Daily Devotional - Discipleship - WK32 - 08/04/24 - Day 196 “Forbid Them Not”

Author: Evang. Jamie Hoffman

 “Forbid Them Not” 
Scripture: “And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad 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 ‭KJV)‬‬

Devotional:
The beauty of being created by God is how unique and different He made us all. We are  all different colors, sizes, and shapes. We have varied gifts, talents, and abilities. God chose to make us different for a reason. I don’t have the definitive answer for it, but I can imagine that it has a lot to do with being able to unite us all in His love despite our differences.

Today’s scripture details John telling Jesus about his and the disciples' open rebuke of someone who they felt was casting out demonic spirits without proper sanction. John felt the man was not a true follower of Christ because he was not walking among them. However, Jesus quickly let him know that, if the man was not against them, then he was for them. The key is this man knew that the only way to cast the old nasty evil devil out was in the name of Jesus. There are many denominations and religious ideologies, but do they profess Jesus as the Son of God? Do they preach the unadulterated word of God found in the Bible? Do they teach holiness and sanctification through the gift of the Holy Spirit? If they don’t, then run! But if they do, then forbid them not!

I admittedly get sad sometimes because I see so much Christian denominational division. Why are there 3-5 churches on one street? In my mind I am thinking if we are all of one faith, and we believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, then why can’t we all worship and serve God in unity? Then I am reminded that even within denominations there is a lack of unity, so the problem may not be in our faith, but it may lie in who we are following? Are we true disciples of Christ, or are we denominational disciples? If we are truly disciples of Jesus Christ and following Him, then we are not walking around sowing seeds of discord, backbiting, lying, and rebuking people who don’t fit in with us. Instead we are drawing people with love and kindness. We exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The enemy subtracts, divides, and conquers. However, like our Pastor always says, “our God is a God of multiplication and addition.” I believe that God wants to grow us not just as individual disciples, but as a whole body of unified believers representing Christ and drawing others through His love.

Prayer: God help me to love and support my brothers and sisters as we seek to do Your will. Amen.