Welcoming the Lord

This morning I felt led to read from Mark 9, and after a brief glance at all the topics, decided to read through that chapter in its entirety to see what verses would resonate with my spirit.  This is just one of the many ways I have learned to listen to the Lord, allowing Him to steer my focus and thoughts. Yesterday I felt like He told me to turn to a specific page and start reading, and it was related to something larger that He was doing.  I love how the Lord uses multiple different ways to speak to me, and I want to be ever listening for His voice.  Probably the hardest time to listen is during work, when I am busy and my mind and thoughts are occupied with the work before me.  Lord, help me to hear You speak at all times.

Back to the reading from Mark, I felt these particular verses were significant this morning - Mark 9:37-41 NIV:

[37] “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” 

[38] “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 

[39] “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, [40] for whoever is not against us is for us. [41] Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward."

I guess, to start with, the theme this morning is the welcoming of the Lord, and His word, for that is exactly what we do when we listen, we welcome Him to speak. I love the fact that when I welcome Him, I welcome the Father as well.  I do believe we can apply this to the Holy Spirit as well, if we welcome Him, we welcome the Father and Son as well.  I am eagerly anticipating them speaking into my life!

Secondly, I love Jesus' comment about the one who was doing a miracle in His name!  Someone who has been entrusted with Miracle-working power is someone we can trust loves the Lord, and is for Him.

However, as I read this verse today, I recognized that sometimes we add some additional thoughts that the Lord doesn't add here.  We think that someone with a powerful ministry (Miracles, healings, prophecy) has been "authorized" by God, and somehow that validates everything they are doing, and begin to look past sin areas, as if somehow God's approval gives them special privileges.  This is how people get themselves in trouble, and end up falling to sin, for we can believe this about ourselves as well.  

In the same way, when I listen to the Lord, sometimes I misunderstand what He is saying, or think I know what He is saying, and don't listen well, or long enough!  I once had a friend who described his recent troubles as over-exuberance, coupled with a lack of listening.  He would hear the Lord calling, and would immediately start running, never realizing that the Lord was calling His name to warn him about the impending cliff!  

We must recognize that all of us, even those redeemed, saved, justified and made righteous by Jesus' death and resurrection, can still miss what God is doing and saying!  We can misunderstand, or even fall into sinful mindsets and ideations, and allow our flesh to influence us, and through our actions impact others.  We must be on our guard, personally and as a Body of believers for any ways in which we allow vain imaginations to divert us off the path of the Lord, thinking that somehow we are more special than everyone else.  

Jesus, in verse 39, actually dealt with this idea that there were "special" followers of Him, who were the only ones approved for ministry.  I love the fact that He basically opens the door wide for any who believe in Him.  This is another area where the church can add some of our own thoughts to what Jesus said.  We think that this no longer applies, as those people actually walked with Jesus and so had His personal approval, but now anyone who ministers has to be trained and certified, and thus have created this professional minister mindset, as if ministering in Jesus' name requires a degree.  

As I was writing that I was reminded of something Paul wrote, and have included some of the surrounding context here - 1 Corinthians 12:3-11 NIV:

[3] "Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. [4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. [5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. [6] There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work." 

[7] "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. [8] To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, [10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

The verse that popped into my mind was verse 7, these are given for the "common good".  In other words, all of us are supposed to be encouraged and blessed by what we receive from the Lord.  We are meant to benefit from the gifts that have  been distributed amongst all the Body, not just the gifts distributed to a small professional ministry team.

These verses from Paul actually bring us back to what Jesus said in Mark.  Someone who is ministering in Jesus' name, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is part of the Body of Christ, and we should rejoice that their gift is benefitting us all.  However, we must help them to recognize this doesn't give them carte blanche approval for everything.  

Lord help us to welcome You in our daily lives!  Help us to encourage all those who would minister in Your name, for their good and the good of us all!   Help us to encourage one another in the sharing of their gifts, and let us differentiate being empowered and gifted from carte blanche acceptance.  

Amen and Amen!