Mark: Giving up power

“Whoever is not against us is for us.” This past Sunday in the message we talked about unity in the body of Christ. Unity is a big and important topic in the church, so much so that Jesus prayed for all believers that we were to be unified (see John 17:20-26). However, being unified doesn’t mean being identical, and I think this is where we can often get tripped up.

In Mark 9:38-41 the disciples come to Jesus because they hear and see someone doing their job — casting out a demon in Jesus’ name — and they don’t like it. The main reason why they’re upset is because they still don’t fully understand why Jesus has come. In the section just before (Mark 9:30-37) we see the disciples arguing over who was the greatest among them! They are still concerned about power, control, and being first! And so when they see someone else doing what they’ve been charged to do they feel like someone is cutting in on their territory, and they stop him. When they tell Jesus they were likely expecting Him to say, “Good Job!” but He doesn’t. Instead, Jesus says, “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

As followers of Jesus, we’re called, just like the disciples were called, to care for others and serve them, and to give up power, not hold on to it. We’re called to work alongside others who are also following Jesus, even if they’re not exactly like us. This takes humility and patience because, as I’m sure you already know, we’re all not alike! We will do things differently, emphasize one thing over another, or approach a problem from a different angle. In these instances in which you see someone else doing something differently than you would, pray and seek the Spirit’s guidance, ask for humility, and then go and help your brother or sister serve God and others.

This is just a part of what we’ll be talking about on Sunday at our weekly gathering. I hope that you’ll be able to join us — our service starts at 6pm. And don’t worry, we’ll be done long before the fireworks start!!

Blessings,

Pastor Mike