A Thought

“John [spoke to Jesus] and said, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.’  But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.’”  Luke 9:49-50 NKJV

If most of us were willing to be honest, we would admit we do our work in the name of the Kingdom of Heaven while focusing specifically on growing our own churches.  We equate growing the Kingdom with growing our own churches.  We have no real interest in the well-being of other churches because, frankly, we have our own agendas.  We also have our own way of understanding our Lord, and we have our own doctrines.  Beyond this, how can we know we are working effectively if the people we touch end up in other churches?

The key to understanding this passage in Luke’s gospel, I think, is in John’s concern that the “someone” who was casting out demons was not following “us”.  It could be John was concerned this “someone” was not following John and his crew – yes, including Jesus – and doing things “their” way.  What we may be able to appreciate, however, is that this “someone” was clearing working in Jesus’ name even with the disapproval of John.

We must always be careful about whom we choose to follow and in whose name we may be working.  It could very well be that John was on the cusp of becoming no better than the scribes and Pharisees who had their own sense of religion and faithfulness.  John may have been concerned that his own agenda was not being followed.  It is the danger many of us face.

Let us remember there is only one God, one Lord, one Covenant, one true and genuine religion; and it is not denominational.  It is ok if we express our faith as Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, etc. as long as we earnestly express our faith that “Christ has died for us, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again” and become an active part of a faith community.  If we lose ourselves in the senseless arguments about the proper mode of baptism, communion, or other sacramental elements of the Church, we stand to lose the sacramental nature of the Church herself as well as losing others who will not respond to our conflicts but will respond to the pure Gospel of our Lord.

It is the season of Advent for these many as well as for us!  They just don’t know it … yet.

Blessings,

Michael