ON YOUR MARK: WEEK 9 DAY 3

Mark 9:38-41

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

I had to read this passage several times before I caught one small phrase: “because he was not following us” (Mark 9:38). Other translations say “because he was not one of us”  (Mark 9:38). The disciples had done the hard thing. They had followed Jesus, and now, that was affording them some status. They were one of the twelve, the inner circle, of this Teacher who was becoming increasingly popular. Jesus could sense their annoyance at their exclusivity being threatened, and in turn, He didn’t really address the other person, He simply guided them into picking their battles; this was not where they should focus their attention. Any display of mercy, care, and healing done authentically in Jesus’ name shows that someone is following Jesus. To work in Jesus' name, is to work aligned with the Gospel message of Jesus. 

We need to remain kingdom minded. When someone comes along who does “your thing” at church, or another ministry prospers, we should be excited that the Kingdom of God is growing. Remember to pick your battles, meaning, we have one enemy, Satan, so don’t treat each other as “the enemy.”

Philippians 2:3

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.