Kingdom Partnership
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
We are looking today at Mark 9:38-41
Please take your Bible and turn to Mark chapter 9
Our text follows the disciples’ debate over who was greatest (Mark 9:33–37)
Jesus had just taught them about humble service, using a child as an example
John’s interruption in v.38 may reveal his conscience—perhaps he was recalling a recent incident that contradicted Jesus’ teaching
Verse 38 says…
38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.
40 “For he who is not against us is for us.
41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.
Sometimes, the greatest threats to the Church don’t come from outside attacks or outright false teaching
Instead, they come from within—from attitudes that limit how we see God at work
One such danger is spiritual exclusivity
That is the belief that God only works through our group, our ministry, or our circle
In Mark 9:38, the disciples encounter this very issue
They see a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name—but he isn’t part of their group
Instead of rejoicing, they try to stop him
This reveals a subtle but serious confusion—where loyalty to a particular group or identity is mistaken for loyalty to Christ Himself
John Calvin says, “They wished to restrain one whom the Lord had set free, simply because he was not in their company.”
This passage challenges us today to examine how we respond when God works outside our familiar circles, when He works in other believers, in other churches and ministries
Christ’s Kingdom is bigger than any one group, and His mission is broader than our personal networks
With that heart attitude exposed, Jesus addresses the problem directly in verse 38
Let’s look closely at this incident and what Jesus teaches about it
Mark begins by showing us…
The Problem of Spiritual Exclusivity (v.38)
“John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”
Notice first…
The Incident
“We saw someone casting out demons in Your name”
If “we” means the disciples as a group, the incident may have occurred on the way back from Caesarea Philippi
It may have been James and John had encountered the man while they were on their preaching journey in Galilee (Mk.6:7-13; Mat.10)
The man is unnamed
He is only referred to as “someone”
He was casting out demons in Jesus’ name
The fact that he was “casting out” demons implies that the man was effective in his efforts to exorcise demons “in Your name”, using the authority of that name to expel them
This man was not part of the Twelve
He had been given real authority in Jesus’ name
His ministry was effective (unlike the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-16, who failed because they lacked true connection to Christ
There were others that Jesus gave His power to like the “seventy” in Luke 10:1, 17
This follows right on the heels of the disciples’ earlier failure to cast out a demon (Mark 9:18), which may have made them all the more defensive when someone outside their circle was succeeding
Notice the…
The Disciples’ Reaction
“We tried to prevent him” (ἐκωλύομεν, imperfect tense — “we kept on trying to stop him”) indicating repeated attempts
Reason? “Because he was not following us.”
This is the subtle sting - they did not say “because he was not following You,” but “not following us”
This reveals misplaced loyalty
They were confusing allegiance to Christ with allegiance to their group identity
This is similar to the problem in Numbers 11:26–29, where Joshua wanted Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying because they were not in the official assembly. Moses replied: “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets.”
This is also an early form of the sectarian spirit Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 1:12–13 (“I am of Paul… I am of Apollos…”). Christ is not divided
We must therefore avoid favoritism - James 2:1
Notice…
The Principle (that comes from this)
The first principles is they confused personal allegiance to their group with allegiance to Christ Himself
This was also a form of pride and attributes to the question they had argued about who would be the greatest in the kingdom
John Calvin says, “They wished to restrain one whom the Lord had set free, simply because he was not in their company.”
What can we learn from this?
First we need to…
Beware of thinking the Kingdom rises and falls with your denomination, congregation, or ministry. Christ’s work is bigger than your network.
Second we need to…
Rejoice when Christ is exalted—even if the spotlight is not on you or your group - Phil.1:18
Can you celebrate the work of another faithful believer who is outside your camp?
Augustine said…
“For many sheep I have which are not of this fold; and those sheep are my care, for to them I am a shepherd.”
Jesus responds to this problem by giving them…
The Principle of Kingdom Cooperation (vv.39–40)
“But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us.”
The Command (v.39a)
“Do not hinder him” (Μὴ κωλύετε, present imperative with negative — “stop continuing to hinder him”)
This is similar wisdom to Gamaliel’s in Acts 5:38-39
The force in verse 39 is corrective
Jesus addresses an ongoing attitude and repeated action from the disciples
The rebuke is gentle but direct—Jesus is recalibrating their ministry outlook from exclusivity to cooperation
Peter had to learn the same lesson about Gentile believers - Acts 11:17
The Reason (v.39b)
“…for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.”
Performing a miracle “in My name” (ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου) is acting in alignment with Christ’s authority, will, and glory—not merely saying the name
Kenneth Wuest said, “One cannot sincerely act in the sphere of Christ’s name and immediately turn hostile toward Him.”
