Mark 9:38-41 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
In today's passage, Jesus tells his apostles that people who earnestly support the cause of fighting the evil one by doing good in Jesus' name should be left alone. Their actions indicate they want people freed from the enemy's kingdom of darkness, so they are on the side of the light. However, if these people were false in their behavior, seeking their own grandiose plans, they will face the fire of hell. Unbelievers who pretend to be the Lord's helpers while performing seemingly miraculous wonders for their own benefit have no place in God's kingdom. Jesus said, "Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matthew 7:21-23) How do we know the difference between the two kinds of workers in the name of the Lord? Jesus said false prophets may look the same on the outside:
They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (Matthew 7:15) But the fruit of their lives will be different. They will not bear good fruit:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) They will bear sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21) By observing the fruit in their lives you will know them. How many cultish leaders have we known who are enmeshed in sin and wantonness, trying to set up a kingdom on this earth for themselves. A typical fruit they bear that points to their waywardness as instruments of evil is their sexual immorality. Oftentimes, we hear of leaders of cultish groups falling into this devilish wickedness. As believers, whenever we see a person validating sexual sin, we should turn from their message, for it is anchored in the pit of hell.
Jesus is telling the disciples that God recognizes the good intentions in people's hearts when they do good. We see this idea very clearly in the story of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. We find in this story that Cornelius is rewarded for his good life. God sends Peter to pray for him to receive the Holy Spirit. God knew the fruit of Cornelius' life, his desire to serve God by serving others. This same kind of story about God seeing good fruit in people's lives is told in Acts 9 about Tabitha: In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. God knew Tabitha's life of goodness and the desire of her heart to please him. In the story in Acts, Tabitha becomes ill and dies. The people send two men to Peter and he comes to the place where they are mourning her death. He clears the room, perhaps to have no unbelievers present, and says to her, “Tabitha, get up.” Tabitha is raised from the dead! This became known all over Joppa. God knows the intent of our hearts, whether the desires and purposes of our hearts are for our own advancement, to make us look good in the eyes of people, or if our good deeds are for God's glory and the advancement of his kingdom.
We should go about doing good, laying down our lives for others. The well-being of the lost should be in our minds as much as our own well-being. We must ask ourselves if the dial of our lives is tuned in to the servant frequency or stuck on monitoring the frequency of the self-life? Jesus told the disciples not to stop the people who were casting out demons in his name. They were people for Jesus, lifting up his name in the midst of a wounded world. They were not trying to glorify themselves, but serving others. Sometimes, if our hearts are not honest with God, we desire the spotlight and a bigger dais from which to minister for our own glorification. We want people to see how accomplished and successful we are rather than how glorious God is. Sometimes in doing the smallest ministry, we go away counting the merits we deserve, rather than praising God for the privilege of being his instruments on Earth. Weigh carefully your attitude when doing good. When we set out to fulfill the will of God by serving others, we must listen to the Holy Spirit, allowing him be our guide. If He is in control, we will not have to worry about wrong intentions. We see very clearly in Jesus' parable about the sheep and the goats that the sheep were not aware of their good deeds. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:37-40) The fruit of our lives should be so much a part of us that we are not aware of what we do for the glory of God. Our image should be God's image. Our actions should be his actions. Our words should be his words. Paul told the Philippian church, it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. And he went on to encourage the church that they were blameless in a crooked generation where you shine like stars in the universe! (Philippians 2:13&15) Today, brothers and sister, shine for Jesus and see his glory go forth in the darkness.
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