God Draws Outside the Lines (Part 1)

A New Commentary on Mark 9:38-39

My son, Lucas, playing basektball.

---

“‘Teacher,’ John said, ‘we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he was not was not one of us.’ ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said…for whoever is not against us is for us.” -Mark 9:38-39a, 40

---

I was hired to help a declining congregation turn things around. That was why my family and I moved from Florence, South Carolina to Los Angeles, California. I assumed this was God’s intention for my life. However, my friendship with Dave taught me the same lesson Jesus taught the disciples in Mark 9; God draws outside the lines.

Dave’s son and our oldest son attended the same elementary school in Los Angeles. I was the new pastor of Silverlake Community Church and Dave helped coach our son’s basketball team. I can still see him standing by the hoop training the young players in their defensive skills by yelling “Keep your hands up, keep your hands up” as the other team prepared to take a shot. Dave was open and friendly and our friendship developed quickly.

I was excited when Dave and his son came to a worship service at our church. Soon after the visit, however, Dave told me that he had enjoyed the music and the service but wasn’t a “church-kind-of-guy.” I felt disappointed. But God was drawing outside the lines in my friendship with Dave.