Luke 9:49-50 (ESV)
[49] John answered, “Master, we
saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because
he does not follow with us.” [50] But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for
the one who is not against you is for you.”
The Disciples were just arguing
about who is the greatest among them. Now they tell Jesus about others who are
casting out demons in Jesus’ name. We don’t know who they were. They could have
been some of the larger group of disciples following Jesus. But the Twelve are
still posturing for greatness. They have developed an “us – them” mentality toward
others following Jesus. They had the inside track to him. They were superior.
It is so easy to start building
walls, to start posturing before God. We have all the right theology. We have
the correct practices. We are more in tune to the Spirit. And we begin to look
at other believers as second-class followers of Jesus. Jesus’ words should stop
us in our tracks, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for
you.”
If we are going to worship together
in Heaven, then shouldn’t we fellowship here on earth? If we believe that only “we”
will make it, then we have moved away from the gospel and moved to a works-based
faith. Only those with our correct theology, our correct practices, our correct
. . . will get in. Really! That’s the gospel? We are not saved by our correct
theology, our correct practices, our correct methodologies. We are saved by the
grace of God through faith.
When we begin to develop that “us-them”
mentality we should look again at Jesus’ words to his disciples, “Do not stop
him, for the one who is not against you is for you.” There is one church, not
twenty-seven churches. There is one Body of Christ, not fifty. Do we reject
cults? Certainly. Their god and their gospel are not the same, but let’s make
sure that we are not rejecting brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s stop posturing
for greatness and learn to serve.
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