How do I tell if someone is truly acting Jesus name?

In my last post I looked at Luke 9:49-50 to see what it teaches us about people who serve Jesus who are not a part of my group. The passage reads:

49  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."

50  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

From this I concluded that Jesus has a variety of servants and many of them do not belong to my group. In the scripture story John’s complaint against this unknown exorcist is that "he does not follow with us." They knew the man was acting in Jesus' name. In fact John says to Jesus, “we saw someone casting out demons in Your name.” The problem was that he didn't belong to their group. He’s not in the “in-crowd” so he is an “outsider,” not one of the gang. We don’t know him, he isn’t one of us.

So the work of God gets shut down. Jesus, who has been breaking boundaries all over the place so that people could be free, now confronts His closest disciples who are, instead of following Jesus’ example and breaking down boundaries, are actually putting up new boundaries; finding new ways to keep people out, and restrict the Kingdom of God.

Now we do need to be careful in this area because not everyone who uses the name of Jesus has Jesus’ authority or His Spirit. There are a lot of things that have been done in Jesus’ name that He has nothing to do with. Think about the abuses of Jim Jones, David Koresh...and many others who have used the name of Jesus to lead people astray.

Also think of some of the actions of churches and church people. Not all church splits, policies, attitudes, or spirits glorify God. In these cases Jesus’ name is used, but He is not authorizing or empowering what they are doing.

Take for instance the interesting account of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19. They were going around trying to invoke the name of Jesus over those who were demon possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." (Acts 19:13 NIV). One day these guys tried this, “And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’” (Acts 19:15 NKJV). And Luke tells us the result of that encounter was, “Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:16).

Another reason to be careful about how we apply these words of Jesus is that in our day many have made an idol out of tolerance. If we as Christians or as a church dare to confront false teaching or immorality in our midst we can be accused of being “intolerant.”

Here's the kind of argument you might hear: "The Lord said: 'Do not forbid him.' therefore, even though someone may not be with us; even if they happen to be teaching some things that are wrong; even though they approve of immoral practices, so long as they are not against us, and so long as they ascribe the name of Christ to their work, we should not forbid or criticize them.” This is the "practical lesson" some have derived from this text.

But John didn't say this man was guilty of some wrong. He didn't say the unidentified man was teaching false doctrine. The only thing John said was, "he does not follow with us!"

And consider what Jesus says about the man. Jesus said of this man, he is "not against us." In Mark's account, Jesus said of this man, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me," (Mark 9:39). It is clear, this man was not a false teacher! Had this he been a false teacher, what do you think Jesus would have said about him? Likely, as Jesus did with the scribes and Pharisees, He probably would have called him a "ravenous wolf," and compared him to a bad tree that bears bad fruit; a tree worthy of being "cut down and thrown into the fire," (see Matt. 7:15-20).

So, whatever this passage means, we can be certain it doesn't mean we must refrain from exposing false teachers and immoral practices. The text affords no ground for that whatever. Gospel preachers are to charge false teachers ''that they teach no other doctrine," (1 Tim. 1:3). Our duty is to "rebuke" and "exhort," (2 Tim. 4:2). Jesus never endorsed tolerance of anything morally or doctrinally wrong.

In my next post I will discuss more how to tell if someone is truly acting in Jesus’ name.

What other dangers do you see from people who claim to be doing things in Jesus’ name?

Aim Higher by Stooping Lower

The late Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s hamburger chain was known for his humble service within the multi-billion dollar empire he founded. When asked what made him so successful; he replied, "my MBA." But he didn’t mean a graduate degree in business administration, he meant "a mop- and-bucket attitude." In other words, no work task was too insignificant for him to tackle; he simply jumped in and got the job done.

Dave Thomas, was a high-school dropout, he was always ashamed of that and it would have been easy for him as he tasted success to demand every perk and privilege as a way of covering for his own inadequacies, but instead He lived by the creed of the Mop Bucket Attitude. In fact, Dave Thomas’ picture in the corporate annual report shows him wielding a mop and a plastic bucket. That wasn’t a gag either, it was done intentionally so that he could lead by example. Dave Thomas showed that service at the lowest levels makes for great success.

Jesus displayed a mop-and-bucket attitude as well. He said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45).

One example of His servant attitude is the night of His betrayal. He was sharng the Passover feast with His disciples. He got up from the meal, laid aside His garments, took a basin of water and a towel, and began to wash His disciple’s feet.

In those days they only wore sandals--feet would get dirty from walking around all day on the dusty roads. Common practice in every Jewish home to have a basin of water and towel ready at the door to clean the dust off their feet. This was a sign of respect from the host to the guests.

The host would have never washed the guests’ feet himself, this was a task for a servant, not a master. It was a job that was so looked down upon that many times the Jewish slaves were not even required to do it-it was a task that was reserved for the Gentile slaves.

