John 3:22-36 | Food for Thought
LISTEN: CONTEXT > CONTENT > QUESTIONS > VISION FOR DISCIPLES
Context
Continued themes: water (purification, baptism, water to wine, born of water and spirit, etc.); eternal life; bearing witness; etc.
“Aenon.” This location means “springs” or “water was plentiful” or “many waters.” Not only appropriate for baptisms, but also a reminder that every baptism in every kind of water (no matter where it is or who it’s done by!) is all the same baptism in Christ.
Jesus wasn’t the one who was personally baptizing people, however. We see this in John 4:2.
General location: John is probably in / near Samaria, where Jesus would go next. This just points to John’s continued ministry as the one who “paves the way” for Jesus.
Content
In many ways, ministry is about “bearing witness.”
John’s disciples bear witness to John, who bears witness to Jesus, who bears witness to the Father.
Jesus is the lynchpin for us; it’s only through Jesus that we see the Father, other teachers, ourselves, and even our ministry rightly! Jesus is the only one who has come from heaven to us, filled with the Spirit without measure.
Jesus’ ministry is something we have to receive, because it’s something that must be given to us from heaven. And our ministry is one in which we’re trying to help people receive something - not from us, but from heaven!
As John refines the expectations of his own disciples and their ministry, he gives us some marks of what a healthy ministry looks like:
Healthy ministry is aware that Jesus is at work! We’re not the only ones working; Jesus is up to something, and we get to labor alongisde of him in all we do.
Healthy ministry points to (bears witness to) Jesus! Jesus is the focal point of all we do - both in the WAY we do it, and in where we’re ultimately leading others! We aren’t the focal point, and our ministry is not the focal point. Jesus is! (He must increase!)
Healthy ministry will be “heavenly”! In other words, it won’t be guided by worldly wisdom, pragmatism, or utilitarian goals as the highest marks of faithfulness or fruitfulness. As the only one who has come from heaven, Jesus is unique in his ability speak and lead in a heavenly way. And our hope is that his voice would be heard through us, so that others might hear him and rejoice at his coming - not merely our own!
Healthy ministry is when people are going to Jesus! Because our hope is that others would receive the grace of God from heaven, we work to cultivate dependence on Jesus, not ourselves, programs, gifts, etc. Even if our ministry “decreases,” we still get to rejoice if people are being sent / called to faithfully follow Jesus somewhere else! (Just as was happening to John’s ministry!)
Healthy ministry is joyful that it’s not Jesus, but that Jesus is Jesus! Our joy comes from knowing that the church is Jesus’ bride (it doesn’t belong to us!), and of all people, the “best man” should be the most celebratory! We should be overlooked and overshadowed by Jesus himself, willing to be forgotten if it means the world remembers the grace of God!
Questions
How would you characterize the concerns of John’s disciples?
How powerful are competition, the desire of bigger/better/faster, and self-preservation / self-importance in our own pursuits / ministries / lives? How do they show up?
What does John mean when he says that a person can’t receive even one thing without it being given to them from heaven? What’s he getting at? What’s he trying to tell his disciples about ministry?
Have you ever been part of a “decreasing” ministry? What was that like? What was your gut response?
Why would a “decrease” of ourselves / ministry ever be something we should want, strive for, think of as necessary?
How could this whole idea be misunderstood as a devaluing of God’s people, the church, our gifts, etc.? This hits differently in a culture that often talks about self-esteem, self-love, self-care, self-actualization, and self-expression.
How do we cultivate a posture of heart that wants to decrease and see Jesus increase? How do we cultivate that in groups, ministries, homes, friendships, etc.?
Fast forward 5 / 10 / 25 years: how would you know if you’ve been making a bigger and bigger deal about Jesus than you have yourself? How would you know if your legacy is one that cultivate dependance on Jesus and not yourself?
What needs to happen today to put you on that path?
What internal struggles (idols, fears, sins, ambitions, etc.) would prevent you from making that happen?
Vision
Disciples know that they first and foremost belong to Jesus themselves (they’re the bride!), and they see their ministry as one that wants others to know / receive / enjoy Jesus as much as they do - not by making themselves essential, but by making Jesus essential.
Disciples mark success in ministry by dependence on Jesus - be it for someone’s first time, or a continued dependence on the Lord over time.
Disciples get to ministry free from ministry jealousy, competition, empire-building, etc., because there’s enough of Jesus - the one who has the Spirit without measure! - to go around. So long as he’s increasing, we get to rejoice!