Mark 9:38-41
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.
John had some issues with a person he saw casting out demons because he was not part of Jesus’ group. It did not say that he was not a follower of Jesus but rather was someone who was not part of their group.
This sadly usually happens in Christian groups. The gospel unites us. The message of Jesus’ kingdom glues us together as the body of Christ. Instead of working together, many choose to work independently or worse some try to discredit the legitimate work of other ministries for the reason that they are not part of our group.
Jesus responded by telling John not to stop those people as long as the ministry is done in His name. Those people are with us even if they are not part of our group. They are doing things for the kingdom of God.
It’s not about who can build the largest, most influential ministry. As the body of Christ, we must learn how to work together and advance God’s kingdom one city at a time.
Lord, unite us a body. How will the world know you? They will look at the church. I pray that the church will be stronger than ever relationally. That we would learn to bypass minor differences to work together as your representative in our cities. Bless every church, every pastor, every believer in the body of Christ. May we not lose sight of the truth that people know we are Christians by our love. In Jesus Name!