The Church has struggled (and Israel before it) throughout its history to properly define what it means to be 'one of us'. We either subtract something that God has required, or more often, we add hurdles and restrictions of our own. Here Jesus tells his disciples to not hinder someone who was using the power of God, in Jesus' name, to help people, even though the disciples did not know who this person was. He punctuates his command with a profound statement, "whoever is not against us is for us." In this context Jesus is saying that anyone who is helping the Kingdom of God, who is furthering God's will, is on our team. Why? Because nobody can access God's power without being in relationship with God, therefore anyone who is able to work via the Spirit of God must indeed be 'one of us.'
This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
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