Why Prepare Straight Paths for Jesus

First part here.

Each time God makes a major Kingdom move, he sends servants ahead to "prepare straight paths" or "the way" for Him. 

Photo by Steve Yang on Unsplash.

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”[C] —
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[D]

- Mark 1 

Why? Because the servants or prophets are harbingers of his power. When God makes an entrance, it's always to demonstrate his supernatural power. This is so even with salvation. God's saving grace is actually his power to save. And his servants ought to demonstrate that power to give people hints of what kind of Kingdom God has or what Move he is about to do. And for sure, it's a move that nothing man (even redeemed man) can do on his own.

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

This is why it has to be accompanied by supernatural power--to show that it's nothing of man. And the straight paths we make (and "the way" we prepare for the Lord) should be as accurate as God wants them to be--an intro to the coming Move of God. We have to make clear that it's nothing of man or his religion or church program or activity. It is purely of GOD. Mixing God's Move with man's efforts, understanding, ability or plans makes the paths we make cease being "straight paths for the Lord." 

The intro should be nothing short of supernatural. The supernatural factor makes people's faith genuine.

1 Corinthians 2.5

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

John the Baptist was the servant sent ahead of Jesus as a voice crying in the wilderness. To people's perception, his ministry was not marked with signs and wonders [John 10.41]. 

"They said, 'Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.' "

But that's just their perception because they lacked spiritual discernment. They didn't know that John saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descending as a dove and resting on Jesus Christ, aside from hearing the supernatural voice of God declaring Jesus as His pleasing Son.

Secondly, the mere fact that "everything John said about this man was true" confirmed the accuracy of his prophecy. And prophecy is something supernatural. It's a powerful miracle. Not to mention how Jesus said John was the Elijah "who was to come," if we're willing to accept it.

Thus, when he declared Jesus as the Lamb of God, he did it with supernatural power from God. He could not have done so without God's supernatural revelation. Only supernatural revelation from the Holy Spirit can make God's servants prepare straight paths for the Lord. Nothing else can, especially not our own smart or systematic understanding of the bible, not the nice church programs or activities we plan, even if we pray hard for them a lot. 

And the same principle works in these last days when His remnant believers prepare straight paths for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. We have to be servants sent ahead preparing straight paths for the Lord by relying 100 percent on the revelation and supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

[Continued here]

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 SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Why HE was "More Powerful"

First, let's look at how God's Kingdom sees power. When John the Baptist said, "Someone more powerful than I is coming," it means he viewed himself someone "powerful." Now that makes us wonder about what John meant, if we look closely from a worldly point of view, about being powerful.

Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash.

John? Powerful? Really? How? Here's how he looked:

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. [Mark 1]

Doesn't look powerful to me and neither to the people back then, especially the religious elite. I can imagine John had only one set of wardrobe, which was camel's hair and leather belt, and that's no indication of power, whatsoever. Catching insects daily for dinner? I don't know. 

Power presupposes wealth, influence, title and degree, high position and impressive scholastic achievement. John didn't have them, yet being a kingdom person, he knew something else, something better---in the Kingdom, the least is the greatest. That was why he saw himself "powerful." 

This is something the modern church terribly lags behind in. It still cannot grasp true power. It sees power in terms of what the world values---money, possessions, titles, degrees, prestige, mundane connections, popularity, wearing altar (Pharisaical) robes for an aura of religious respectability, rituals, etc. Christ died to free us from all this but churches insist on having them back to please people, get respected and up their membership.

Respect from the world has nothing to do (zero) with Kingdom power. 

And there was someone else coming, John said, carrying the same brand of power, only "more powerful" (to the nth level). The crowd must've wondered what kind of "power" that might be, seeing John had little to show for it, if any. John looked more pitiful than powerful in the earthy realms. He practically had nothing (and wasn't bothered one bit), and yet he talked about himself and the Messiah as powerful.

But the power of God is such that people start getting seriously curious about Kingdom power even if they see nothing substantial in the man of God declaring it. Even if God's prophet is a nobody. In fact, the more unknown and faceless, the better and the more potent, dynamic and dominant in the spirit realms. I mean, people started trooping like crazy into the wilderness where John was despite his odd and unimpressive looks and the fact that they'd get nothing material out of it. 

Just imagine how uncomfortable the wilderness was, but people (even the elite) still went out of their way to get to where John was though he looked too ordinary, in fact even inferior and plebian. That's genuine Kingdom power the church should understand and possess today. Real power is perfected in weakness. Sadly, the church would have none of it.

Do you see this? It means the religious, demonic stronghold keeping people and holding them back from God's Truth was demolished so that people saw a glimpse of the God behind John rather than John himself. John didn't have to impress or lure them with anything but they willingly went to him to the desert---a most uncomfortable place to be in, listening to God's judgments about how wicked they were.

(Today, we dare not offend people with that, lest they boycott our evangelistic or revival meetings. So we appease and entertain them with our impressive choir and worship teams, programs, stage, music, sound system, prayers and preaching. We invite them to our meetings almost pleadingly or beggingly. John didn't have any of that, yet sinners pursued after him. That's genuine Kingdom power. Church must look at this seriously).

