One day while walking through our German town, I heard believers singing gospel songs. They had driven some distance to do evangelistic work in our city. I walked over, gave them the thumbs-up, sang along, and even showed them that my tracts were the same as theirs. I was dismayed, however, as they shunned me.
My experience has an instructive parallel in the Lord’s mentoring of His disciples. While He was focusing on the cross, His disciples were preoccupied with their positions and rank in His future kingdom. So, Jesus placed a child before them and reminded them that true greatness receives people esteemed to be lowly (Mark 9:31-37). John the Beloved’s conscience apparently troubled him at hearing these words. Recently he and at least one other disciple had encountered a person casting out demons in the Jesus’ name. Relating the event to Jesus, John mentions twice, as though to excuse or to reassure himself that he had acted appropriately, “He followed not us … he followed not us” (Mark 9:38-41).
Can those who don’t “follow us” be real followers of Christ?
It is unlikely but possible that John discounted the man’s salvation. As I was growing up, my father pastored both Baptist and Bible churches. However, his younger brothers were pastors in other denominations. I found it hard to imagine as a child that my uncles could have been saved, for they “followed not us.”
When at family reunions they shared legitimate spiritual truths from their fellowship with the Lord, I distrusted their insights and could not imagine that we would someday occupy the same heaven. This mistrust was reinforced when years later I received Bible instruction from a man who believed that the people of his denomination were the bride of Christ, while others were at best the friends of the Bridegroom.
Around the same time, though, I could not reconcile how a Lutheran neighbor lady could walk around town giving a radiant testimony and enduring the ridicule of the townspeople for the name of the Lord Jesus. After all, she did not attend our church!
Don’t forbid them.
The Lord Jesus told John in this situation, “Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part [i.e., for us].”
Next, our Lord gave an illustration that we sometimes disassociate from the context. He declared, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mark. 9:41). This may describe how the man whose ministry they forbade had treated the Lord’s disciples. If so, this placed the disciples in a conundrum. They were experiencing what we might now call Christian charity from a person whose ministry, if not his salvation, they might have questioned. They felt an obligation to shut down his ministry but could sense perhaps that they had grieved a good man, one who served their Lord. As the Lord taught on receiving a child, John’s already sensitive conscience was likely in turmoil as he thought about someone he himself had not “received.”
Be generous, but not gullible.
In no way does Jesus’ teaching imply that everyone who claims the name of Christ is saved. The Lord made abundantly clear this is not the case (a truth that is very much needed). In this situation, however, the disciples needed a different thrust. They needed the emphasis that others could build with something besides “wood, hay, and stubble.” Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that when rewards are passed out, some outside our circles might receive more rewards than we deemed possible.
Let it be observed that the Lord did not insist that the disciples organize a prayer breakfast with the fellow. Nor did He indicate that everything the man was doing was correct, or that anything was wrong, for that matter. Possibly the man was off base in some matter of doctrine or practice, as the disciples themselves often were. We assume he was on target regarding essentials of the Lord’s person, as far as they were knowable at that time. From this incident we should learn to be generous, though not gullible, regarding those who name the name of Christ.
Personally, I cannot support some Christian student organizations on secular campuses, some evangelistic methods such as beach evangelism, and many “Christian liberties” regarding musical styles, clothing modes, and outward trappings such as tattoos. Though Romans 14 deals primarily with matters left over from Judaism (foods and special days), we should take to heart that brethren with whom we differ have (1) the same verdict – “accepted,” ( 2) the same Master – “God/the Lord,” (3) the same security – “he will stand,” (4) the same motivation – “unto the Lord,” and (5) the same appointment – “the judgment seat.”
Beware of an overly zealous suspicion.
We may be at different points in Christian growth, but we should foster the same spirit (small “s”) of the Lord Jesus when we encounter people who love the Lord but are not working with the same churches and organizations as we. We cannot know their hearts. Love hopes and believes all things. We want to rejoice whenever Christ is preached faithfully, regardless of peoples’ motives. Let us refrain from condemning people who allow what we do not and from belittling those who do not allow what we do. We must never endorse or excuse outright sin, but we must always guard against harming the body over non-essentials and against overly zealous suspicion of others who have obtained like precious faith with us.
Jesus said in Mark 9:41, “He shall not lose his reward.” Let us be watchful not to lose ours through unbiblical suspicion of sincere followers of Christ who are not following us.