For us or against us

They are Not Against Us

Luke 9:49-50 "Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

As a resident of Twitterworld and of Facebookworld, I see a great deal of “stuff”. Some is factual, reporting much that which somehow doesn’t reach the mainstream media. Some is opinion, which is very mixed and with which I can sometimes agree but sometimes disagree. Much of it is quite or even very loving. But much is hateful and hurtful. And, although it hurts both me and my Lord, much of the hateful, hurtful stuff comes from those calling themselves Christians.

Some of the really hurtful comments come where “sin” is perceived. I have to ask myself, “Where is the love?” Sometimes we get so tied into that which we believe that no other view is acceptable or even possible. Instead of talking things through with love, we descend into judgementalism. That is when love goes out of the window and condemnation of others sets in. Satan 1 Christians 0.

Yet what was it that Jesus Himself said, “He who is not against us is on our side.” This is something the whole world could take to heart but it is something that we Christians have never really learnt. We see our denominationalism as all separating, all defining, and all dividing. Instead of celebrating that which unites us, we cling desperately to that which separates us as if to violate that would throw us immediately into hell.

Our church is part of a local group of churches where, once every three months or so, the pastors swap pulpits !!! I stand to be corrected but I don’t know of any other place where this happens – Pentecostal pastor preaching in a Catholic church?? Methodist and Baptist and C of E churches swapping pulpits??? Last week it was our local Methodist minister who came to our Pentecostal church. He told us the story of children discussing churches and one asked the other, “Which abomination do you go to?” He meant ‘denomination’ of course – but out of the mouths of babes and sucklings . . . . .

Oh brothers and sisters, if only we could actually put love in front of all of our suspicions, all of our differences, and simply concentrate on that which unites us – Jesus Christ and Him crucified for our sins and for our redemption. Why do we still condemn those who disagree with our point of view. We once had a man take serious umbrage and walk out in a great big huff over a simple legalistic point. Such a shame. All he had to do was to point out his disagreement and we could have blessed him on his way and remained friends – but he chose otherwise. So it is in countless churches – intolerance on both sides where Jesus said, “He who is not against us is on our side.”

Like everything else, unity has its price. In my opinion it is pride that is the key to unity. Get rid of our pride and embrace unity with humility and we may get somewhere. When will we learn? We will all have to explain our disunity one day. Tolerance and intolerance are not words we will ever hear in Heaven because in God’s Kingdom, His true and real Kingdom, there is no disunity. We are now, and always will be, united under Jesus Christ – our Lord and Saviour.

Anything less here on earth is unacceptable.