For whoever is not against us is for us.
This principle is easy to acknowledge but often more difficult to live. For clearly, there are those who are not working toward the mission of Jesus yet who would still invoke his name for their cause. It can't be just a matter of anything we say we do for Jesus is OK. After all, not everyone who says to him "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom (see Matthew 7:21). So how then do we know? How can we avoid damage from those who are misappropriating the name of Jesus while still given full room to maneuver to those who are legitimately pursuing the Kingdom by different paths which are unknown to us?
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
There may be mighty deeds which are fake or even which stem from less than holy sources of power. But true mighty deeds done in the name of Jesus reveal his presence at work. People who do such deeds truly in the name of Jesus do not speak ill of him. And this means they embrace every aspect of his teaching. They do not simply speak of health and wealth and blessing and speak ill of the cross.
You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;
you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
You have condemned;
you have murdered the righteous one;
he offers you no resistance.
Those who are truly for Jesus embrace the whole Jesus. Anyone who is doing his best to embrace the whole Jesus and to whom God entrusts mighty deeds is one with whom we ought not interfere. He is one whose success we ought to desire.
They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent;
yet the spirit came to rest on them also,
and they prophesied in the camp.
The point is that the channels of grace are for God to control and not for us. God is not even bound by the Sacramental life of the Church, much less by specific programs through which we might wish people to receive formation. He is not bound only to charismatic or contemplative or Franciscan or Dominican or any other spirituality or approach. He is not even bound to a traditionalist or a contemporary approach. And neither should we be thus bound. We should have generous hearts wishing to see the Spirit of the LORD fill all who are open to serving him.
"Are you jealous for my sake?
Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets!
Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!"
Does it matter that what we think about these prophets? It does. Because even though they definitely aren't working against us our pride puts us at risk of hindering them. We risk causing scandal to those who receive the word of God through them.
Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
Let us be strict with ourselves in how we follow. Let us strive to serve the LORD the way he wants to be served. But let us be generous in welcoming the true support of those others who seek him with sincere hearts.
Though your servant is careful of them,
very diligent in keeping them,
yet who can detect failings?
Cleanse me from my unknown faults!
No comments:
Post a Comment