He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30 (NASB)
Arthur, 74, had been a pastor for a long time. He was one of the founders of his church. He was known for his charisma and attention to detail in preaching the Word. He had a way of clearly explaining words, phrases, and the context of verses. His church members admired and honored him. But in his old age, he had lost his passion. So the church decided to bring in a younger pastor who also had the gift of preaching.
When the committee explained the situation to him, Arthur felt rejected and deceived by his congregation, so he became angry. He didn’t want anyone else to take over. Often, we have this tendency to not want to give up our place to someone else. We don’t want to believe that someone else can do it better than we can. John understood that his ministry was over, he had to give up his place to the one who was to continue the work that had been entrusted to him since his birth.
The Bible gives us examples of men of faith who were replaced by others. Not because their replacements were better than them, but because the time had come for someone else to continue the work. Moses had been replaced by Joshua. One was not better than the other, they each had their mission. Elijah had been replaced by Elisha. He had accomplished twice what Elijah had done. Are you called to replace a spiritual leader? Do not think you are better than him. Someone else must take over from you, be sure to instruct and equip him to go further than you. This is the role of the one who takes over.
May the grace and peace of God be with you all.
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