S) "49 John answered and said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.' 50 But Jesus said to him, 'Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.'"
Luke 9:49-50 (NASB)
O) This is such a tough passage. On the one hand, it's a simple directive: If a man is claiming the name of Jesus and he is not against you, he is for you. On the other hand, how do we define someone being against us? The most obvious opponents of Christians would not be claiming the name of Jesus in the first place. But, can someone claim the name of Christ and still be against the followers of Christ? I think it must be so, otherwise it would seem Jesus's answer would have been more along the lines of saying, "Do not hinder him; for he who claims my name is for you." But that is decidedly not what Jesus used as the criterion. Instead, it's the person who is claiming His Name, but also, is not against us; that man is for us and should not be hindered.
I've been to a lot of different churches. I attended a Foursquare church a very long time, a Lutheran church for a while, I went to a Baptist church as a kid... It's pretty easy for me to assert that, while there are distinctions between them, they are, none of them, "against" the other. But when I look at Mormonism, which claims to operate in the name of Jesus, I see a lot wrong with what they do... but then, does that make them "against" me? I mean, Mormons are, by and large, just about the nicest people I've ever met (allowing for generalizing). So, does that mean they aren't against me, and therefore for me, and I should not try to hinder them? It's pretty easy for me to say, if someone is claiming the name of Jesus, but they are doing something unbiblical, that would be against me, wouldn't it? I mean, it would certainly be undermining one teaching or another that I support, since I'm supporting what the Bible teaches directly. But then, my question goes back to being about the man in the story. There are only a few things we know for sure about his beliefs. He believed the name of Jesus has the power to save. He believed freedom from demonic possession is good... I'm not sure we can really say more than that. So, did he have beliefs that would now be called unbiblical? Is it possible he believed Jesus and satan are literally brothers? Is it possible he believed that he would be the ruler of a planet when he got to heaven? Did he even believe in hell? Did he believe once-saved-always-saved? etc. And here is the toughest question of all: Did it really matter what he believed about all of those other things? If so, why wasn't there a list of criteria for who is for us?
A) Here's what I think (and I'm welcome to hear other opinions, or even correction if I'm missing this). I think the point Jesus was making was to choose your battles. What we know of the man's behavior is that he was doing the same work Jesus and the disciples doing, in casting out demons in Jesus's name. That is what disturbed the John, and that action was not against the disciples, but for them. So, when it comes to other people, like the Mormons, who do some of the most charitable work, maybe Jesus would have us leave them alone in that, since it is not against us. If someone is proselytizing your child or your friend, that becomes very much against us, and then I would argue that God wants us to step in and speak up, and get involved. But, by and large, I think we live in a super-connected world. Social media, or some traditional media, makes us more aware of the world around us than ever before now. And I think we start to feel an obligation, that we need to speak up and speak out against every issue that there is. Suddenly, we all have a platform, a microphone, a soapbox. It becomes very easy to think that every fight is our fight. But I just don't think that's the case. I mean, if you're an evangelist, then yes, I'd say you should be very concerned about what Jehovah's Witnesses are doing... but if you work in a soup kitchen...? Or, if you work at a teen pregnancy outreach, then you should be very concerned when a church claiming Christ is supporting abortion! But what if you work at a gospel mission? I think, as Christians, we'll face enough direct opposition, that we don't need to go picking fights, trying to find more enemies. So, when we hear stories about people doing things in the name of Jesus, unless it comes against us directly, maybe we just need to let it go...
I've been to a lot of different churches. I attended a Foursquare church a very long time, a Lutheran church for a while, I went to a Baptist church as a kid... It's pretty easy for me to assert that, while there are distinctions between them, they are, none of them, "against" the other. But when I look at Mormonism, which claims to operate in the name of Jesus, I see a lot wrong with what they do... but then, does that make them "against" me? I mean, Mormons are, by and large, just about the nicest people I've ever met (allowing for generalizing). So, does that mean they aren't against me, and therefore for me, and I should not try to hinder them? It's pretty easy for me to say, if someone is claiming the name of Jesus, but they are doing something unbiblical, that would be against me, wouldn't it? I mean, it would certainly be undermining one teaching or another that I support, since I'm supporting what the Bible teaches directly. But then, my question goes back to being about the man in the story. There are only a few things we know for sure about his beliefs. He believed the name of Jesus has the power to save. He believed freedom from demonic possession is good... I'm not sure we can really say more than that. So, did he have beliefs that would now be called unbiblical? Is it possible he believed Jesus and satan are literally brothers? Is it possible he believed that he would be the ruler of a planet when he got to heaven? Did he even believe in hell? Did he believe once-saved-always-saved? etc. And here is the toughest question of all: Did it really matter what he believed about all of those other things? If so, why wasn't there a list of criteria for who is for us?
A) Here's what I think (and I'm welcome to hear other opinions, or even correction if I'm missing this). I think the point Jesus was making was to choose your battles. What we know of the man's behavior is that he was doing the same work Jesus and the disciples doing, in casting out demons in Jesus's name. That is what disturbed the John, and that action was not against the disciples, but for them. So, when it comes to other people, like the Mormons, who do some of the most charitable work, maybe Jesus would have us leave them alone in that, since it is not against us. If someone is proselytizing your child or your friend, that becomes very much against us, and then I would argue that God wants us to step in and speak up, and get involved. But, by and large, I think we live in a super-connected world. Social media, or some traditional media, makes us more aware of the world around us than ever before now. And I think we start to feel an obligation, that we need to speak up and speak out against every issue that there is. Suddenly, we all have a platform, a microphone, a soapbox. It becomes very easy to think that every fight is our fight. But I just don't think that's the case. I mean, if you're an evangelist, then yes, I'd say you should be very concerned about what Jehovah's Witnesses are doing... but if you work in a soup kitchen...? Or, if you work at a teen pregnancy outreach, then you should be very concerned when a church claiming Christ is supporting abortion! But what if you work at a gospel mission? I think, as Christians, we'll face enough direct opposition, that we don't need to go picking fights, trying to find more enemies. So, when we hear stories about people doing things in the name of Jesus, unless it comes against us directly, maybe we just need to let it go...
P) Father, first give me a compassionate heart. Let me see others, all others, through Your perspective. Give me a discerning heart, to know when something is worth fighting. Let me fiercely protect my love ones, from deception or false doctrine. But fi something is not truly against me, show me that it's okay to let it go. Let me trust that there are others who will fight. I confess that every fight is not my fight. Even more so, God, when I do have a fight, when there are enemies that have become mine, let me be faithful and obedient to act. Give me courage and strength and direction and discipline and patience, to do Your will above all else. In Jesus's name I pray, amen.
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