Jump Start # 4060

Luke 9:49 “And John answered and said, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to hinder him because he does not follow along with us.’”

Sometimes it is just hard to get things straight in our hearts and in our thinking. John thought he was doing what the Lord would want. Someone was doing work like they were but that person wasn’t among them. This can lead to an “us” verse “them” complex.

Just sentences later, John, along with James, had a bad reception among the Samaritans. Because Jesus was traveling towards Jerusalem, the Samaritans wouldn’t have anything to do with them. It is here that John asks if the Lord would want them to command fire to come down and destroy those Samaritans.

Both accounts, within words of each other, shows a negative spirit that somehow seems to survive in these days. It is that spirit that destroys a congregation, turns the world off, and poisons our insides. And, what is most apparent is that our walk and our talk do not match. We talk about grace and love while keeping our hand on the level that opens up the door to Hell.

Some are not very far along on this journey with the Lord and they have much to learn and many things still to change. Some have never crucified the old ways and especially the old attitudes. The outside may have changed, but the insides remain judgmental, bitter and negative. It hurts to be on the receiving end of such things.

Here are some thoughts:

First, the attitudes we hold do not disprove the teachings of the N.T. Many will make a conclusion about faith, Christ and His kingdom based upon what they see in us. That picture may be cloudy and not accurate. The word of God holds true, whether we live by it, show it, demonstrate it or not. The genuineness of the message is not based upon how well we keep it or show it.

Second, Jesus does not treat people this way. Jesus wasn’t calling for fire to come down from Heaven and burn people up. Jesus was trying to keep people from the burning fires of Hell by offering Himself as a sacrifice. We may disappoint each other. We may let one another down. We may fail to live up to our obligations and responsibilities. We may not keep our promises. But, that’s not the way the Lord is. God is faithful. God is true. You can count on the Lord.

Third, there are some disciples that struggle with being a disciple. There are some that have kept one foot in the world as they have tried to stick the other foot in the kingdom. That doesn’t work well. In fact, it doesn’t work at all. Discipleship is more than just going to church on Sunday. It is walking with the Lord and becoming like Jesus.

In the book, “The Jesus I never knew,” the author says, “Troubled people ran to Jesus, but now it seems they run from His people.” Nietzhe said, “I will believe in their redeemer when the Christians look a little more redeemed.”

The same John that was wanting to call fire from Heaven and prevent some from casting out demons, would fill his letters with appeal to love one another. More than 30 times in John’s letters one reads about love. “The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 Jn 2:10). Later, “God is love” (4:8).

Our journey with the Lord challenges the way we think and the way we were raised. We come to intersections where the spirit of being negative and condemning faces the love of Christ. Which will it be? Which path will we follow? It is so much easier to point out what is wrong than to recognize and praise what is right.

John learned. I can learn. You can learn.

Roger