Yet here is Jesus, getting down to wash the disciple's feet because they wouldn't do it for each other. Jesus is telling us that our importance is not in some position we hold, or in some title or degree--it's in service.

Jesus, was the Lord of the Universe. If anyone didn’t have to humble Himself to wash the feet of farmers and fishermen, He didn’t. But because He knew He was Lord of the Universe, Because He knew He was not diminished by showing His love in humble service, He took up the towel and basin and stooped to serve.

That evening, Jesus washed 24 stinky feet and 12 proud hearts.

How are you aiming higher by stooping lower?

On the Mountain And In the Valley

Thirty-three year-old truck driver Larry Walters was one day sitting in a lawn chair in his backyard wishing he could fly. For as long as he could remember he had wanted to fly but never had the time nor money nor opportunity to be a pilot. So he spent a lot of summer afternoons sitting in his backyard in his ordinary old aluminum lawn chair. He came up with what he thought was a good idea. He hooked 45 helium-filled surplus weather balloons to his chair, put a CB radio in his lap, tied a paper bag full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to his leg, and slung a BB gun over his shoulder to pop the balloons when he wanted to come down.

He expected his lawn chair to lift off and climb a couple of hundred feet over his neighborhood. But instead he shot up 11,000 feet right through the approach corridor to the Los Angeles International Airport. When the police finally rescued him with a helicopter, and asked why he did it, Larry answered: “Well, I wanted to see what it looked like from up there.” When asked what it looked liked he said, “Awesome, man!”

I don’t know if I would feel close to God in a lawn chair at 11,000 feet but I do enjoy a good mountaintop experience. When you are on a mountaintop, you see how big the world is that God made and it makes you feels smaller. In the Bible, some important events took place on mountains. God provided a ram for Abraham on Mt. Moriah. He delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses on a Mt. Sinai. Elijah held his famous God-contest on Mt. Carmel. Jesus was transfigured on a mountaintop while three of His disciples looked on in amazement.

Maybe you’ve had some mountaintop experiences—at a retreat or camp or conference—and you saw the glory of the Lord in a new way. Mountaintop experiences are wonderful, but just like Jesus and His disciples, we have to leave the mountain to go down in the valley. Luke tells about the valley in 9:37-45.

The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

“O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

On the mountaintop is a brilliant Savior, glowing with the glory of God. In the valley there are messed up people who cry out for help. On the mountaintop is holy worship. Down in the valley there is hard work. On the mountain we find strength and serenity. In the valley we find frustration and failure. On the mountaintop is delight. In the valley, there are demons, disease and even death.

Don’t be afraid. For as David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

I always want to be on the mountain experiencing the glory of God in worship. But I also want to be in the valley reaching out to hurting people.

Where do you find yourself today, on the mountain or in the valley?

See also, Worship Is Not Just for Sundays .

The Happiness of Serving

Last week we took a trip from our home in Grand Junction, Colorado to visit our daughters in Olathe, Kansas. Long drive (13-14 hours), short visit (about 3 days). But it was good to see my girls.

Of course when you go on a trip you always have to leave behind some things that need tending to. This time we didn’t have to ask someone to watch the dog since he got to go with us (he actually travels pretty well). But I did need to ask someone to watch over my garden and lawn. A couple weeks ago I told about my attempt at vegetable gardening this year.

In this part of Colorado (the Grand Valley on the Western slope) it can get very hot and dry. It’s high desert here. But the good news is that the Colorado River runs right through the valley and we have plenty of irrigation water. So lawns can stay green and gardens can continue to grow if we take the time to water them.

If I had just left on my trip for 5 days without asking someone to water the garden, I probably would have come back to an arid and shriveled up plot of useless soil. But contrary to my character (my wife says I am king of the procrastinators) I planned ahead. One of my gracious church members agreed to come over three times while I was gone to water my precious garden and lawn. I knew I could trust him, he is a man of integrity.

So while I was away I did not worry about my garden. It was in good hands. I enjoyed the visit without having to be concerned with things at home. I tried to compensate my friend for his time, but he just said he was glad to be able to serve.

Now look at my garden. The corn is about 10 inches tall; the tomatoes look great; the squash and cucumbers are coming up well; I am a happy gardener.

Jesus told a story about a man going on a trip. He called in his servants and entrusted his property to them. And he expected that they would be good stewards of their master’s money. After a long time the man returned and settled accounts with his servants. Some did better than others. But to each who trusted their master and served him well the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant … come and share your master’s happiness.” (Matt. 25:21).

I was so happy to have a friend that served well for me while I was on my trip. And Jesus is happy when we serve well also. Here is a surprising thing that I learned from my friend: there is a great happiness in serving, both now and when the task is done.

We don’t have to wait ‘til heaven to enjoy the happiness of the Lord. There is happiness in serving—right here, right now.

What service has Jesus left to you today?

How have you found happiness in serving the Lord?