The man bent over the young child. He peered into his now radiant brown eyes. The massive struggle within the boy was now over. The only remnants of the demonic battle were the sweat drops dripping down their cloaks. He reached down his hand to help the boy to his feet. Before he knew what was happening, two small arms were wrapped around his chest. Just moments ago these same hands had been thrashing, cutting, throwing. Now the only expression these arms could convey was love. All of this was a result of one chance meeting with a man. He had been forever changed by the display of love and power. All it took was one lesson for him to be hooked by Jesus’ message. Since then he had prayed for God to allow him to help others as he had seen Jesus do. He knew the power was in this man’s name. The same name that caused many people to scoff; forced demons and sickness to flee. He remembered Jesus’ example echoing in his heart as he walked along the road. Before he knew what was happening, he was compelled to approach the young boy that was disrupting the rest of the travelers. As he approached him, he felt a fire build up within his heart; an overwhelming sense of peace but also a battle that was beyond what he could see. The very seams of reality seemed to be ripped to shreds as the boy’s eyes engaged his own. The look of unfiltered hate proved that this young boy was not in control. His mind repeated one word over and over. It was the word that he had held in moments of desperation and of joy. The same name that echoed around in his heart but never disappeared since the moment he heard it. The name was unleashed from his soul as he opened his lips. It took everything within him to speak it again. "Jesus." The power in his voice was not his own. The very love of God was being poured out upon this boy and embodiment of hatred had no choice but to leave.
All of these memories filled his head as he hugged the young child. As soon as the child released his grip, he heard a man mutter something. He turned around and noticed a man known as a disciple of Jesus. Others around him affirmed this notion through pointing out that it was John. He looked and saw John beginning to walk away. He really wanted to see Jesus again and knew that if John was there, Jesus was close by. He followed after John hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who had not only changed his own life but also freed a young boy from the oppression of pure hatred. As he got closer, he noticed John saying something to Jesus. Jesus looked at John then looked directly into his eyes. He then said these words, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side.”
In both Mark 9 and Luke 9, we see these words spoken by Jesus. After meditating on these short sections of scripture, I was led to write a fictional account from the point of view of the person casting out the demons. The real heart of this story stems from the amount of disruption I have noticed in the body of Christ. We follow so many of Christ’s words closely but so often forget these two short sentences. What would it really mean if we did not try to stop, in any way, those who are on Jesus’s side? How many times do we see ministry being done in a way that is different than what we would prefer or even call doctrinally sound, so we desire for these ministries to fail or even attempt to lead others away from these ministries? When we do this, we are not doing the work of Jesus. We are getting distracted, turned around, and then begin fighting against our own team.
Nothing is more powerful than the words of Jesus. I cannot say anything as powerful as he did, so I will leave you with His words.
Mark 9:38-1
Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us." But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. "For he who is not against us is on our side.” For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
