The one
who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands
and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy
of mine is now complete. He must
increase, but I must decrease. John
3:29-30
These words of John the Baptist are a beautiful example of
the heart of all New Testament leadership.
Pastors, teachers, evangelists or apostles are not the bridegroom and
they dare not attach people to themselves as if they were.
They are at best friends of the bridegroom who rejoice when Hís
voice becomes more and more prominent in the lives of those whom they minister
to. The same applies to anyone who is involved with any kind of biblical
discipleship whatsoever.
Nothing should cause more joy in the heart of a leader than
to see how the influence of Jesus increases and his influence wanes in the
heart and life of disciples as Jesus increasingly fills the horizon of the
disciples. In this sense the statement of
John the Baptist in John 3 verse 30 is the gold standard of leadership.
One thing is very clear at any rate when we talk about
leadership/discipleship; if Jesus "increases" you are going to "decrease"
and if you "increase" Jesus is going to "decrease" in the
lives of those whom you lead and disciple.
Not many pastors and leaders believe this, however, and this is probably
the main reason why we so often see in the church today "the eternal
babyhood of the believer", as someone quipped.
To "decrease" does not mean that your relationship
with disciples is harmed in any way or that you can no longer be active in the
ministry to which the Lord has called you in a congregation. It implies rather
that people will notice your gifts and ministry skills less and less as they
become more and more overwhelmed and enamoured with the beauty of Jesus and Hís
precious and personal ministry to every individual in a congregation. This is after all the essence of the true ministry
of the New Covenant.
"And
they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying,
'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the
greatest." Hebrews 8:11
"But
the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need
that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about
everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in
him." 1 John 2:27
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