The unexpected chosen

I’VE been thinking about people whose lives have made a big impact on others, sometimes called ‘world changers’. Individuals such as John Stott and Steve Jobs, who died within a few weeks of each other in the second part of 2011.

As people crammed into St Paul’s Cathedral in January 2012 to celebrate John Stott’s life, time and again they heard about a humble Christian gentleman whose life was spent in encouraging people to develop the skill of ‘double listening’ – listening to the word of God and to the world in which they live. Stott has been described as ‘the most influential Anglican of the 20th century’.

Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple. President Barack Obama said of him: ‘The world has lost a visionary. He was bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.’

‘World changers’ come in all sorts of unexpected ways. It is time to turn on your iPad or iTouch, or simply open your Bible to John 1:29–34, where we read about another person who forever changed the world in which he lived – and in which we live too – because he came as the unexpected Messiah.

We know this passage well. It is the pivotal moment in John the Baptist’s ministry, when he points people towards Jesus. I often wonder who John was speaking to. John’s Gospel helpfully defines time frames for us as ‘the next day’ (v29 all quotations from New International Version), but in this instance no group is identified as the hearers.

My sense is that, for now, anyone who reads this passage about Jesus is John’s audience. This is good news. The Messiah is no longer hidden – Jesus is on earth. When John the Baptist addressed Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’, he was revealing at the beginning of the Gospel how it would all end.

The basis of John’s conviction came out of his own testimony: ‘I have seen and I testify’ (v34). The conclusion for John was that he was persuaded that Jesus was ‘God’s Chosen One’.

What did being ‘chosen’ mean for Jesus?

It meant a unique purpose (v29). Only God can deal with our sins! As the old gospel song reminds us, ‘What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus’ (SASB 306). Our purpose is not to be the Saviour of the world, but to serve him. Make sure you know what God has called you to do, and then – like Jesus – surround yourself with a few people who believe in you and your calling.

It meant an empowering from the Holy Spirit (v32). God uses people to their limits, and these are pushed back through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is the promise of God. I’ve met too many people who would win a gold medal as part of the Olympic excuse-making team. They look for reasons why things won’t happen, rather than trusting God for what can. What I do know is, we can’t change the world by watching television repeats!

It meant that Jesus was building upon what had already been (v33). John was known as the forerunner to Christ; he had prepared the way for the arrival of Jesus. The progression is clear: what started with a water baptism was now a spiritual one. I believe it is vital that we have a clear grasp of history, because it gives us a huge database to work from. The Salvation Army is full of people who care passionately about its future, while at the same time understanding where we have journeyed from as a Movement.

It meant that people would know who Jesus was and who he belonged to (v34). The Gospel writers graphically detail what this meant for Jesus. It is probably time to invent some new words to portray him, because they have all been used before.

As we think about ourselves, I’ll use an old word to describe us. We too are ‘chosen’. There may have been times in our lives when we knew that, at best, we were second choice. That’s not so in God’s Kingdom! We are all his first choice.

The challenge is to ensure that, as his choice, we know what our calling is and that we serve in a way that draws others to Jesus.

• Major Herbert is Territorial Candidates Director