Matthew 12:22-30
22 Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. 23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” 25 He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Photo by Vlad Hilitanu on Unsplash
We sometimes get so wrapped up in our disagreements and what divides us that we forget that we are on the same team.
Rachel Held Evans was a gifted Christian writer who died all too young. I had the privilege of hearing her speak at a conference several years ago. I appreciated her clarity and conviction. Here are words shared by Evans that are memorialized on a Facebook page remembering her legacy:
The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again.
- You’re not “contending for the gospel” when you disagree with someone on gender roles. You’re just disagreeing with someone on gender roles.
- You’re not “contending for the gospel” when you debate predestination and free will. You’re just debating predestination and free will, as Christians have done for centuries.
- You’re not “contending for the gospel” by interpreting Genesis 1 as literal science; you’re just interpreting Genesis 1 as literal science.
- You’re not “contending for the gospel” when you take to Twitter to call faithful Christians with whom you disagree heretics, false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, Bible-haters, and gospel-deniers; you’re just missing the point.
The Gospel doesn’t need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners-saved-by-grace committed to tearing down the walls, throwing open the doors and saying, “Welcome. There’s bread and wine. Come and eat. Let’s talk.”
Christ has died. Christ is Risen. Christ will come again.
We are on the same team. If Christ is for us, who can be against us?
Let us pray:
Dear God, thanks for being the coach. Lead us to victory in you, and invite others to join the team. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.