True Jesus stalkers (those who stealthily follow Jesus close behind, watching him really up-close) know that genuine Kingdom power (the supernatural kind that demolishes both earthly and demonic kingdoms) is granted only to the least. So they all the more gladly boast of their weaknesses that Christ's power may rest on them.

Now, notice that the Good News of the Kingdom starts with John's wilderness ministry. This is not accidental. God is showing something powerful here.

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b] 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”[c]—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[d]

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. [Mark 1]

[Continued here]

GET MY FREE EBOOK! 

Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P40, P50, P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the 89-page e-book is yours 😄. 

With the e-book you get my Jesus Stalker emails (short, radical insights about things you probably haven't heard of) on potentials, life, family, success and failures, all tied up somehow with some unique insights about Jesus Christ. You may unsubscribe anytime. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: 

 ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Even Now the Reaper Draws a Wage

The context is Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman about eternal life at Jacob's well. In short, it's evangelism. He said the reaper draws or gets his "wage" or pay or reward. The reaper is the one  guiding the unsaved to finally and actually receive eternal life by surrendering fully to Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

Photo by Brienne Hong on Unsplash.

When you reap or harvest a soul, you're given a "salary," as it were, by heaven. From the same passage, we see how this is something spiritual when Jesus said "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work," [John 4.34]. Obviously, he was talking of spiritual food, not physical. From that, we also safely deduce that the "wage" (pay or salary) that harvesters get is something spiritual. It's not a salary in the form of fiat money.

What's the "wage" for?

It's connected to what Jesus said about storing up treasures in heaven, particularly about the "purses" (plural) he said we need for storing treasures. The word "purses" suggests storing small amounts which we later transfer to our heavenly account [Philippians 4.17] where we amass Kingdom wealth. The small amounts are the wages given us each time we harvest souls or obey other instructions in the Word.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Luke 12.33-34]

Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. [Philippians 4.17]

In the Philippian passage above, Paul was referring to church giving and financial support, clearly showing that our obedience gets "credited" to our "account." There is an account in heaven where "credits" from our spiritual investments here get deposited (and, I believe earns residual interests as people we disciple also disciple others or plant churches). In fact, Paul said the Holy Spirit is the initial deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. 

What's the Kingdom wealth or treasure for? It's for furnishing our mansion in heaven. Jesus said he will prepare a place for us in his Father's place (or "house") where there are many mansions. As he "prepares" our mansion, he uses the treasure we have accumulated in our heavenly account for the materials and furnishings. The more treasures you store, the grander your mansion will be. This is why some will be called great in the Kingdom, some will be called least. There will be a hierarchy in heaven, a citizenship status in the New Jerusalem and on the New Earth, and we need to invest spiritually now.

Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 5.19]

The Hard Work

Not many believers and church pastors understand that the hard work is done by the sowers who do not get to reap the harvest themselves. They do the plowing and sowing but seldom get to take part in the spectacular activity of harvesting. The reapers do that glamorous part and enjoy the limelight. They are the ones seen in public with the membership increase, church growth and mega churches. Everyone congratulates them and have them as authoritative speakers on church planting and church growth.

Sad part is when the reapers become myopic, thinking it's all due to their brilliance, programs, strategy and hard work and look down on the sowers because they very seldom get to have a harvest, if any. They often have small churches and stay behind the scenes, their "hard work" almost never recognized. A lot of reapers fail to see that what they thought was their hard work from start to finish is really just a harvest from somebody else's earlier work.

Some unknown, faceless, low-profile individual or church had planted the seed in people's hearts a long time ago and prayed for it. That was reinforced further by others, also unknown and low-profile, who shared testimonies to them or shared a Word from their hearts. This happened a lot more times until these people's hearts had become ripe for the harvest, and then a reaper-church was sent by God to harvest. But most reaper-churches don't see this. All they see is their efforts and achievements and think they alone did the hard work and are therefore greatest in the Kingdom.

Jesus said, it's the sowers that quietly do the hard work in the dimly lit corners, not the harvesters, and he stressed that reapers should realize this, probably foreseeing how some reapers are prone to get all the glory for themselves and belittle the sowers.

"I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” [John 4.38]

Jesus said, sowers and reapers should realize that they are both part of the one body of Christ. The effort and gains of one is the efforts and gains of the other. 

...that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. [John 4.36]

Does the Sower Get Paid, Too?

It's not indicated in the John 4 passage, but we know how GOD is just and fair. If he gives harvesters their wages, he will surely give sowers their wages. This ensures that both of them "may be glad together."

GET MY FREE EBOOK! 

Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P40, P50, P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

With the e-book you get my NONJoiner emails (short, radical insights about things you probably haven't heard of) on potentials, life, family, success and failures, all tied up somehow with some unique insights about Jesus Christ. You may unsubscribe anytime. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 

‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4]

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.