John 3:27 (ESV Strong's)
John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
Subject: God's Gifts
In the above passage John the Baptist is giving an answer to his disciples about a question that concerned the start-up ministry of Jesus. Like all leaders, John the Baptist had some over zealous followers, who wondered, out-loud, whenever was drawing the people away from their leader toward another leader. They had a specific concern that Jesus was seeing so many people come to Him. Their zeal was not matched with knowledge. John the Baptist has to teach them about some things he already had reminded them about, earlier. He had told them that he was the "fore-runner" of the Messiah and not THE Messiah. John the Baptist was born to be second, not the FIRST. The principle, however, that John gives them is that "if" there is another leader and they are drawing crowds for God, that can ONLY happen if God so wills it. In James we read:
James 1:17 (ESV Strong's)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
We also read in John 1:12 that it is through God that we "receive power" to be a child of God. John the Baptist is making the point that his followers need to understand. Any good that anyone does is from God. Paul states the same thing in the following verse about teachers preaching under false pretenses:
Philippians 1:18 (KJV)
What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
If ANYONE does good, it is because God allowed it and gifted it. NO good we do is of ourselves. It is a gift of God.
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