John the Baptist said, He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). That is the responsibility of every member of the body of Christ. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb, and he was ordained of God to be the forerunner of Christ. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight (Mark 1:3).

At the time of that scripture reading, John was the prominent one in the eyes of the people who was preaching truth and baptizing multitudes in the River Jordan; but then, Jesus came on the scene and began taking His place before the people. John’s disciples and others of the Jews saw Jesus baptizing people, and they knew His popularity was growing; so they said to John, 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).

John replied with love and humility, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven (John 3:27). You won’t find greater humility anywhere else in the Word of God. John recognized that self is worthless and profits nothing without divinity.

John went on to say, Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:28-30).

John had the revelation of Christ, the Bride-groom, and of His Bride to come. John even knew where his place was in the scheme of things. He knew he was simply a friend of the Bridegroom. It was easy for John to yield to Jesus and give Him the right of way because he had no resentment, envy or jealousy in his spirit. Through the Holy Ghost, John knew the value of Jesus and the necessity of Him taking His place before the people.

How Do You See Jesus?

John was the one who declared, Behold the Lamb of God [Jesus], which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose (John 1:27). John knew Jesus would be the one who would baptize people with the Holy Ghost and with fire. In fact, he knew so much about Jesus before he even came in contact with Him. How?—through the person of the Holy Ghost abiding within him. However, John didn’t know Jesus as the Son of God until he met Him. Then John recognized Jesus for who He is.

Do you understand the true value of Jesus? Do you see Him as the pearl of great price and the Redeemer of all mankind? Do you recognize Jesus to be the treasure in earthen vessels, the only begotten Son of God and our soon-coming King? When you put Jesus and self in proper perspective, then like John, you will see the necessity of allowing Jesus to increase in your life and take center stage; but first, self must decrease.

Be a Forerunner of Christ

In this final hour, members of the Bride of Christ must put Jesus and self into proper perspective so they can fulfill the divine mission which says, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). The Bride must be a true forerunner of Christ’s second appearance just as John was a forerunner of Christ’s first appearance.

John the Baptist was a type of the Bride of Christ, and there are many characteristics in his life and ministry that parallel the Bride of Christ and her mission today. Like John the Baptist, the Bride of Christ is ordained of God to be a forerunner of Jesus.

Jesus must be magnified in the lives of every bridal company member as they declare, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight.” Jesus can only be magnified like that through those who are baptized in the Holy Ghost. The baptism is a requirement.

John the Baptist successfully fulfilled his divine mission because he was full of the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb. The Holy Ghost gave John living reality of Jesus even before he met Him; and John gladly gave Jesus the right of way when He came on the scene.

The Bride of Christ will be a success in her divine mission too when she is under the leadership and direction of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit will give her the same living reality of Jesus that John had, and she will give Jesus the right of way in her daily life so He can take center stage.

Carry God’s Anointing

Study John the Baptist, and you will see he lived a humble life that was separated from the world. His abode was in the wilderness, and his cry for people to come to the Lord went forth through the mighty anointing of the Holy Ghost. That anointing in his life was so powerful that the Bible says multitudes from all over Israel were drawn to John in the wilderness where they received repentance and were baptized.

The anointing of the Holy Ghost must also be in the life of every bridal company member, and that anointing will draw souls to them. That is why Jesus said, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Jesus had commanded His followers not to start the Church until they were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with power because only through Holy Ghost power can a person become a true Jesus witness.

Be a Witness of Truth

Jesus Himself testified of John the Baptist saying, Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth (John 5:33). Jesus is truth, and the lives of children of God are to bear witness unto that divine truth every day; but it takes the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, abiding within for you to be able to do that. Without the Spirit of truth within, you can’t properly know truth, understand truth or bear witness of that truth.

Members of the Bride of Christ must bear witness of truth not just in word but in their actions. The Bible says, Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22). Sinners and hypocrites may hear the Word, but they can’t act it out. Through divine blood and the power of the Holy Ghost, bridal company members must talk like Jesus, act like Jesus and do the same works He did.

Paul said, Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart (II Corinthians 3:3). The Holy Ghost within you writes that epistle upon your life, and then you must demonstrate it in your words and actions. That is bearing witness unto truth.

Many people in today’s society will never go to church or open a Bible, but the Holy Ghost can still reach them by your life bearing witness of truth to them. He uses your example of truth, your words and your demonstration of truth; and that witness will be either for them or against them in the end.

Carry the Light of the Spirit

Going back to John 5:35, Jesus continued testifying of John saying, He was a burning and a shining light (John 5:35). The Spirit who dwelled in John made him a burning, shining light to all who would listen, and Jesus ordained us to be that light as well. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:14,16). Through the power of the Holy Ghost, the Bride of Christ is to be a shining light of truth in this dark world of sin and deceit.

Study the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. The five wise virgins had oil in their vessels, and that oil represented the oil of the Holy Spirit. The five foolish virgins had no oil.

