This digest is based on the eighth message given by Brother Titus Chu in this series. If you have not seen it already, you may watch it on the Youtube Channel. You may also want to read the outline and relevant Bible verses for this message.
In this message, Titus ministered concerning the revelation given to John the Baptist. Appropriately, one of the major points he discussed in this message was the meaning of repentance and of baptism. What does it mean to repent? What does baptism signify in our Christian life? What does this tell us of God’s desire? Let’s explore the answers to these questions through Titus’ sharing and through the responses of saints who heard his message.
A Good Beginning: John’s Ministry
Repent!
Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:1-2, NASB)
When John was in his late 20’s, he realized more and more what he had, so he said I’m going to fulfill my ministry. What is my ministry? I will be the forerunner of Jesus. I want to pave the way for Jesus. I want to pave the way for the Son of God and for the new age to come in. So what did he do? He didn’t go to Jerusalem. He didn’t follow his father to be a priest. He gave up everything of Judaism. Instead, he went to the wilderness and became a voice there. Many times we want to be an honored or respected person. Very few people say I just want to be a voice. What was his voice? “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near!” That’s a big voice.
What does repent mean? A change, a turn of your mind. Come out from your Jewish religion, from your Jewish practices, from the law of commandments, and from the rituals. Come out of it all and come to the wilderness.
– Message Transcript, pp.2,3
[John’s] living matched his voice, his message, his cry in the wilderness: Repent! … John’s cry to those coming to him in the wilderness was to repent, to emerge from their old way of living, to leave behind the traditions and the form. There is something new on the way! Christ is at hand, so repent!
– Daily Bible Verses and Devotional, Day 2
John the Baptist’s call was for the Jews to look away from their tradition so that they might see Jesus as the Christ. Let’s heed John’s cry as we listen and sing along to the following song, called “There’s A Race For Us to Run,” which features a similar cry: “Look away! O, look away! Look to Jesus now today!”
Baptism
Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. (Matt 3:5-6, NASB)
Baptism is a termination of yourself. Being baptized means you changed your mind so your old thought, old mind, old way of thinking, old expectations, and old ambitions are all over; everything is over. I changed my mind and I dropped them. How do I testify that I dropped them? I go down to the water, I get baptized, I bury my old man, I terminate myself, so when I come out of the water, I am a new creation. I can be a new creation. That’s what Paul says happens with us Christians.
When Christians are baptized, they testify “I have Christ. To me, the world is terminated and my old man is buried.” Then, being raised from the water indicates germination. What a marvelous baptism; we experience both termination and germination. When I come out of the water, there is germination, so I should walk in newness of life. This was John’s ministry.
– Message Transcript, p.3
This was John’s ministry. It was very simple. I see something of God. I’m going to pave the way. How do I pave the way? I will bring people out of the Jewish religion so that they can turn to Christ.
– Message Transcript, p.3
My Decrease, His Increase
Then, when Jesus began to preach the gospel and to baptize people, then more people went to Jesus for baptism than went to John. So people speak with John, “Oh, listen, listen: many people go to Jesus now.” John’s word to them is, “He shall increase, I shall decrease.” Isn’t that a sweet statement? But if he could have said, “He shall germinate, I shall terminate,” then I think everything would be better. It’s not “decrease” and “increase,” but it is you should be totally gone, disappear; only Christ still remains. His statement is so spiritual, but it is not after God. God says, “I don’t want you to decrease. I want you to follow me”. Many times I hear the brothers say, “Oh, I will decrease”. With me, there’s just a kind of funny feeling. No, the Lord doesn’t want you to decrease, the Lord wants you to disappear. Then your whole person is geared only to Christ and to Christ alone.
– Message Transcript, p.6
John the Baptist’s Failure
Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. (Matt. 3:13-15, NASB)
After John baptized Jesus, shouldn’t he have turned around and said, okay, I did it, now baptize me! Let me follow you! But he didn’t; instead, he continued his ministry.
John ignored being baptized by the Lord according to His word, in order to end his work and to begin a new life as a disciple of the Lord.
– Message Outline
What a glorious pioneer for the Lord. What a faithful servant for the Lord. All these years, yet it ends up so sad. But Let me ask you, what else can be done? He will have to go. He is supposed to be a pioneer of Jesus, but now he’s a competitor of Jesus. Jesus baptizes, he baptizes. Jesus preaches, he preaches. You are his pioneer to help the real thing, but eventually you become his frustrations.
– Message Transcript, p.6
Lord Jesus. It’s a scary thought that we can prepare the way for the Lord. Even bring people to him. Yet, find ourselves competing against what The Lord is trying to do. If complete termination isn’t my reality, I’m just a frustration.
– Comment by Brother Keith
A Sad End: John’s Warning to Believers
The life of John the Baptist was a warning to me. His life started in such a positive way, He had a real vision of the Lord, He knew the Lord, he lived a life apart from everything and unto the Lord, he even introduced Him! He led others to Him! How marvelous, but what eventually happened? He landed up in jail due to his rebuking of Herod, How sad! It’s hard to believe that someone who had seen such a clear vision of the Lord and acted upon that vision would end up in jail, even questioning if the Lord was the coming One, and eventually he was beheaded! How could this happen? Once he introduced the Lord, he should have taken the lead to follow the Lord, leading those who were his followers to now follow Jesus. Instead, they influenced him to continue his leading them. I was thinking about this. How could John have been so influenced to forget his vision? Perhaps they persuaded him with their questions, – “We’ve followed you all these years, now you’re telling us to follow Jesus?” Maybe they said things like “You committed yourself to us, you were our teacher, we followed you and now you’re going to leave us? No! You can’t!” He should have taken a stand, but instead he listened to all the voices, and all the questions about Jesus were seeds that got into him. It was his downfall. So, the warning to me was, be careful about who you surround yourself with, who you keep company with, for as strong as you think your following the Lord may be, you could easily be led away from Him. Don’t think that you are so strong that you can withstand the speaking of others. What a warning! May we flee everything that doesn’t lead us to Christ! Lord may we pursue You, run after You with all those who call upon You out of a pure heart! (2 Tim. 2:22)
– Testimony from Sister Judy
Conclusion
May we say, “Lord, I want to have the reality of baptism. I want to have the reality of running after you. I want to have the reality of being your servant, your pioneer fighting for your interest. And, Lord, protect me from any other considerations such that my focus, my consideration, my life is only for the beloved Son—God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ. If God is pleased with Him, I can only be well pleased in him.
– Message Transcript, p.7
Ecclesiastes 7:8 says the end of a matter is better than the beginning. It is sobering that John did not finish well. It’s good to start well, but it is better to finish well. John said I must decrease. What he needed to say is I need to disappear! And be totally swallowed by Christ. How blessed that our realization in this day is “I am crucified with Christ never less I live.”
As we sing this closing song and consider it together, have this prayer in your heart: “Lord, I want to finish well. I don’t want my flesh to compete against Your desires. I follow You Lord Jesus, even through the cross. Help me to finish well Lord.”
Hymn: Not I, but Christ be honored, loved, exalted
