John the Baptist came with a powerful message of repentance, he was a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. When Jesus came to the Jordan to be baptized by John, John tried to prevent him because, at that moment, his eyes were opened and he realised Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
John’s message was a message of repentance preparing the people for the coming of Jesus and His ministry. John’s voice was literally one calling in the wilderness but today I feel the voice of John the Baptist is calling once again. Only this time the wilderness is the church where the pure doctrine of Christ, and the preaching of the cross, is sadly absent in the majority of churches.
But the Lord is faithful to His church and He is raising up men and women who will come in the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist and proclaim boldly a message which is against the popular tide of religion and ‘club-like’ Christianity. His servants will once again preach the cross of Christ, without compromise, as they know that it is the power of God.
This is a gospel that will not tickle ears nor entertain the sheep but its a gospel that will challenge and change the hearts of men and women as it has changed the hearts of those who preach it. The Apostle Paul preached with authority and power because he was living what he was preaching and it has to be the same today for true revival to come.
The ministry of the Spirit will once again shake the religious systems of the day and the world will rejoice to hear the uncompromised gospel of Christ – simply, clearly and powerfully preached again. Sadly and true to church history, the religious systems we have today will attack this gospel and its ministers as they attacked Jesus.
Jesus always had wonderful times of revival with sinners, who were in no doubt about their sinful state. But the religious leaders and people of His day were the ones who had no idea about their own lack and spiritual depravity. Consequently they were the ones who persecuted and ultimately crucified Him. The religious people of today are the same as the religious people of Jesus’ day. Only today they’re not Jewish Pharisees but backslidden born again Christians. And they simply can’t bring what they don’t have, because you cannot just preach a nice message about the cross – it’s a life that you live!!
The life we are called to live, is a live identified with the cross of Jesus Christ. Sadly today we see men of God who are not prepared to live what they are trying to preach. This, my dear friends, is what we call religion, simply trying to follow a set of rules and regulations. Paul proclaimed “I have not preached what I don’t live and what Christ has accomplished in and through me” (Romans 15:18). That was his testimony and guideline.
If you want to carry the pure doctrine of Christ then there will be a price to pay and that price will be your very life. It is why the Apostle Paul could write with boldness and proclaim that it was Christ’s death in him that was bringing spiritual life to the church and my dear friends, it cannot be any other way today.
God will continue to raise men and women who will be voices crying in the wilderness. Listen for those voices – do not be satisfied with the status quo of religion. The Lord has so much more in store for us. We are living in probably the most exciting days of church history.
We are about to experience the latter and the former rain being poured out together as the prophet Joel spoke about – the outpouring of the Spirit will be upon those who are ready and willing to pay the price to carry this glorious gospel and once again to be voices calling out in the wilderness. Where is the pure gospel of Christ being lived and preached? Where is the true Church of Jesus? We’re not looking for a church club, we’re looking for His true Church where the lives of men and woman are on the altar.