying. He said, "You WORSHIP...but your HEART is not right".

Even in the 1st century there was plenty of worship going on. The problem was not with finding a place to worship or participating in worship...the problem was men's hearts. John was the Divine wake-up call to soften those hard hearts to hear the Word of the Lord. John came to prepare what would otherwise may not have been ready for the unveiling of the Messiah. I guess you could say that God was giving every hearer every opportunity to receive GOOD NEWS. The question was (and is), "Will you prepare your heart?".

We are living, in many ways, in days that are much like the 1st century. Granted, we have eclipsed that culture with our technology and scientific progress, but we are much the same when we evaluate our spiritual condition and state. We live in a time with lots of WORSHIP...but our HEARTS are not right. We have great religious systems and lots of religious activity, but that has never been the issue. The issue is the heart. And I very much believe TWO important things:

1. Jesus is coming again. (Sooner rather than later)

2. The Spirit of Jesus (The Holy Spirit) is wanting to "come" and manifest powerfully before #1 happens.

If this is true (and I believe it is), then perhaps God is again releasing a prophetic voice in the earth to "prepare the way of the Lord". Perhaps there is a prophetic anointing manifesting in these days, much like an Elijah or a John, that will soften the hearts of the masses for the unveiling of the Messiah. Perhaps the messages will cut closer and the Word will hit at another level in order to prepare us for the moving of the Spirit in a dramatic and powerful way. Perhaps the church needs to be shook out of its religion and once again have its heart "plowed" to get back in relationship. That really isn't that far-fetched when you read about the Laodicean church in Revelation 3. They thought they had it all, when in reality they had nothing and Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock..." (Revelation 3:20).

Like I said...I am just thinking. I wonder if there might not be some voices in this hour that are being used by God to prepare the way, to rattle our religion, and to unveil our eyes. I have an inkling there are and they are needed in much the same way John was needed. My exhortation is to receive them because Jesus is getting ready to ring our door bell again soon.

Planting a Cross,

Pastor Baird