Matthew 3:1–6; Mark 1:1–8
Key Verse: Mark 1:1–3 Luke 7:24–28
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’”
Do you know where you are in the time line of God? You are in the beginning. In fact, as long as the earth remains and men and women have not heard the good news, we will always be in the beginning of God’s time line.
He has started a new thing in you and in many others around the nation and the world. He is raising up men and women to be like John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Savior of the world. You and I, with all the others He is calling, have the anointing of John resting upon us. Something within us compels us to cry out and awaken the people of God to return to God, and to reach out to the lost and bring them in.
John the Baptist also appeared “in the beginning.” The gospel of Mark introduces John with the words, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: / ‘Behold, I send My messenger.’” You, too, are a sent messenger armed with the good news of a new beginning—the beginning of Jesus in the lives of your hearers. Like John the Baptist, you have a mandate to call people back to Him. Will you answer the call and dare to proclaim Him to your generation?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, forgive me for thinking everything was done in the first century. You are still sending out messengers to prepare the way for Jesus to enter the hearts of people—and now I understand that I am one of those messengers. Grant me a supernatural boldness to declare the good news with joy and faith. An entire generation awaits our message of hope. In Jesus’ name, amen.
PSS