True spiritual power from Christ unites the worker with Christ—it is impossible to be simultaneously His instrument and His opponent
Effective ministry flows from abiding in Christ; genuine fruit reveals genuine connection - John 15:4–5
This gives us another…
The Principle (v.40)
“He who is not against us is for us” (cf. Luke 11:23, which gives the opposite: “He who is not with Me is against Me”).
R.C. Sproul explains: “The context determines the emphasis—here it is about recognizing allies in the mission, not enemies” (paraphrased).
The principle combats a tribal, us-versus-them mindset within the church
The Application
We must discern between those who are doctrinal enemies and those who are genuine fellow-workers, even if their method or affiliation is different from ours
the basis is the gospel
That’s what we must examine first
Paul said in Galatians 1:6–9, “6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”
Second we must examine their teaching
The Apostle John said in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
John said in 2 John 9–11, “9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”
It was Augustine that said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity”
There are essentials that we must examine when we minister with others
What do they believe about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit?
Are they the triune God as Scripture teaches or is it the One God playing three roles like T.D. Jakes teaches?
We do have to examine everything carefully, not to see if they align with our group, but to see if they align with Scripture
This man had faith in Jesus Christ
He personally experienced power in “His name”
The absence of a hostile attitude in the man indicated that he was basically friendly toward them
Jesus continues with…
The Promise of Reward (v.41)
“For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”
The Act
Even the smallest act—giving a cup of water—done because of one’s connection to Christ is noted in heaven
Kenneth Wuest said, “Because of your name as followers of Christ” literally reads, “in the name that you bear, that of Christ.”
The acts is not merely humanitarian but motivated by identification with Christ and His people
Jesus personalizes acts toward His followers as acts toward Himself - Mat.25:40
Proverbs 19:17, “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed.”
Hebrews 6:10, “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”
The Certainty
“Will not lose his reward” — a double negative in Greek (οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ) for strong emphasis: “He will absolutely, by no means, lose it”
Martin Luther observed: “The smallest kindness done to Christ’s servant is a kindness done to Christ Himself.”
1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Matthew 6:4, “so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
The Application
Encourage others in their service to Christ, no matter how small the act appears. God sees it, God values it, and God will reward it. (and understand that Christ’s kingdom…)
Theological Truths
Christ’s Kingdom is broader than our circles — unity is based on truth, an allegiance to Christ, not denominational boundaries - Ephesians 4:4-6
Sincere service in Christ’s name has divine approval — even if it’s outside your group. God owns it if it’s done in His truth - Philippians 1:18
God values the smallest act of service done for His glory — reward is certain because God Himself is the rewarder - Hebrews 11:6
Practical Applications
For leaders: Don’t try to “own” ministry. Christ owns the mission; we are servants (1 Cor.4:1-2)
For members: Support gospel work beyond your church walls when it’s faithful to Christ.
For all: Avoid a critical spirit toward those who minister differently but biblically (Rom.14:4)
The Illustration
A missionary in a closed country once shared how a local farmer would secretly bring him a cup of water during his preaching sessions.
To outsiders, it was nothing—a trivial act.
But to God, it was costly faithfulness.
That farmer risked ostracism to serve one of Christ’s servants.
Such a gesture will never be forgotten in eternity.
Augustine again said, “God does not crown your gifts, but your labors. He crowns not what He gave you, but what you have done with what He gave you.”
CONCLUSION
The disciples entered this moment thinking greatness meant protecting their place and controlling the work
Jesus turned that thinking upside down
Greatness in the Kingdom is not about guarding your turf—it’s about humbly serving, recognizing true allies, and trusting God to notice and reward even the smallest act done in His name
If the Lord takes note of something as small as giving a cup of water to one of His servants, how much more should we rejoice when we see others ministering in His name?
Instead of narrowing the circle of fellowship, we are called to widen it to embrace all who faithfully proclaim and live for Christ
Let me leave you with a few Scriptural reminders:
“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31).
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3).
“So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (Rom. 14:19).
As A.W. Tozer said:
“The wider the circle of our love, the larger will be the Kingdom of God in our hearts.”
So here’s the challenge: Don’t shrink your heart
Don’t measure the Kingdom by the size of your group
Don’t withhold joy when Christ is exalted—rejoice in it!
Whether it’s a cup of water or ministering in His name, it’s Kingdom work, and the King Himself will not fail to reward it
Guard yourself against pride
Remember “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6)
Embrace kingdom partners
There is “one body, many members” (1 Cor.12:12-27)
View small acts of service (1 Cor.10:31)
Do you personally know Jesus this morning?
Has He cancelled your spiritual debt and removed your curse for not keeping His law?
Come to Him now
Ask for His forgiveness and confess Him as your Lord believing that God raised Him from the dead
Let’s pray
