John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward (Mark 9:38-41).
Self-centeredness is an ever-present human temptation, and it can take root in us before we know it. We arrange our lives in such a way as to protect ourselves, to keep outsiders out and insiders in. Yet Jesus teaches us a different way of doing things. First, not everyone we might consider an outsider is a stranger to Christ. He moves beyond our partisan distinctions in ways we sometimes don’t understand. Second, Jesus wants the outsiders to become insiders. That is the work of evangelism. We are called to bring those who don’t know the goodness, truth, and beauty of Christ into our communities where they can learn who he is and experience his power. Christ wants all people to receive his life-changing grace.
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