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The Method and The Message
"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.” (Mark 9:38-41)
I don’t know if the disciples were jealous in this scripture, but in some ways I bet they were. After all, they were the ones walking with Jesus. Jesus had bestowed upon them the ability to cast out demons and now this other man was doing it too. Who did this man think he was? He wasn’t part of their inner circle. He didn’t walk with Jesus and give up his life to follow Jesus.
I love how the Bible is full instances where the disciples make wrong assumptions or mistakes and Jesus has to go back and correct them by showing them what they should say or do. He does that same thing for us today. We continually make mistakes and He continually forgives, corrects and teaches us how to get it right the next time. This is what we call growth and spiritual maturity.
I believe Jesus was teaching the disciples something really important here. He was showing them that it didn’t matter what “clique” or “group” they were apart of. This other man in the scripture was casting out demons in Jesus’ name and Jesus made it a point to show the disciples that “whoever is not against us is for us.”
I think churches could learn a lot from this portion of scripture. Jesus didn’t preach an exclusive gospel. He didn’t die for just a certain group of people. He gave His life for all people, whether it be Jew or Gentile. Jesus had his close circle of disciples and followers, but in this portion of scripture He points out this other man as someone who is doing good things for the Kingdom of God also. This man may have not been a disciple, a pastor’s son or a church leader, but he had his own unique ministry and Jesus made sure to point that out to the disciples.
A while back we had someone tell us that they reached a lot of people ministering without using “Hip Hop Music”. It was a little jab at our ministry and it got me to thinking. Anyone who knows anything about PHF knows that we are much more than just “Hip Hop” artists. We are worshipers and soul winners and God has used us in a variety of different ways throughout the years to reach people for Him.
This brother was trying to make a point and talk down to us about using “Hip Hop” as a ministry tool. Honestly, I am nothing but happy to see people come to Christ, no matter what the method. I see it this way. You do your part in reaching people for Jesus and I’ll do my part. We don’t have to always agree. There’s no reason to condemn another ministry just because you don’t agree with the method. It’s the message that’s important.
“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
I love this scripture. The Apostle Paul says that he became all to all people in order to win some. That’s really a powerful statement. Paul didn’t sacrifice his beliefs or his testimony to accomplish this. He instead ministered to people where they were at. Not everyone is going to relate to a highly sophisticated speaker with a doctorate in religion. And I totally understand that not everyone will understand how we use “Hip Hop” to reach those in that culture, but I do know that everyone needs Jesus. The single mother in the ghetto, the CEO of a successful corporation, the cowboy out on the ranch, the popular kid in school all need Jesus.
You may not always agree with the method, but you should always check the message before you discount the ministry. People and cultures and music and ministries will come and go, but God’s Word will always be. Love you guys. Have a great week!!!
- geno
www.PutHimFirst.com
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