Precursors to Jesus - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) , April 14, 2025

The term precursor refers to a forerunner or harbinger - someone or something that comes in advance of another. Thousands of years prior to the arrival of Jesus Christ, men and women foretold of His coming. This continued until John the Baptist who stood in the wilderness, called people to repent, and announced that God was sending someone more powerful than him (Matthew 3:11). Each of these individuals prepared the people around them for what God was doing and what was to come.

Today's believers are the inheritors of this great Biblical tradition. Just as the prophets spoke of a savior who would come to the world to redeem people, so are Christians to make the same proclamation. The prophets of old spoke of Jesus in faith, believing the God who filled their mouths would fulfill His word. We, however, have the evidence that Jesus indeed came and was crucified on a cross, God's Holy Spirit, and our faith in the Bible that indeed, the Son of God will come back to do what is prophesied.

However, many of us modern Christians ignore our unique calling to be like John the Baptist and others who served as precursors to Jesus. John prepared the people of his time for a Messiah who came and performed great signs and wonders by the power of God. A Savior who continued to do great things through His disciples, the men and women who preached to those who would listen that He was coming back one day. Through His name, they healed people's minds and bodies, sometimes just by teaching them to repent of their sins and be reconciled with the Lord.

We think the precursor role ended with John the Baptist or maybe with the great generals of the faith who carried the gospel to strange lands and peoples. But, we - the people who bear the name of Christ and are marked with the Holy Spirit - are equally called to serve as precursors of Jesus. We too are charged to declare that the kingdom of God is coming and call others to confess their sins, repent, and be reconciled to God through Christ before He returns to claim those who belong to Him. We are to walk in the miracles, signs, and wonders that open hearts and minds to the reality of our God.

​Jesus told His disciples, and in turn all who would believe in Him through them (meaning you and I), "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). We are to be vessels through which God's salvation may reach to the ends of the earth because He has revealed to us that a day is coming when His grace will no longer be available. On that day - Judgment Day - we will be called to account for every action, every thought, even our idle words. God will judge whether we can reside with Him in heaven or remain with satan for eternity in the fiery pit.

God cannot lie, and since He has alerted us to this eventuality, it becomes even more pressing to stand as a precursor to Jesus in this day and age. We need to know His word so we can use it to soothe the pains of those around us. We need to walk in the Spirit so we can be at the right place at the right time to display God's light and speak it into the spirit of a person overrun by darkness.

The Lord will help us as we step out in faith that we - the children He paid a blood price to save - will serve as today's precursors to Jesus and His glorious return. IJN, Amen.

See you at Noon EST when we will gather to worship the Lord who sacrificed His Son for us. Then, we will pray for our loved ones as well as strangers, calling on God to meet their needs. In our last 10 minutes of fellowship, we will pray for ourselves, calling on God to strengthen our spirit man, and physical body so we stand in Godfidence, and not in fear, as the announcers of Christ's triumphant return. I hope to see you then!

To learn more, please read:

1. Return & Publicly Testify

2. The Power of Testimony

3. Live As Free People, But ...

4. The Promises You Won't See

5. God's Witnesses

6. Is Your Name Written In Heaven?

7. Don't Speak Arrogantly About God

8. Your Fiduciary Duty To God

9. Speak Truthfully About God