Sharing the Gospel of Christ has to be more important than social approval and esteem given by this world.

John 3:30

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30 

John the Baptist was very popular and recognized as a prophet sent from God. Even the Pharisees and kings respected John’s popularity and refused to deal with him harshly in fear of causing protests and riots among John’s massive following. However, at the coming of Jesus Christ, John surrendered his standing with the people to acknowledge Jesus as being the Christ sent from God to atone for sin. John was willing to surrender his dignity, esteem, prestige, and social approval to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. John told everyone that he must decrease so that the Lord Jesus would increase.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are the John the Baptist of today as we share about preparing for the return of Jesus Christ. That preparation is done by reconciling to God through Jesus Christ by the remission of sin. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to walk in the path of Holiness. In today’s world, the Gospel of Christ and Holiness are so detested that it’s necessary to swallow our pride to allow Jesus Christ to increase within us. Because we believe the Holy Bible and live by the Spirit, this world removes social approval from us, tears down our dignity, runs down our self-esteem, and removes any resemblance of honor or prestige from us. We have to consider the testimony of Jesus Christ to be more important than the negativity we receive in this world.

This world spends a lot of time on using human dignity, esteem, and social approval to groom people to the thing which forms what we think, feel, do, and speak. It enables the image of the beast to live and speak through people and by what they say and do, the human creature is given more dignity and prestige than God the Creator. By making people feel important and wanted, people are conformed to the anti-Christian global culture as they are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they say and do.

Lonely years I had nothing
My life had no meaning
‘Til I heard about Calvary
Then I knelt down in prayer
And my Lord met me there

Now Jesus, He’s living in me
He’s in my feet when I’m walking
In my tongue when I’m talking
In my eyes, and now I can see
He’s in the songs that I’m singing
In my heart, His joy is ringing
Jesus is living in me
(Church Song)

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11