Who's Side Are You On?

//Tony Cooke

“They came to John and said, ‘Rabbi, you know the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan? The one you authorized with your witness? Well, he’s now competing with us. He’s baptizing, too, and everyone’s going to him instead of us.’

“John answered, ‘It’s not possible for a person to succeed—I’m talking about eternal success—without heaven’s help. You yourselves were there when I made it public that I was not the Messiah but simply the one sent ahead of him to get things ready. The one who gets the bride is, by definition, the bridegroom. And the bridegroom’s friend, his “best man”—that’s me—in place at his side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start?

“‘That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.’” —JOHN 3:26–30 (MESSAGE)

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” —JOHN 3:30 (NKJV)

John the Baptist was not territorial or defensive about his position, and he actually promoted Jesus in such a way as to encourage his own followers to transfer their loyalty to the Savior. In John’s Gospel we read, “Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:35–37 NKJV). John the Baptist did not use his ministry assignment to promote himself or build a personal following; he was actually pleased that his efforts contributed to the success of another person’s ministry.

Had John the Baptist been a man of lesser character, he could have been jealous when Jesus began to move into the spotlight. He could have thought, Wait a minute. I’m older than Jesus. I’ve been in ministry longer than Jesus. I’m the one who introduced Jesus to the public. I promoted Him, and now people are looking to Him instead of to me. John was willing to do the job God had assigned to him and was not bothered when Jesus began to receive more attention than he.  

John the Baptist realized that “we” is more important than “me.” He had a Kingdom-mentality, not a self-mentality.

Far too often, people have a mentality only of self-preservation and self-promotion. Their top priority is revealed by their attitude, which is, “I’m going to defend my position and my popularity at all costs. It doesn’t matter if the Kingdom could be better served if I were to let someone else advance.”

Putting other people ahead of oneself can be hard on the flesh, but it exemplifies the kind of attitude that John the Baptist possessed. Whether it’s allowing the pastor to shine or allowing another team member to advance, we need to be willing to decrease at times so that others—especially the entire team as a whole—can increase. When we join our hearts, abilities, and efforts together, we’ll see God’s Kingdom greatly advanced in the earth.