Friends in Christ Weekly Message
September 27, 2003

     John spoke up, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn't in our group."
     Jesus wasn't pleased. "Don't stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down."
Mark 9:38-39 (Message*)

Often we think of our particular group - congregation, denomination or whatever - as the correct followers of Jesus Christ, and we look with great suspicion on what others do in Jesus' name. Jesus warns us against this attitude. They may not have the "right" membership or the "right" theology, but if they are doing the Lord's work, that's just fine with Jesus.

We get some insight into the power of Jesus' name which is a little different from the way we may usually think about it. Here Jesus indicates that doing good works in His name will keep us from then attacking Him later. The power of Jesus' name not only works to accomplish the good deeds, but also works on the doer.

May we each be doers of the Lord's work in the name of Jesus. May we feel the bond of unity with all others doing the same, no matter how different from us they may seem.

Bill Samuel

* The Message version ©2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.

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