P.O. Box 53055    
Los Angeles, CA 90053   

Hello, I'm Connie Jeffery, and I'm Lonnie Melashenko.

LONNIE: We're glad you've joined us today for our program "Prelude to Power."

CONNIE: Lonnie, what's the darkest place you've ever been?

LONNIE: Well it would have to be down in a cave, and that goes back a number of years. You know many people have been to Carlsbad Caverns, or Loray Caverns, but I grew up in the islands of Bermuda and there were the Crystal Caves and Lemington Caves, and boy when they turn out the lights, I mean it is dark.

CONNIE: Black, I'll bet it's totally black.

LONNIE: I found it fascinating to be in total darkness--but I wouldn't want it to last too long. I was always ready to have the lights turned back on again.

CONNIE: Especially before you'd start walking anywhere.

LONNIE: Yes, of course--you never know what sort of stumbling block might be right in front of you when you're in that kind of darkness.

CONNIE: Now in today's program, we're going to be looking at the mission and ministry of John the Baptist--the man who came to "bear witness to the light" that had come into the world--to point people to Jesus.

LONNIE: It's almost like John was setting himself up as a guide down in the depths of Carlsbad Caverns. "I'm here to point you to the light at the end of the tunnel," he announces.

CONNIE: And that light, of course, is Jesus.

LONNIE: You know, Connie, one of the preachers who's very well known for pointing people to the light of Jesus is our very own Morris Venden, associate speaker of Voice of Prophecy, and I had the chance recently to talk to him about the role that he's played through the years in pointing people to Jesus.

CONNIE: Let's listen to that conversation right now.

LONNIE: Hi Morrie!

MORRIS: Hi!

LONNIE: It's good to have you back on the broadcast today on this Sunday program.

MORRIS: I'm glad to be here.

LONNIE: Many of our listeners know you as my associate speaker on the program, but you're also known worldwide in colleges, universities, but particularly on the camp meeting trail, on the saw dust trail with the big tents. Thousands of people coming out to listen to Morrie Venden, probably one of the most popular speakers on the planet. But it wasn't always that way, was it Morrie?

MORRIS: No, I don't think so.

LONNIE: Was there a point in your life where something kind of clicked and changed and brought a new focus, and what was that?

MORRIS: Well it was the emphasis of the Voice of Prophecy, reaching Christ to the millions, and Jesus only that got my attention. And I discovered to my surprise that there are thousands of people who are thirsty and hungry for Jesus. They are disenchanted with organized religion, but they long for Jesus. And that makes a difference.

LONNIE: How did you come to that sort of focus? What brought you to that adjustment?

MORRIS: I think the founder of the Voice of Prophecy had a lot to do with it, and made that impact on my life, and of course the thing that the Voice of Prophecy has always started with, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness of these modern days, prepare ye the way of the Lord," reminded me of John the Baptist.

LONNIE: Yes, and when you point people to Christ, what happens?

MORRIS: Well Jesus Himself is the one who said it, "If He is lifted up, this will draw people to Him," and of course John was the expert on that. I found the Voice of Prophecy to be heading in that direction too, and it always warmed my soul.

LONNIE: We're talking some large audiences where you've spoken on camp meeting circuits, not only in this country, 5, 6, 7, 10 thousand people. Overseas, perhaps doubling in some of the countries where you've spoken, and it's always a temptation for a minister or pastor who draws a large crowd, and maybe the biggest crowd ever, to kind of feel a little sense of, "Wow! This is pretty exciting." How do you avoid drawing attention to yourself?

MORRIS: I think the Lord has methods of taking care of that problem, and I also think that a good model helps. I was reading about John the Baptist today and it made me feel pretty humble, and I also saw that in the founder of the Voice of Prophecy.

LONNIE: John the Baptist's statement was, "He must increase, I must decrease." How do you do that everyday and make that happen in your life?

MORRIS: Well it seems to me that the closer we get to Jesus in our own private life, the smaller we become. It's sort of a natural thing. Someone said that the apostle Paul saw Jesus as a giant mountain looming up into the sky, and He Himself was but the swamp at the base, and I think that's the way it works. I like to study the life of Jesus, and it does that.

LONNIE: Was there a specific point where you recognized the inadequency of just trying to come up with some clever sermons, and smart words or maybe you had all of the doctrines lined up straight, but the focus needed to be Christ centered.

MORRIS: Well I hate to admit that one. There was a godly woman in my church who would come by after church and she'd thank me for my sermon and say, "Thank you pastor, it will be a wonderful day when you get to know Jesus." And I didn't know whether to love her or hate her.

LONNIE: What did that make you say, or what did you do as a result?
Well it was painful, but I knew she was right, and that was the hard part, and I also knew she was a godly woman. She was nice about it, and she continued to do it several times, and it drove me to my knees, and made me search like I hadn't before.

LONNIE: I remember that in my own ministry, even sometimes out of the mouths of babes, children coming throug the doorway. I remember one lady one time, she said "Pastor, I worshiped today because you lifted up Jesus."

MORRIS: That's good news, that's what counts.

LONNIE: It's not how wonderful your sermon was, but you lifted up Jesus, and it makes a difference in their lives, completely.

MORRIS: People are hungry for that.

LONNIE: Thank you Morrie for your John the Baptist style of ministry, pointing people to Jesus.

MORRIS: Oh, it's a privelge to join you on that.

CONNIE: Morris Venden certainly has had the privilege of pointing many people to their Savior Jesus.

LONNIE: It's given great power to his ministry.

CONNIE: And each of us can be empowered in that way. It's interesting that John the Baptist made it clear that he was not the light--Jesus was.

But that doesn't mean we have no light to share--Jesus calls each Christian to be the light of the world--to share His light with others. That's the focus of Steve Darmody's song, "We Are the Light of the World."

"We Are the Light of the World" Steve Darmody, from Constant Refuge CD.

CONNIE: What a privilege--to be the light of the world, and to point people to the greatest light of all-- the light that Jesus brings into the world. That's what Christianity is all about.

LONNIE: But unfortunately some people don't see it that way.

CONNIE: It's sad but true that for many people religion is more about darkness and death than light and life. All too often, religion gets used as a club or as a justification for war and violence.

That's certainly not what Jesus intended. His religion does good, not bad--it makes life better, not worse. That's what Mark Finley and Steve Mosley point out in their recent book A Religion That Works. We'd like you to have a free copy of this book, because it can help you find and maintain a positive, light-filled religious experience. So, why not call our toll-free number, 1-800-872-0055 right now and ask for A Religion That Works? If you prefer writing to phoning, we'll give you an address you can to write to later in the program, so be sure to have a pencil ready so you can receive your free copy of A Religion That Works. The toll-free number again is 1-800-872-0055.

John the Baptist had a religion that worked--but his life was not an easy one, as David Smith points out in our next segment.
David: I think if I got a Tom Cruise secret message — "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to do what John the Baptist did" — I'd just as soon let that tape self-destruct in five seconds and then go home. First of all, wearing clothes made out of camel hair can't have been a lot of fun. Not that I've tried it, but Mom gave me a shirt once that scratched like camel hair and fit like it was made out of the two humps. You didn't see a lot of camel hair togas at the Roman fashion shows, but poor people who worked outside a lot did wear them to protect from the cold winter chill.

And you can scratch me off the banquet list where they're serving locust lasagna, and the motel with the sandy desert bed and the stone pillow. Not interested, thanks anyway.

But you know, it really wasn't the clothes, or the food, or the one-star accommodations that made John's life uncomfortable.

Imagine being the first prophet to appear in your home country in nearly half a millennium. And having to say to them, "Now we're REALLY not kidding. The long-awaited Messiah is coming at last. The kingdom of heaven really IS at hand. Our long wait is over!"

Well, speaking of rock pillows, people start picking UP rocks to throw at your head. Imagine having to continue proclaiming that Messiah message simply because God has given it to you, despite the rocks and rotten fruit heaved in your direction. The mocking of men and women: "Oh, sure, J.B., we've heard all THIS before. People have been saying that for hundreds of years. Get down off your soap box, preacher!"

No, John the Baptist's "Mission: Impossible" message wasn't the easiest to proclaim. But he knew it was a message from God. And in the end it proved true.

Here at the Voice of Prophecy, we've been proclaiming that Jesus will soon come AGAIN for more than 70 years now. And sometimes people look at their radio dials and say, "Oh, yeah, RIGHT. Like you're the first ones to say that." But you know what, friends . . . we still believe it.

We still believe that Jesus is coming again — and soon! Like John the Baptist in the camel-hair coat, we continue to study the prophecies and to look at the signs of the times. And do you know what? We say it with more and more confidence each day: Lift up the trumpet — loud let it ring. Jesus IS coming again.

CONNIE: Thanks, David. It's true. That message continues to be at the heart of Voice of Prophecy's ministry. In fact our founder, H. M. S. Richards was fond of describing our ministry as "A voice crying in the Wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord."

In today's message, Lonnie Melashenko takes us back to the time of John and points out the principles that made him a man whose words couldn't be ignored. Let's listen now to Lonnie's message, "Prelude to Power."
SERMON

LONNIE: He came on the scene suddenly--a stranger--a man dressed in rough clothes. He might have been dismissed as just another street-hawker from the lunatic fringe, if it wasn't for . . .

Well, how could you quantify it? How could you describe it? What made this man different? What made people respond and listen? What made thousands from Jerusalem trek a day's journey and more down the long, winding road to the Jordan River to hear him preach?

