There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. John 1:6-8
John is the epitome of faceless worship. He knew his ministry was not about him but about the One he represented. His anchored humility enabled confidently preach the message of Jesus knowing he had been sent with a mission and anything he had been entrusted with was from heaven. When his followers became misguided believing John was the central focus, he was quick to redirect people’s eyes to Jesus.
The word ‘sent,’ in the Greek means to be commissioned, or be set apart for a special service. This type of sending was purposeful, sent with a mission with the full backing and authority of the sender.
Pause for a second.
What is it that you have the full backing of heaven to do? What do you feel called or commissioned to bring to this world?
Allow the Holy Spirit to stir it afresh for a moment. Can you see it? Feel it? When this true calling is stirred within you can’t help but feel dependent on God. We know we can’t fulfil His mission without divine grace and anointing.
Just like John, you have been sent into the world with a mission. Your mission is to bring Jesus into this world, to shine his light, pointing people towards God who loves them unconditionally. When your true motive is to make Jesus known, not big note yourself then you can be confident in this calling. When we’re doing what we are called to do, we can be confident we have the full backing of heaven behind us.
When we are trying to impress others, we forget who actually sent us. We need to focus on the sender and the mission we have been assigned to complete. Our ‘success’ is not based on others’ opinions of us, it’s based on how obedient we are to the sender. John had this right.
The Message paraphrase of this verse says John “came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.”
As worship leaders and people on the platform, we are there to show everyone where to look—to point people to Jesus. Our job is to prepare the way for the main event, to remove distractions and allow Jesus to be glorified.
When we lead with true humility we are content to fade into obscurity as Jesus takes centre stage. As we step more fulling into our calling, rightly there should be fruit and naturally, people may be impressed by us. However, when we begin to get impressed with ourselves this is an indicator that we’re going off track. We’ve missed the point.
I can’t help but be inspired by John’s humility. Check out some of the things he said.
- John pointed him (Jesus) out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact, was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.” John 1:15
- “It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” John 1:27
When John’s disciples became threatened by another who was baptizing on the other side of the Jordan John wasn’t threatened by their ‘success.’ He knew they weren’t in competition with one another. John responded with: “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven... He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:27, 30
In other words, he knew it wasn’t about him. He saw the bigger picture: they were all preparing the way for Jesus.
Competition creeps into the church and devalues our creativity. We compare ourselves to other worship leaders and musicians. We value ourselves based on the number of times we are on a roster or which services we are rostered on. Perhaps you’ve felt the pang of rejection as you scan the latest roster counting your scheduled services and comparing yourself to others?
Or maybe you’ve heard people say things like: “They are stopping me from using my gift. I’m called to lead worship, but I only ever get rostered on to sing as a vocalist.” Language like this locates people. If you are concerned about your gift not being used, then you’re making it about you. When we feel threatened by other songwriters or the ‘success’ of other churches, we are acting like John’s disciples thinking we are in competition.
Don’t get distracted. You’ll miss the incredible thing God wants to do within you. Others perceived success doesn’t diminish your obedience. The prize is finishing our race in our lane. We don’t need to chase down the purposes of God for our life. When we chase Jesus then His purpose will naturally flow through us without striving for the limelight. The Bible says the gift makes a way for the giver. We can trust Him, surrender to Him, get caught up in daily steps of obedience to outwork our calling.
Hide in Him. Be found in Him. Seek praise from Him alone and forget about what others are doing.
Ponder
- What is it that you feel God has sent you to do?
- Are there places in your life where you make comparisons between yourself and others? Let them go.
Prayer
Father, thank you that you sent me into this world to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. I want to use the gifts and talents you have entrusted to me to achieve this. Teach me to keep my focus my attention on You. Help me to not get distracted by comparison or enamoured with skill, but keep my eyes on You and the task at hand.
Amen
Further Reading