"Teacher, we saw a man driving out demons in Your name, and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

The disciples were saying in effect; 'We are the group that has got it right, we've got God's blessing's, but they haven't.'

When Jesus had asked the disciples to own up, to arguing over who was the greatest, the disciples were ashamed.

But when it came to their group, they seem to boast in exercising their authority over someone else.

We need to take care, that we don't put people down, just because they aren't doing, what our Christian group does. Or we try to make them do, what we are doing.

We may find that we have been hindering them, from doing what God wants them to do.

Someone could say; 'The Holy Spirit really moves in our meetings, there's dancing and so much life, but that church doesn't do any of that, it is totally dead!'

That attitude which rights another group of Christians off, because they don't do things, how we believe it should be done.

When I first became a Christian, I used to attend a very lively House church, and my parents attended a traditional church.

We had a band to lead the worship, there were words of prophesy, etc, etc!

As time went on, I became more, and more arrogant towards them.

I got puffed up with the so called, important things that were happening, and my attitude towards my parents was appalling. I ended up apologising for my arrogance.

We may say, that we accept people from other denominations, but do we secretly feel on a higher level than them?

Do we feel, that we have got a better grasp, of Biblical issues, than say, those of the Methodists?

So when we meet someone who attends a Methodist church, do we feel a little more enlightened than them?

Do we consider ourselves, to carry more spiritual clout than they do?

Isn't this the spirit of; 'I'm greater than you, I'm better than you!'

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male nor female, for you are all one, in Christ Jesus." (Galations 3:28)

If those other churches are putting their faith in Jesus Christ, then we are all on the same side!

And that is what Jesus said; "Whoever is not against us, is for us."

Sometimes we can believe that our group, are the only ones who are getting it right.

Which reminds me of the prophet Elijah. (1 Kings 19) He had stood up against the false prophets of Baal, on top of Mount Carmel. He prayed, and fire had fallen from heaven, and it had consumed his offering. But his arch enemy, Jezebel, threatened to kill him. So he fled to the desert, and sank into depression.

His complaint to the Lord was, that he was the only one doing what was right.

But the Lord told him, that He had reserved 7000 Israelites. All who hadn't bowed down to the false god Baal, nor had kissed it.

Elijah thought he was the only godly one, but God had reserved 7000!

We can believe that our group, or denomination, is the only one to be getting it right, but the Lord has reserved many, many others!

Black & white images: thanks to ‘The Pictorial Dictionary’ published by The Educational Book Company, London.