Cliques Part 2
Last week we looked at Mark 9:38
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” (Mark 9:38)
John struggled with a similar problem that we all face, cliques. Too often we get comfortable with the same people, and when that happens we begin to only share life with those we are comfortable with, and we start to push others out naturally. Away from us and our lives, we disagree with their actions because it is different than ours. John did this very thing. He told someone that was not a part of his peeps (clique) to stop acting under the name of Jesus.
We all have groups of people, but we don’t need to have cliques. In verse 38 John treated his group like a clique. Others were not allowed in, and those others were not supposed to be like them. But Jesus responds…
“Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:39-40)
John was so proud of himself; he thought Jesus would agree with his actions and praise him for his observant and authoritative response. But Jesus flips it and tells John that this man was performing miracles in the name of Jesus and that means that he was with and for them.
We may be different, but we have one thing in common. JESUS
Who have you ‘pushed’ out of your group because they are different? They might say similar things, but they act them out differently? These non-essential, unnecessary differences are the reason we create cliques. You may be different, but you have one thing in common, and this one thing is greater than all other things, it binds everything together that was once separated. Jesus unites all things together.
If you look internally, you will see the differences that you have allowed to become your reason for distancing yourself from others. These non-essential differences have become the reason you have created cliques, cliques that keep the ‘others’ out and the people that are the same as you in the clique. Look at your life and situations, who have you singled out and disconnected from? At work, school, neighborhood, church, whatever it is you have allowed your group to become a clique that divides.
The essential (JESUS) far out ways the non-essentials
John did the something. His group of disciples became a clique, where he decided the outsiders are not the same, they don’t belong. But, Jesus tells us that is not the way. If you come under the name of Jesus, if you are not against Jesus, you are for Him. And that means you are a part of the group, no matter who you are, what you look like.
I recently came across a tweet (ya that still exists), and it was a pastor named Rick Warren, and he said: “We will have the power in Acts when we have the unity in Acts.” I love this statement! Too often we want God to move and do great things while we are hurting our brothers and sisters. If we want to see the power of God as we did in Acts, we need to be unified like our brothers and sisters were in Acts.
Today I want to challenge you to look at your groups, are they groups? Or have you slowly allowed your group to become a clique? Work to break down the walls of your clique and begin to invite others in, step outside of the clique and make more friends. Look on the bright side; you may get more Instagram followers (that was a joke, do not do it for more followers!). Let's unify under the name of Jesus as they did in Acts and then let's see God move greater than we could imagine.
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