Discipleship
Pastor Jiang
Translated by Leo Liu
May 9: 38-41 Chapter 9 of Mark gives us two pictures full of tension. A picture is full of glory and holiness, the kingdom of God has the power to come, and the prologue has opened. On the high mountain, the apostles Peter, John, and Jacob experienced such a glorious and awesome vision that they would never forget in their lifetime (v. 2-8). The second picture is full of failures and embarrassments. Under the mountain, the disciples of Christ cannot cast out the dumb ghosts and argue with each other on the way (14-37). Jesus taught his disciples to say, "Whoever wants to be the leader will be the servant of all." Just resolved the internal contradiction of the disciples "Who is the big one?", And the external contradiction "Who are our friends and enemies?" At this time, John said to Jesus on behalf of the disciples: "We saw a man cast out demons in your name, and we forbid him because he did not follow us." The disciple's implication is that although this person can cast out demons in the name of Jesus, he does not follow us and is not ours. He is forbidden to do this in the name of Jesus. We are the genuine disciples, he is the counterfeit one, we must fight this! Jesus said, "Don't forbid him, because those who do not resist us are those who help us" (Mark 9: 39-40). This person is not one of your twelve apostles, but he acts in my name, and in my name, he did a thing that you have not done at least once before to cast out ghosts. Obviously he is also my disciple just like you. Who is our enemy? Who are our friends? "Those who do not agree with me (Jesus) are those who are against me; those who do not gather with me are scattered" (Matthew 12:30). He who listens to the Lord in his heart and believes in the Lord is a disciple of the Lord and our friend. If he does n’t obey the Lord ’s way and doesn’t follow the Lord ’s way, he is our enemy. Just because he does n’t follow you, he does n’t follow Jesus every day in appearance, but he is not our enemy. "No one has performed abilities in my (Jesus) name, but has easily slandered me." Everyone in the Lord, because you are also from Christ, even if you just give you a glass of water to drink, in heaven, God the Father will remember him and reward him with praise. Dear brothers and sisters, we who are called to be disciples in the Lord, do not categorize them and do not underestimate every ministry in the Lord. Even if it is the smallest thing, it is done in the most obscure brother and sister, all for the name, that is, for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is so faithful and kind. He will praise those who love him in this way at the end of judgment. "You, blessed by my father, can come to inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Because I am hungry, you give me food; thirsty, you give me to drink; I am a guest, you keep me to stay; I am naked, you wear me; I am sick, you look after me; I am in prison, you come to see me. "(Matthew 25: 34-36) Dear brothers and sisters, don't look at your injuries in service and the weakness of others in the church. Your ability to serve comes in the name of the Lord. The objects of your service are the Lord and the Lord lets you see the people in need. You obey the Lord who called you, just like those who obey the Lord's call to become followers The disciples of the Lord are the same. Everything is grace, not what we deserve. If you were the brother who cast out demons in the name of the Lord that day, you saw what the disciples of the Lord had forbidden to you, and heard John say to the Lord, would you leave with great disappointment or anger, No longer work for the Lord? The Bible shows us two pictures in this chapter, which is really good for us! We who live under the mountain and fail and suffer must look at the glory and holiness of the mountain at the same time. If the glory of Christ on the mountain cannot attract you, the fragility of the visible church on earth will hurt you. If the glory of heaven on the mountain cannot illuminate your faith, then the difficulty of a church in the heavenly battle on earth cannot inspire you to suffer for Jesus ... Meditation and prayer: How did the grace of the Lord come to me? How can I serve unity in grace in the church? What does the Holy Spirit say to me through this passage today?