Jesus is teaching us here what it means to be unified in Him. He calls us to pursue Jesus-focused unity. But how?
We need to realize that the focus in on Jesus, not us. It is He Who needs to be followed. The disciples had been unable to cast out a demon, but they stopped one who was doing just that because he wasn't a part of their group. This man could do this because he had faith in Christ, Whose power did not stop with the 12 disciples. There is power in Jesus' name, but only for those who believe in Him.
How do we forge a unity with one another? In an army, there is a uniform, a flag, and an anthem. What is our anthem? Is it the glory of the Lamb?
But we must beware of a false unity or an ecumenicalism where everyone is tolerant of anything and no one stands up for the truth. We live in an age where people invent a God of their own making. We ought to love Jesus and be united with each other, but we need to know who is actually on Jesus' side.
We don't necessarily have to lock-step with everyone; but we do need to realize that there are some who are indeed Christians, even though they may not be part of our denomination. We should be on the lookout for fellow believers to show love to – not for their own sake, but for the sake of the Master whom we both serve. |
