Are you an on-purpose person? Do you deal with things as they come up, or do you prepare for contingencies? Some people fail to prepare while others prepare for failure. People who live on-purpose would rather try at something that could fail than fail to try at something that could succeed. Are you willing to take a risk? In a nutshell, do you live proactively or reactively? I realize that there are some things one cannot prepare for such as tragedies; however, one can always be mentally prepared to face times of difficulty and still remain an on-purpose person.

John the Baptist was divinely appointed to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ, and Jesus even called him the greatest of all prophets[1]. John knew his purpose and fulfilled it. He was to preach repentance and point to the coming Messiah. As far as I can tell, John never deviated from that purpose. As well, John doesn’t have a pity party when Jesus does come. John served faithfully until the end, even telling his disciples to go and follow after Jesus – the Lamb of God![2]

On-purpose people serve out their purpose and do not need to be applauded or rewarded. John fulfilled his purpose, even losing his life in the process, yet his only moment of weakness was a desire to have one last confirmation that Jesus was truly the One whom he (John) was supposed to have announced to the world[3].

Sometimes fulfilling purpose means letting someone else get the glory. John had preached for a period of time and had acquired quite a following, and had disciples who desired to emulate him. John could have let this go to his head, but we don’t see that at all. Instead, John says of the one coming after him, “He must increase, but I must decrease![4]” If you’ve completed your purpose in a situation, can you say to the next one to lead in your place, “He must increase, but I must decrease”?

Regretfully, I have realized that the day will come when some young punk will think he loves my daughter. He’ll ask me first for the permission to ask my daughter to marry him, and after he passes 613 exams, and I’ve done a complete background check through Homeland Security, the CIA, FBI, Interpol, and the Secret Service, and after I’ve prayed and fasted for 40 days and nights, then I might give my permission. Then, if the said punk earns the right to ask my daughter to marry him, I will have to walk her down the aisle and when the preacher asks, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” I will have to answer, “I do.”

Now, of course the previous paragraph was greatly exaggerated to illustrate the point. I will have to trust that my wife and I have done the best we can and that another man is going to now love and lead my daughter. At that point, I will have to decrease and he will increase. Yes, I’ll always be her daddy and she’ll always be my little girl, but I will have to “give her up” and that’s a hard lesson to learn and practice. It is even hard to type it in this book.

I suppose I’m in my prime right now. I’ve had some great years, and believe that the best is yet to come for me. However, there will come a day when I will have to realize that another man will lead this congregation to a new level. It will be at that pivotal juncture that I must decrease so that the next pastor can increase. That’s just the way it is in leadership. It doesn’t mean that you are not needed, or that your service will be in vain. But as time marches on, change is inevitable.

The difficulty for me will be to relinquish the responsibility of this church to the next pastor. But he too will face a difficulty – that of building upon the foundation that I’ve laid. Transition is difficult but possible if both leaders are on-purpose people. John was on-purpose and brilliantly passed the baton to Jesus. Both men realized their place and did what was best for each other and those who followed them.

What if your predecessor does a better job than you? What if they take the ministry you’ve led to the next level? How will that make you feel? For people that are on-purpose it’s the natural process of growth and is accepted and appreciated. Too many today are position-oriented which is influenced by personality and politics. However, it is better to be people-oriented and be an influence on others.

This principle was not lost on Jesus as He empowered and ordained eleven men to carry the mission[5]. Judas Iscariot had been called an apostle[6], but by the time Jesus ordains them, Satan has entered Judas’ heart and he is bartering with the priests to betray Jesus. These eleven men are called and chosen to carry on His ministry. He tells them they will do greater works than He has done[7]. This is the epitome of an on-purpose person. John decreases so Jesus can increase. Jesus dies, empowering His apostles and 109 others in an upper room[8], and they turn their world upside down for Christ![9] On-purpose people continue the legacy and build upon the foundation that was laid before them[10]. On-purpose people do not become distracted by transition, realizing that they too “increased” as someone else was “decreasing.”

When I pass the mantle to the next pastor, I will trust that he will humbly follow Christ and lead people forward into greater victories. It’s not about who is better than the other. It’s about each member doing its part to edify the whole body. John Maxwell says, “It takes teamwork to make the dream work.” On-purpose people are team players realizing that when one team member scores the whole team scores and if enough points are scored, the whole team wins!

Regardless of how talented sports celebrities are, without a team around them, they would fail miserably. No batter likes to hit a sacrifice fly, but his sacrifice advances the runner closer to home, and sometimes all the way home. Are you willing to make sacrifices so that others can make it home? Are you willing to decrease so that others can increase?

The story is told of a secretary who had held the position for over 40 years. She was becoming forgetful at times, and the pastor and trustees desired to replace her gracefully. They prayerfully considered their options, and after showing her honor, they replaced her. However, she became bitter and spread a rumor that the pastor only wanted a younger secretary so he could have an affair.

After an investigation by the church board, the pastor was found to be innocent of all allegations, but due to the damage done to his reputation in the small town, he would have to leave. Realizing that her bitterness and lies had caused this problem, the former secretary apologized and asked the pastor to forgive her and help her undo the wrong she had done.

He told her to come with him to the top of the bell tower and he brought along a pillow. As they stood on top of the tower, he ripped open the pillow and threw the feathers into the wind. As they blew all over the countryside, he said, “If you can retrieve all of those feathers, then you can undo what you’ve done.”

The moral of the story is not meant to point out the power that rumors and lies have, but to show you how this secretary was not a purpose-minded-person. She became distracted by her bitterness over “losing” her position and it ruined her and others. This is what happens if the enemy successfully distracts you from your purpose. Don’t let this happen to you! Learn the art of decreasing so that others can increase. Help someone else become better than you were. It’s the mark of a true teacher when the student outdoes his teacher and the Bible is where this principle is found: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.[11]”

Will you decrease so that another can increase?

[1] Luke 7:28

[2] John 1:35-37

[3] Luke 7:20-22

[4] John 3:30

[5] John 15:14-16

[6] Luke 6:13-16

[7] John 14:12

[8] Acts 1:13-15

[9] Acts 17:6

[10] 1 Corinthians 3:10

[11] Psalm 119:99-100 (English Standard Version)