“It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”
John 3:29–30 (NLT)
When John’s disciples grew worried that people were flocking to Jesus instead of him, John saw what they couldn’t: his purpose was never to keep the crowd—it was to give them away. He compared himself to the best man at a wedding, whose greatest joy is not to be noticed but to watch the groom unite with his bride. The church is that bride. She belongs to Jesus, not us.
The success of the Bridegroom is the beauty of His bride. Every soul that turns to Jesus, every heart that’s healed, every believer who grows in holiness—this is what makes the Bride radiant. That’s what filled John with joy. His satisfaction wasn’t in being followed, but in knowing the Groom was being exalted. That’s what it means to decrease: not to disappear, but to take our rightful place beside the Groom, celebrating His glory.
Then John said something even deeper. Jesus could speak heaven’s words because the Father gave Him the Holy Spirit without limit. That means the power behind His ministry wasn’t status—it was surrender. God was with Him because He was fully yielded to the Spirit. And now that same Spirit is given to us. When we yield like Jesus did, we don’t just talk about God—we reveal Him.
Jesus didn’t walk in power just because He was the Son of God, but because He was fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit now lives in us. When belief becomes obedience, the life of God flows without limit. That’s how the Bride becomes beautiful—not through performance, but through partnership. The more we let Jesus increase, the more His Spirit transforms the church into a living testimony that God is true.