What made grown men and women walk out into the middle of the river and get their clothing soaked from head to toe in search of the new beginning John the Baptist promised?

Was it the look in his eyes? Was it the message he preached? Was it the expectation that floated in the air--the hope for change; the longing for a return to basic godliness? Was it the texts he quoted?
What made people listen to this man?

" ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight,' "

he proclaimed. (Mark 1:3 NKJ)

That was a familiar text, quoted from the fortieth chapter of Isaiah. It was a comforting prophecy--taken from a favorite chapter of a favorite prophet's writings. Isaiah, you see, can easily be divided into two parts. Chapters 1-39 consist mainly of a negative report of the sins of God's people and the punishments that will befall them for their disloyalty to God.

But chapter 40 begins a wonderful paean [PEE-un] of praise to God for His kindness, and comforting prophecies of Israel's restoration to God's favor. Here's how the chapter begins:

" ‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!' Says your God. ‘Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.'
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.' "
(Isaiah 40:1-3 NKJ)

It was obvious to the people: John was that voice crying in the wilderness. He claimed the role for himself by the message he preached, by the clothing he wore, and by the way that he lived.

In short, he fit the image of a prophet, and he proclaimed a message that people were eager to hear: The time of warfare and disaster is over. You people have suffered enough for your sins. It's time to start over again, to establish a New Kingdom with God on the throne.

Historically, Israel had seen many prophets. But most of them didn't win any popularity contests. Most of the time, people didn't pay much attention to them. Or if people did pay attention it was in a negative way. Many prophets suffered persecution and even death at the hands of the populace.

And as a result, the prophetic light had flickered, faded, and finally died out more than 400 years ago. Just to give you an idea of how amazing it was for Israel to suddenly have a prophet again, consider this:

Do you remember your history? Do you remember when the Spanish Armada attacked England? The year was 1588--about 412 years ago. But in John the Baptist's day, it had been more than 450 years since Malachi, the last prophetic book in the Old Testament, had been written.

For people in John's and Jesus' day, Malachi's prophecies were more ancient than Shakespeare's plays and sonnets are today.

It had been a long, long time since there had been a bona fide prophet in Israel. But now, at last, it seemed that the dry spell had been broken. Perhaps it WAS time for God's blessings to be poured out anew.

Malachi, that last prophet, from nearly half a millennium ago, had made a promise for Israel's future:

"Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple" (Malachi 3:1, NKJV)

And John quoted that text about himself.

No wonder there was expectation in the air. It was time for God to act--to come to His temple and restore the kingdom to Israel!

The people flocked to hear John's message--some of them excited, but also, some of them fearful.

Some were eager for change. Others didn't really want a prophet to show up just now and upset the status quo. So the established religious authorities sent a board of inquiry to find out just what was happening down at the Jordan.

And here's where John the Baptist, and his message, really shine--really sparkle with integrity and power.

Here's a man can draw huge crowds of enthusiastic supporters--today we'd probably call them groupies. They're ready to follow him anywhere. They're basking in the light of his every word.

But he takes their attention, their acclaim, their worship if you will, and turns it away from himself. As John's Gospel explains it,

This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
(John 1:7, 8 NKJ)

John knew his role. He was to point to something greater--to Someone greater, and he never fell to the temptation to claim the power and glory for himself.

His role was simply to point people to Jesus. To turn their eyes from the darkness of this world to the light that would come from heaven. And when Jesus came on the scene,

John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"
(John 1:15 NKJ)

That's what John had to say about Jesus. But here's what Jesus had to say about John:
I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. (Matt 11:11 NIV)

What was it then, that made John so great? What made people listen to him?

Could it be that what made John so great was simply his simplicity--his authenticity? Here was a man who knew his place in the world. Here was a man with a mission, and he understood that mission, and he was content to fulfill that precise mission: to do just what God wanted him to do.

His life is a testimony to the power of one person who will be totally dedicated to God and the mission God has for him or her.

John the Baptist's life is an example. It's also a challenge to me, to you, to everyone. It asks the question: What does God want to do with my life? What could God accomplish through me, if I would be willing to be used, if I were willing to be humble, if my life had a single focus and mission: to point people to Jesus as the true light that has come into the world?

John the Baptist was a man with a mission: to point people to Jesus. He lived a life of power.

But actually it was a Prelude to Power. He opened the way for the ministry of Jesus--the true source of power and light.

His life was a ministry of pointing people to Jesus--a ministry that you and I can have as well.

The purpose of this ministry for 70 years has been to invite people to look to Jesus. As we present this broadcast today…right now I want to extend an invitation to you our listeners: look to Jesus. Come to Jesus. Jesus can give your life power. He can bring light to confusion and darkness. He promises to change and forgive and empower every person who comes to Him. He'll do it for you.
Will you invite Him into your life just now…?