Reflecting on Mark 9:38-41
"For whoever is not against us is for us." (Mark 9:40)We have this tendency to divide ourselves into camps and clubs.
We label others as either with us or not with us.
We are constantly dividing, narrowing the definition of who belongs.
There is a sermon illustration I once heard that points to this:
“Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!” He said, “Nobody loves me.” I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?”
He said, “A Christian.”
I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?”
He said, “Protestant.”
I said, “Me, too! What franchise?”
He said, “Baptist.”
I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Baptist.”
I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.”
I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.”
I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”
He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”
I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him over.”
This would be funny if it were not so close to the truth.
Instead of seeing others through Jesus, we separate others from Jesus.
Belonging to different churches and denominations is not a bad thing.
The Church of Jesus is made up of many tribes and nations.
And we are all unique, different, with different ways of believing and doing.
Diversity of faith and expression is not the problem.
The problem is when we condemn others for not being ‘with us’.
The problem is when we refuse to accept others, like Jesus does.
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7)
Jesus accepts us by grace alone, not for our rightness.
Jesus brings together a mixed bag of different believers.
What holds them together is not the same beliefs.
What unites them together is their openness to Jesus.
Those who trust in and imitate Jesus are in His family.
If they respond favourably to Jesus…
If they help and heal others in Jesus’s Name…
If they show kindness to you as a Jesus follower…
These people are demonstrating both faith and fruit.
They do not need to hold the same exact beliefs as us.
They do not need to belong to our community or church.
They belong to Jesus, despite their differences; they are His Church.
What is the basis of unity in your church?
What are the boundaries that determine if someone is in or out?
The church I attend centers itself on Jesus.
So long as you are moving toward Jesus…
So long as you are committed to growing in the Jesus Way…
If you are for Jesus and the Jesus Way, you are one of us.
This church expresses its faith through the words of the Nicene Creed.
This is one of the ecumenical (universally shared) creeds.
It is not perfect, and people still disagree on specifics.
But generally speaking, we are all moving in this direction.
There are many different understandings of christian faith.
There are many different understandings of christian living.
So long as you are being humble and gracious about it, you belong.
So long as you show kindness to others who also believe, you belong.
You may be conservative, you may be liberal.
You may be traditional, you may be progressive.
You may be liturgical, you may be charismatic.
You may be affirming, you may be non-affirming.
You may be a complementarian, you may be an egalitarian.
You may be a lot of things, but you may not be a jerk about it.
We are accepted by grace, we are commanded to be gracious.
Healing and kindness are the evidence that we belong to Jesus.
What unites us (or ought to) is our longing for Jesus and the Jesus Way.
This kind of unity in love is what shows the world we belong to Jesus.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
“For whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:40)
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank You for including me in Your family. I have beliefs and practices that do not exactly fit in with historic churchianity. Many christians would accuse me of being wrong, and I would say the same for them. But regardless of what they believe, or how they live, AS LONG AS they are committed to You and Your Way (even if imperfectly), they are one with You, and one of us (Your family).
Help me to accept others as You accept me.
Two things stand out.
I have beliefs that do not exactly fit in with churchianity. I think we all do. That is how we grow. We question and try to understand the meaning behind God’s word. It is how we come to understand it so we can live it.
What unites us is our longing for Jesus and the Jesus Way. It is hard to feel united when you feel as if you cannot question in order to understand better. It is through fellowship with fellow believers that you can grow. It can be through discussion which can also involve questioning that you better come to understand the teachings of Jesus and what they mean. Learning is a continuum. Sometimes a church does not encourage that so how do you grow in your understanding? What I understood as a child has certainly grown as an adult. That is expected. But is it accepted?
I taught in an interdenominational Christian school. It was great because aal the members were accepting of one another. We were one in Christ, nurturing our kids for Christian service. God helped me along the Way when one of my kids married someone from a different denomination. Greater happines for parents is that their kids marry those who serve the Lord. How are we together practicing our way to servethe Lord in all we do amd say? God’s family is very diverse but we are all part of His family.