This verse is so familiar that sometimes we quote it without giving it real thought: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). But when these words can be spoken in true sincerity of heart, they mark the difference between an egocentric and a Christ-centered life.
The context in which these words were originally spoken is noteworthy. The Jews were trying to goad John the Baptist into jealousy. “And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him” (John 3:26). But John was not easily provoked. He knew his purpose and was satisfied being “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” who pointed people to the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:23, 29). John knew who Jesus was; therefore, he knew who he was.
John’s desire for Christ to increase was no empty, feel-good statement. It was borne out in his life and ministry.
How about you and me? What happens in our lives when Christ increases and we decrease? I would suggest five changes that come to such a life:
1. I will think less of myself and more of others.
Philippians 2:4 instructs, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Selflessness does not come naturally. By nature, we’re filled with thoughts of self. But when Christ has the proper position in our lives, we will be more focused on how He would view others and not on how they view us. “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10).
2. I will be less competitive and more cooperative.
Jesus didn’t have a single shred of jealousy or ministry competition. When the disciples wanted fire to consume the Samaritans who rejected Christ, Jesus responded, “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luke 9:56). When the disciples wanted to halt the ministry of a man who was casting devils out in Jesus’ name yet did not follow with the disciples, Jesus stated, “Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me” (Mark 9:39).
Christians today need to recognize that we are not competing against one another; rather, we are all on the same team trying to exalt Christ’s name.
3. I will be less concerned about drawing crowds to me and more concerned about making disciples for Him.
Jesus was not interested in people following Him just for the sake of having a large crowd. In fact, He at times purged the crowds by explaining the cost of discipleship: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ... So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26–27, 33).
When Christ is increasing in our lives, our goal is no longer what others think of us but that we are fulfilling His command to make disciples for Him (Matthew 28:19–20).
4. I will be less consumed with what I want to do and be completely consumed with what God wants me to do.
Our dreams and ambitions that are ego-centered often blind us to our primary purpose on earth to “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). When Christ increases in our lives, His priorities become our priorities. Imagine the effect on the world if every Christian had the testimony of Jesus and could say, “I do always those things that please him [the Father]” (John 8:29).
Romans 12:1 tells us the only way to a life centered on Christ is full surrender to God: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
5. I will be less concerned about keeping everyone together and more concerned with getting the gospel to the world.
Camaraderie is commendable. Christian fellowship is one of God’s great gifts. Close family relationships are important. But when these come before our obedience to Christ’s command to preach the gospel to every creature, we know that we are self-focused rather than Christ-centered.
In this fallen world, there will be necessary times of separation. After the flood, God told the descendants of Noah to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:9). But they rebelled and built the Tower of Babel “lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). In Acts 1:8 Jesus told His disciples, “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” But all of the disciples were still found in Jerusalem years later. It was only by severe persecution that they fully obeyed the Lord’s command to go into all the world.
Something similar is happening among American Christians today. Parents don’t want to see their children surrender to God’s call to serve in foreign fields. Churches, too, struggle with this. Less than 3 percent of full-time Christian workers are working in languages other than English. It seems we assume staying together is better than getting the gospel to all the world.
When we get to Heaven, we will have all eternity to worship Christ together. There, we will join “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, [which] stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9–10). But until then, should we not be less focused on enjoying our relationships and be more focused on getting the gospel into all the world?