At midnight, the bridegroom, who represented Jesus, came. The five wise virgins were ready to meet him; so they were taken into the marriage, which represented the Lord’s Kingdom. The five foolish virgins were not ready, so they were left out. They tried to enter in; but the bridegroom said, I know you not (Matthew 25:12).

Be Ready for the Marriage Supper

Jesus taught that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of truth; and He is sent to teach you truth, guide you into all truth and bring that truth to your remembrance. The Holy Ghost is on a divine mission to prepare a Bride for Jesus when He makes His second appearance to Earth.

The Bible says, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:16,17). To be ready when Jesus comes, you must allow the Holy Spirit to help Jesus increase in your life and help you to decrease.

When Christ appears in the clouds on Rapture Day, the Bride will be taken up to meet Jesus in the sky. She will be united with her Groom and then enter into the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints...Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9).

Every bridal company member will be made ready for that great supper by the Holy Ghost. They will be given wedding garments of fine linen that are white and clean and represent the godly, righteous lives they lived on Earth.

Are You Greater than John?

Jesus testified of John the Baptist again as John’s divine mission was coming to a close. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Matthew 11:9-11).

In that passage, Jesus declared John to be the greatest of the prophets; but He also said that those who are the least in the Kingdom of Heaven are greater than John the Baptist. What did He mean by that? John the Baptist knew who he was. He knew he was the first forerunner of Jesus; and remember that in John 3:29, he declared himself to be the friend of Jesus.

When Jesus makes His second appearance to Earth, those who prepared the way for His return—those Jesus referred to as least in the Kingdom of Heaven—will be much more than a friend to the Groom; they will be His Bride and His glorious church. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27).

Christ’s glorious church is not made up of one particular denomination; it includes people from all over the world and from all walks of life. His people are those who are born again through the divine blood of Jesus and full of the Holy Ghost. Their spiritual garments are not contaminated with sin, self or the world. Like John, the members of the glorious Church are forerunners to Christ’s coming appearance to Earth. Their consecrated lives on Earth will give them the privilege of receiving the wedding garments for that great marriage supper in Heaven because every day, they seek to decrease as Jesus increases in their lives.

Jesus Depended Completely on God

John is not the example for every bridal company member to follow; Jesus is, so you must study His life in the four Gospels under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. It would be impossible for anyone to follow in Jesus’ footsteps if He had not come to Earth and lived as a man, but He did; so we can be like Him. Jesus showed us that there is nothing good or dependable about the flesh, and He is our example of how to live and depend on divinity.

Listen to what Jesus said to the rich, young ruler: And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God (Matthew 19:16,17). Jesus used that man’s question as a teaching moment for His followers. If Jesus declared that His flesh was no good, why would anyone think otherwise about their own flesh?

As the Son of man, Jesus learned to depend completely upon His Heavenly Father; and Jesus talked several times of His decrease and the Heavenly Father’s increase in His life here on Earth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19). This shows that Jesus depended completely on His Heavenly Father.

Jesus showed more of His dependency on God when He said, I am come in my Father’s name (John 5:43). My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me (John 7:16). For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (John 6:38). I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4).

People Must See Jesus in You

This next passage summarizes best how Jesus decreased and allowed His Father to increase in His life on Earth. Philip saith unto him [Jesus], Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake (John 14:8-11).

Study these verses with the help of the Holy Spirit, and you will see that Jesus decreased and the Heavenly Father increased in Christ’s life to the point where they were one and the same. Today, every bridal company member must be able to say those same things about themselves. Jesus also said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:12).

Carry Your Cross

Jesus Himself said we must deny self. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matthew 16:24). You must decrease before Jesus can increase within you. Only through Jesus will you have the strength, the courage and the love to carry your cross and do the whole will of God.

Today, the Cross of Jesus is a glorious symbol and representation of Christ’s victory over all; but two thousand years ago when Jesus was speaking that verse, the cross Jesus said you were to carry was a symbol of shame and suffering. So, Jesus is not telling you to deny self and pick up a glorious representation or symbol; He’s telling you to deny self and suffer for Him. Jesus wants you to pick up your cross and do the whole will of God, but you can’t do that unless self decreases.

When Self Decreases...

When self decreases, self’s opinions must decrease. Grumbling, complaining, gossiping and being critical of others must decrease; and the love language and the love bridle on your tongue must increase. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain (James 1:26). You may think you are really something special; but if your religion, your profession and your confession are vain, you are absolutely worthless in God’s eyes.

Self’s hurt feelings and disappointments must decrease. Self’s judgmental, unforgiving spirit must decrease; and divine love and forgiveness must increase. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14,15). Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:1,2). And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8).

Self’s thoughts, ways and desires must decrease; and the Lord’s ways, thoughts and desires must increase. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).

