Light and Darkness

This week, I was reading Wesley's sermon entitled A Caution against Bigotry.  It was written in 1750 and is based on this passage:

And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him, because he followeth not us. And Jesus said, Forbid him not.  Mark 9:38-39

At first blush, would we say that there is no modern relevance to this passage? The disciples have seen someone "casting out devils" who wasn't a follower of Jesus, so they told the person to stop.  Do we spend much time casting out devils?

I like Wesley's perspective on this. If we remove the idea of a concrete devil, and think instead of sin, or even darkness, then we can bring this into our own world. What do we do? We bring the light of Christ to people's lives.  Or to put it as John does in 1 John 1:5, "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all."

Wesley goes on to write, "If we willingly fail in any of these points, if we either directly or indirectly forbid him 'because he followeth not us,' then we are 'bigots.'"  Would we stop someone from bringing light to darkness because they do not attend our church? Believe as we do? Would we leave someone in darkness?

Wesley says, "Encourage whomsoever God is pleased to employ, to give himself wholly up thereto. Speak well of him wheresoever you are; defend his character and his mission. Enlarge as far as you can his sphere of action  Show him all kindness in word and deed. And cease not to cry to God in his behalf, that he may save both himself and them that hear him. "

Will we bring that kind of light to the world? I hope so.