October 21
October 21
There is no competition or tribalism when it comes to the faithful ministry of the gospel.
The disciples have been arguing about who is greatest, so Jesus teaches them that in his kingdom the least among them are the greatest. John responds with a complaint:
John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:49–50)
John is upset that someone is exerting divine power in ministry, and that person is not one of the twelve disciples. Now, it is easy for us to be self-righteously critical of the disciples and silently tell ourselves that, if we’d been there, we would have responded differently. But this moment in the life of Jesus and the disciples has been preserved for us because it exposes not only John’s heart, but our hearts as well.
If you pay attention to Christian culture, you see too much division, competition, and tribalism. God does not want the different parts of his family to compete with or be threatened by one another. Different parts of God’s family should never be jealous of the success of the gospel experienced by other parts of his family. We must remember that our fellow believers, no matter who they are or where they are, are not enemies that we should fear or fight. There is only one enemy: the roaring, devouring lion, Satan. We do well to remember Jesus’s words: “The one who is not against you is for you.”
We must also remember that ministry fruitfulness is always the result of the operation of divine grace. It is God who chooses whom he will use. He chooses when the winds of the Spirit will blow. He chooses who will hear and respond. He decides when and where his divine power will be displayed. God is the dispenser of his own grace, the giver of ministry gifts, and the one who empowers ministry. He promises each and every one of us that, when he sends us, he goes with us, and that which he calls us to do, he enables us to do. We can rest in his sovereignty, presence, promises, and grace. Because his power is infinite and his grace is inexhaustible, there surely is enough power to go around and enough grace to give.
So we should rejoice when we see gospel ministry producing fruit, even if that fruit is experienced by another part of the family of God. And we should pray that, whenever God’s word is read and preached, it would bear fruit—no matter who is doing the reading and preaching. For we know that fruit is a sign that God is once again dispensing his forgiving, transforming, and delivering grace.