Never let self deceive you, and never label your thoughts and will to be God’s. A lot of good people are deceived by self because they confuse their holy, pure and clean human spirit with that of the Holy Spirit. Then they think their will is God’s will, and that is not so. It doesn’t matter how holy, pure and clean your human spirit becomes because it is still your human spirit and not the Holy Spirit of God.

Don’t be like the Israelites in the wilderness who reasoned within themselves and walked after their own thoughts and got into trouble. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts (Isaiah 65:2). Stop reasoning with self and learn to reason with God through prayer, fasting and living in the Word. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD (Isaiah 1:18).

Paul Let Jesus Increase

Paul is a perfect example of self decreasing and Jesus increasing. Before Paul was saved, he was a religious hypocrite who was wreaking havoc on the church of Christ. He was blinded by self and ignorance, and he believed he was doing God a service by imprisoning Christians and putting them to death because he believed Jesus was an imposter.

Paul wrote of his former life, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief (I Timothy 1:12-15).

Then one day, the Lord knocked Paul down into the dust on the road to Damascus; and Jesus revealed to Paul that He was indeed the Son of God. From that moment on, Paul realized how utterly worthless, ignorant and unreliable his flesh was. He lost all confidence in his flesh and sought more than any other apostle did for self to decrease and Jesus to increase in his life. In fact, after his conversion, Paul put everything aside and went into the desert alone for three years to be taught by the person of the Holy Ghost.

Paul learned to let Jesus increase in his life by learning to live and walk in the Spirit of God. He summarized his great change in perfection when he wrote, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Why Does Self Increase?

Examine your life today. Who is increasing, and who is decreasing daily? The reason so many Christians are weak and have no reality or power in God is that they are always in and out and up and down in their walk with the Lord. When they get saved, they don’t let Jesus increase in their life; so self continues to increase, and Jesus decreases.

The Holy Spirit gave me some thoughts that I wrote down verbatim as to why self increases and Jesus decreases in a person’s relationship with God. Reasoning with self and people increases while reasoning with God and His Holy Spirit decreases. Gossip and complaining increase, and the love language and the love bridal decrease. Self’s opinions increase, and the study of God’s Word decreases. Feasting increases, and fasting decreases.

Playing and having a good time increase while praying and meditation decrease. The cares of this life increase, and church attendance decreases. Love for self, family and this world increases; and first love for Jesus decreases. Do as you please increases, and presenting yourself as a living sacrifice unto God decreases. Self’s will increases, and God’s will decreases. Living and walking in the flesh increase, and living and walking in the Spirit decrease. As a result of all of this, your chances of being left behind when Jesus returns increase, and your chances of seeing Heaven one day decrease.

Deliverance for Soul and Body

Friend, if self, sin and this world have control of your life and heart, and it seems there is no way out, I want to tell you there is divine blood deliverance through Jesus Christ. You can be set free from the sins of this world and from that filthy, rotten self, but only the blood of Jesus will do it.

Pray this prayer with me now and mean it from your heart. Oh, God, I am lost. Save my soul. Forgive me of all of my sins. I am so sorry, Lord, that I have failed you; but I have come home, and I will serve you for the rest of my life. I believe there is power in the divine blood of Jesus that washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come into my heart.

Friend, if you meant that prayer, Jesus is yours; and the same blood that delivered your soul will heal your body. When Jesus died on the Cross, it was a twofold atonement—salvation and eternal life for the soul, and healing and deliverance for the body. If you are sick and in pain, know that the Bible says, The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up (James 5:15). The Word of God declared it, and God is truth. Rest in the Word, and let the power in the blood deliver you.

Lord, in the name of Jesus, I bring the people before you according to your Word. Lord, lay a healing hand upon each one, and let the divine healing power in the blood flow to them. In the name of Jesus, heal, heal! Lord, deliver them, make them well and raise them up to be witnesses for your honor and glory in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Friend, watch every improvement and give God all the honor and glory. We would love to hear what God did for you. Please send us your testimony to testimonies@ernestangley.org, or you can post a message to one of our social media pages.

Receive the Holy Ghost

If you don’t have the Holy Ghost, surely after this message, you now understand how absolutely necessary it is to have Him. You must be full of Him and yield to Him every day. Without Him, self can never decrease; and Jesus will never properly increase. Then you will never make it to Rapture ground.

I am going to call down an anointing on you to receive the Holy Ghost. Then get off to yourself in the presence of the Lord and start praising Him with your whole heart and mind, and don’t stop. As you praise Him and yield yourself completely to Him, the Holy Ghost and His power will come in and take you over. Then your praises will be transformed, and the Holy Ghost will begin to speak through you in another language using your tongue. It’s His miracle, and it’s His sign that He has come in to take over.

Lord, in the name of Jesus, I call the people before you now. Oh, God, anoint each one to receive the Holy Ghost. In the name of Jesus, receive ye the Holy Ghost. Friend, praise the Lord and don’t stop until the Holy Ghost comes in. God bless you today.