It’s great to have family, but make sure you have the family going in the right direction when it comes to the Will of God. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, were relative mothers who had the greatest tag team of all time: there boys came together at least twice to tag each for increase. The first meeting of the two mothers while being pregnant at the same time tagged one boy for increase as he was filled with the Holy Ghost: Luke 1:15, “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. So we know that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost while even in his mother’s womb. And we know that thirty years later rounds about, these two boys, still relatives, but now grown men get together again to tag the other boy for increase as it was his turned to be filled with the Holy Ghost, but publicly instead of from his mother’s womb: John 1:29-33, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.³⁰ This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. ³¹ And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. ³² And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. ³³ And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. ³⁴ And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” So here is where the tag team relatives boys come together again to increase the other boy as both are now men. There is not much scripture to let us know the involvement, if any, that these two boys had with each other while growing up. We do get clear understanding in the verses above from John the Baptist that he knew him not. Now when I went back home to bury my father, I saw people that I had not seen since high school, and there were a couple of them who I did not remember ever knowing. However, there were relatives there in which I may have been to a picnic at the same time with them once, and I remember them as well as any other relative that I had met many years before. It’s just hard to forget family once you’ve played spade with them. lol. There I go again. Anyway, we all know how Jesus’ parents were on the run from the King edict in fear that Jesus would be killed. We haven’t come across, or should I say that, I haven’t come across much that points to how John was effected by the edict with him being in the same age group: maybe his town was out of the jurisdiction. I will have to refer you to the theologians to support that one way or the other, as they both could have been on the run to be a distraction to confuse the soldiers in hunt for the boy Jesus.

Now back to my opening sentence, make sure you have the family going in the right direction when it comes to the Will of God. John may not have known Jesus growing up with him living in the hill country as the Bible describes it for whatever that means: Luke 1:39, “And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda.” This may have very well been one natural reason as to why they did not see each other while growing up if that is found out to be true. However, there is another reason in which they may have not seen each other, and that is by not being drawn to each other for spiritual reasons. We are to be grateful, and to cherish every moment with every member of our family, but for every member of the family from a last cousin to a mother and a father, we need to make sure that we do have each family member going in the direction of God’s will for each of their lives. I know that we all agree on that whole heartily, but believing it and achieving it is two different animals. John the Baptist said this concerning Jesus: John 3:30,”He must increase, but I must decrease.” Let me ask you this, how many times, excluding the every once in a blue moon rare syndrome, have you heard a relative, outside of a mom and a dad, say to another relative, you must increase, but I must decrease and let my business that I built up over these last many years just go by the way side? I can just spend more time eating wild berries now! No, that’s not happening, and that’s not what happened to John the Baptist. This was all done decently, and for spiritual order. My mother who loves me more than I can handle, is not going to just decrease for me like that without Jesus showing up to back me up: I’ll need to have him tell her, my daughter, I need you to decrease from your life’s work, and let your last cousin, I mean your favorite son take a shot at it. The Bible writer just put this in there as though we had been with him in his thought as he was processing it to the ink: Luke 1:17, “ And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Well, if you’re like me, I’m looking for the signature miracles, and leadership in which Elijah is known for to show up somehow in John the Baptist since he shall be in his before Jesus has his turn, right? Then Father says to me, “you’re missing it, this is about the order before Jesus comes.” Then it hit me, John is anointed for a period of time to come in the power of the Prophet dispensation before Jesus. So John is anointed to decrease, because when Jesus’ turn comes in thirty years, the new Christian dispensation will start, and end the previous dispensation in which John was briefly empowered to use. There can not be two dispensations of the same God going on at one time: one will stop, and the other will start. This is why John must decrease, and Jesus must increase. The Christian dispensation in which the power of the Prophet, as well as the five-fold ministry will have the fulness of God dwell in Christ Jesus in bodily form: you will get it as a member of the Church. None of this had been established at the time John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost in his mother’s womb: hence he had to come in the Spirit and might of the previous dispensation of power. Plus, if we are talking about coming in power, we would have been talking about the double portion prophet, Elisha; and John the Baptist did no miracles in which I can find.

And as far as family, God has always had a hard time getting families to not automatically make this a family affair when it comes to one member obeying his Will. Love family, but love God more, especially if you are going for the greater: most family members aren’t able as a unit to go to where only a few sons and a few daughters want to go. It’s all about freewill, and not about total family will. Adam and Eve tripped badly because of one family member trying to please the other: please God. Job spent to much time worrying about family, don’t worry, but build relationship with the Father and keep the family safe. Let’s jump to Abraham, the father of faith, he took the scenic route because of family: God told him to leave his kindred and go, but oh no, it’s something about God that becomes unclear when it comes to family. If you want to really take care of your family, take care of Father first. Oh, I hear them talking now. Well, at the end, Jesus was a good son to his mother, he gave her over to another son that would understand the things on her mind before he left. Yes, take care of family only after the Father knows that you are taking care of him. God doesn’t see it like we see it, He sees his first, then we can go and take care of the rest. You must love God more than any other on the planet in order to have the relationship that will move things on the planet: Matthew 10:37, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” I know, I know, but are we really suppose to eat the whole roll? Please don’t answer that if you are not really aware of what it means. I kid you not, if you do answer yes as I have, you will soon be showing the Father how much you meant it when you say that you love him more.

The Father Still Does Love To Do The Body Good.

Adopted son,