SCRIP-BITS

Luke 9:50.    And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
 
Oh Friends, the weekend is upon us once again, and I can hear the joy and frivolity in our voices as we enthuse and exclaim: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ That means it’s time for our Friday chant. So let’s chant, loud and clear. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And having chanted that prayer, our spirits should be revitalized and able to help us to keep on soaring like the eagles we are in Jesus. Turning to our Bit, which is one of those events that’s not recorded in the gospels of Matthew or John, but are found in Luke and Mark. It stems from a statement by John: ‘Master, we saw one casting out devils (demons) in thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.’ (Luke 9:49-50) Ah mih people, Jesus was fond of these little sayings and knew their benefits. Someone casting out demons had to be working with the Holy Spirit, for as He said when talking about a house divided being unable to stand: ‘And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.’ (Matt.12:26-28) So technically speaking, if you’re not obviously rooting for the enemy, then you’re on safe ground. Likewise, He said a little later on in Matthew: ‘He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.’ (Matt.12:30) Contrary to some opinions, the scholars point out that those two verses don’t contradict each other, because they address different situations. In the context of Matthew 12:30, where it boils down to a critical point of accepting or rejecting Jesus, not being for Him amounts to opposing Him, as Jesus declares in John: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) However, if we’re referring to someone trying to work in Christ’s name, but perhaps with limited knowledge of Him, there’s no need to put out or quench that latent fire. And a good example of that is the early days of Apollos’ ministry: ‘This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently (accurately) the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.’ (Acts 18:25) His knowledge was limited to John’s teaching, but instead of shutting him up, Aquila and Priscilla realized his potential and took him under their wing ‘and expounded (explained) unto him the way of God more perfectly (accurately).’ (Acts.18:26) And we know afterwards Apollos went on to do great work in Christ’s Name. So hopefully there’ll be no more controversy over those two passages. And we’ll end with a perusal of Mark’s version of the incident because he gives it much more airtime than Luke. John’s statement is the same: ‘But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly (soon afterward) speak evil of me. for he that is not against us is on our part (side). 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 9:39:41) Therefore Friends, before we criticize or legitimize situations like those we looked at today, we must first check out the underlying circumstances very carefully, for depending on their context, they could fall into either category, and we certainly don’t want to make poor choices by legitimizing the wrong one, and criticizing the right one. If you know what I mean? (smile) Let’s think on those things today Friends, see if we know of any persons who could fit into either category. And if by chance we do know anyone, consider also if there’s anything we can do to help them. This will surely assist in our understanding of the Lord’s Word. Till we meet again tomorrow, our God in favour, please walk in peace and safety with Him. Much LOVE!…shortcomings are only a problem…if we don’t believe in Christ…and are also rooting against Him…  P.S. As the song on the radio is saying, remember to: ‘Start your day with LOVE, for God is LOVE. And LOVE is stronger than war. LOVE will destroy every foe. LOVE will make your good times last. LOVE will heal our past. So give LOVE today…and everyday… Give LOVE today…and everyday…