If you had been walking in John’s footsteps, would you stop someone who wasn’t in your group?
John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.” (Luke 9:49)
What does it mean to be in our group…
- Believe exactly like we do?
- Behave exactly like we do?
- Perform exactly like we do?
- Worship exactly like we do?
Would you do stop someone who isn’t in your group today? Have you done this? Before you deny it, please consider that if you had been in John’s position, with John’s knowledge, and John’s perspective, you probably would have done the same thing. I know I would have done the same thing. And, I know I have done the same thing. What did Jesus say about this…
But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:50)
Think about what this means. The head of the church which is Christ’s body that contains every saved man, woman, and child in the whole world said, “Don’t stop him!” If Jesus didn’t stop him, why should you?
What does it mean to be not in our group?
- Believe differently than we do?
- Behave differently than we do?
- Perform differently than we do?
- Worship differently than we do?
If it’s okay for someone to not be in our group, can we learn from that person? If it’s okay for someone to believe differently than we do, can we learn from that person? If it’s okay for someone to behave differently than we do, can we learn from that person? If it’s okay for someone to perform differently than we do, can we learn from that person? If it’s okay for someone to worship differently than we do, can we learn from that person?
I believe in an open mind,
but not so open that your brains fall out.
(Arthur Hays Sulzberger)
The Bible says how to do this…
That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. (Acts 17:10-12)
Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness. (Isaiah 8:19-21)
How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:9-11)
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception. (1 John 4:1-6)
Next> How does sectarian opinion become a doctrine of sectarianism?