THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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In th e second place— Jesus w anted to teach these disciples th a t th ere are a variety of ways in which men can serve Him. As one of th e apostles pu t it la ter th ere is one Spirit bu t a diversity of operation or m inistration. John and his associates though t th a t th ere was only the one way to serve Christ. He saw someone casting out demons in the name of Christ and because he was not w illing to follow th e disciples he for bade; him to cast ou t demons. I w ant you to note carefully th a t th e man was casting out demons and he was casting them o,ut in Christ’s name showing th a t he was loyal to Christ and had the power of the life of Christ in him and when the disciples forbade it it was not because he was no t casting out demons and it was not because he did no t do .it in Christ’s nam e b u t because he did no t follow th e disciples. In o th er words he did th e work and he was loyal to Jesus Christ for it was in th e name of Christ th a t he did the work b u t he refused to do it in th e way th a t th e disciples were doing it. Hence, these men, who them selves were help less in th e presence of unclean spirits, would forbid him to do th e work. God is teaching us in these days th a t th e re are many ways in which we can serve Jesus Christ. The g rea t th ing th a t we need to be clear on is th a t we are loyal to Jesus Christ or th a t we are doing a v ita l work in H is name and then we leave it to Him as to how He may guide in th e doing of th e work. If th e church is helpless in th e presence of th e demon possessed boy whose life is being ruined, and th e Y. M. C. A. in its h u t in the camp w ith all of its en ter tainm en t and p araphernalia is able to reach th e boy and cast out th e unclean sp irit in th e name of Jesu s Christ who are we th a t we should forbid th e ir doing it. I am not so sure b u t th a t th e seeing of th is man a t th is p articu lar tim e was m eant for a rebuke to those helpless disciples who were orthodox in form bu t because of th e ir selfishness
had lost v ital touch w ith Jesus Christ. Form , and ritu al, and trad ition al methods are all rig h t providing they are in th e hand of Him and th e means th rough which life is being regenerated and saved from th e power of evil. If they are no t doing th a t church form, however beautiful, correct and ancient is no b etter th a n any other form. If God can use the simple exuberant methods of a Y. M. C. A. in a m ilitary camp to reach men for God and save them through Jesus Christ from the power of th e evil sp irit th e h u t is in apostolic succession because it is doing th e work th a t th e apostles did. I t is no t stone and w alnut pews, and elab o rate a lta rs and gowns th a t pu t a church in apostolic succession bu t th a t vital touch w ith God th a t makes it a redemptive power in th e world and we m ust be exceedingly careful in these days th a t we are no t narrow ing down in our contention for orthodoxy or trad ition al form s to th e place where we are lim iting God in his operations to our little way of doing things. We may be correct so fa r as we are concerned but our way is no t th e only way th a t God does things. So we come to th e th ird th ing th a t Jesus trie d to teach those disciples in th a t crisis and th a t we believe He is trying to teach us in th e crises through which we are now passing. He tried to show them th a t th e rea l te st of service is found in its influence upon life. It is quite possible to have w hat people call service knd still no t have th e kind of service th a t is th e te st of greatness. Mere activity is no t necessarily service. The g reat question in service is not ju st how many things we do, how many meetings we attend, how many ad dresses we m ake b u t is th e th ing th a t we are doing helping men, and women, and children. Jesu s showed these dis ciples th a t even th e giving of a cup of cold w ater to a little one in His name shall no t lose its rew ard. The service th a t m inisters to th e life and makes
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