THE VOICE CALLING IN THE WILDERNESS [Preaching the second coming of Christ]

August 31, 2026

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“Finally, they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John 1: Verse 22

“I am the voice calling in the desert.” “I am the voice crying out in the wilderness.” That was John‘s answer.

That is what Christians should say about themselves; that’s what Christians should be in this life.

That is what you should say about yourself, and honestly so. You should be seen to be calling out, to be truly crying out for the salvation of mankind. It would be unfair of you to claim that you call out or cry out when you never do. But then why should you act dumb when you can speak?

God expects the Christian to be ever calling out, ever crying out, for noble reasons.

While John cried out to prepare people for the first coming of Jesus, we should of necessity also cry out because Jesus is coming for the second time, this time not as a baby in a manger, but as a roaring lion, the King of Kings! That’s what the bible teaches us.

John replied on the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’” John 1:23 [NIV]

A desert is a dry place; not much grows there. John had a mandate to bring life to the lifeless, to make the desert come alive! You have the same mandate!

I take the above-cited bible verse to mean that our surroundings are deserts of sorts; we dwell in deserts because in there are non-believers, who do not have the life of Christ in them. In there also are believers who look absent-minded, who lack the fire of Christ.

So, our calling out, our crying out, is so that we may prepare these two groups to be truly ready for the second coming of Christ.

There are so many voices out there, even among the worshipers. But if you carefully listen to some of the voices, you will realize that they are not designed to benefit the audience but to exalt the self. Such voices are not meant to point the audience in the direction of Christ, but to point them toward self.

Some voices are actually designed to assassinate souls. These voices have no relevance in the straightening of paths for the Lord. It’s a pity!

John’s voice was no ordinary voice; it was an effective voice designed to change things for the better. So should yours be!

Here is how John sought to bring life to his audience: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'” John 1:29 [NIV].

This is truly inspiring. First, John testified that he was not the Christ. Some could instead have sought to deceive the audience by claiming to be Christ!

Second, John pointed his audience to Christ. Some could instead have taken the opportunity to put themselves on the pedestal, pointing the audience to themselves!

If you really want to bring life to the lifeless, point them to Christ. Change the wilderness into a flourishing, productive land.

You are a voice but be careful about the kind of message that people could be getting from you. You need to focus your calling out (your crying out) totally on the Lord Jesus Christ.

I clearly remember the day, my God, when a relative asked me to accompany him to your House. He said to me, “Come, let us go to the House of God.”

It felt like I was doing him a favor – so that he would not be lonely as he attended church, because I had no business attending church, or so I thought.

Little did I know that this simple step, that simple invitation, would take me out of the world into your household, from death to life. It’s been a long time since this happened and up to this day, I still wonder what manner of person I would have turned out to be without you.

I, therefore, pray, O God, asking that You similarly make me a soul-winner after Your own heart, that I too may bring many to salvation, that they too may taste and see how good You are.

May Your Spirit lead me in the direction I am eager to go. In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen.