CHRIST'S INCREASING KINGDOM John the Baptist! Here was a giant among men! Jesus testified to his greatness in a remarkable tribute. "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt 11:11, NASB). John stood on a line of demarcation that separated two Divinely appointed covenants. None before him surpassed him. Filled with the Holy Spirit from the mother's womb, and appropriately called "The Voice" (Lk 1:41-44; 3:4), he stood tall among men! Hallelujah for John the Baptist, bold harbinger of Jesus! -- Tomorrow:
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. OF THE INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND PEACE THERE SHALL BE NO END, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this!" (Isaiah 9:6-7)
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But Jesus declares the least in the Kingdom – His kingdom – is "greater than" John the Baptist. How can this be so? It is certainly not a person-to-person comparison that our Lord makes. He is speaking of men from the standpoint of the era in which they lived. John lived at the close of one era. He brought the termination of "the Law and the prophets" as a means of access to, and acceptance by, God (Luke 16:16). His baptism became obsolete (Acts 18:25). Person-to-person, the best among us are a midget in comparison to John. But he was a giant standing in a valley, and we are comparative midgets standing on a mountain in Christ Jesus. What will this giant of a man have to say about Jesus?
The mighty prophet leaves no doubt on this matter. "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30 KJV). John knew the nature of Christ's reign. It was an ever-increasing one, and he was willing to fade into the background, that Christ might fill all in all! He was insightful, which is why he affirmed the necessity of his own decrease! A new day was dawning, and he knew it. In the words of Malachi, the time had come for the "Sun of righteousness" to rise with "healing in his wings" (Mal 4:2)! This was an ever-increasing brightness heralding the entrance of an every-increasing kingdom.
THE BODY THAT INCREASES
Although this point has already been made, it will be well to make it again. The body of Christ is an increasing body. Those that fail to increase are, by virtue of that circumstance, at a variance with the body! That is an arresting observation, and one that will doubtless be contested by those with a tolerance for the flesh. Notwithstanding, if the nature of Christ's kingdom involves a spiritual increase, those not so characterized are a contradiction to the rule. If you can remain in Christ and NOT grow, what else can be excluded? How is it possible for an individual to remain in favor with God while contradicting the very nature of the heavenly kingdom?
Again, the Spirit speaks to the issue. The assumption of Scripture is that we have been joined to our Head, Jesus Christ. Another foregone conclusion is that the people of God are compacted together by what each receives from the Head. The grace received by every member becomes the means of an effective work whereby the body increases. Hear what the Spirit says to the churches. "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph 4:16 KJV).
The thought of "the whole body" NOT being joined together by design is absurd. That compactness is what makes it a "body." For parts of the body to fail to "supply" the grace ministered to them by the Head, is equally incongruous. For a work of God to NOT be effective through the members of the body is a contradictory concept, and is unworthy of being part of our thought processes! It is completely out of order to think of the body of Christ NOT increasing, and that increase NOT eventuating in the building up itself in spiritual love. This is the nature of Christ's kingdom! Where these qualities are not found in some measure, Christ's kingdom is not found as God means for it to be found!
For many, these are particularly difficult thoughts to embrace. A goodly amount of time is spent these days explaining the deadness of the professed church. Apparently plausible rationalizations are offered to us for the existence of fruitlessness, carnality, and general insensitivity toward God. All of these attempts to justify the lack of spiritual life, however, are to no avail! Such conditions cannot be justified.
The nature of Christ's kingdom is to increase – both on the individual and collective levels. Jesus has told us what the Father will do when branches bear no fruit – or experience no increase. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away" (John 15:2). There are no exceptions to this rule! Jesus reaffirms the case to ensure we do not miss the point. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (John 15:6). God will not allow people who do not grow to continue to be part of a growing kingdom. Those who fail to increase cannot remain in an increasing kingdom! It is not possible to refuse participation in the dynamics of spiritual growth and remain in God's favor. To do so would contradict Divine purpose and require God to violate His own nature.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the unvarying nature and productivity of the kingdom into which You have translated me.