Sent By God

January 2

(Luke 3:1-3 NIV) “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—{2} during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. {3}He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

(Matthew 3:1-3 NIV) “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea {2} and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." {3} This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.””

John the Baptist was an abrasive prophet, who had no fear of preaching the truth. He would have lasted about fifteen minutes in many of our churches today before they turned off his mike and escorted him from the platform. Church growth gurus would have condemned him for being judgmental. His style was not “seeker sensitive”. His location was poor. His preaching was confrontational. His worship band was non-existent. His clothes were out of style. But his attendance numbers were phenomenal. The word of God came to John and he preached it. He was sent by God to prepare people for the coming of Christ, and the Lord sent people out into the desert to hear the truth. That is still our mission today Christians. We too, have been sent by God to preach the truth about Christ and His coming. Anything less and we fall short of our calling. In word and deed, preach the truth. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day