FRIEND OR FRAUD - from Sunday, September 30, 2018

10/1/2018

Is this for real, or is it a fake, a fraud, or a forgery? If someone is doing things that God wants done, but does not demonstrate the proper credentials, how should it be regarded? Moses and Jesus can teach us a few things.

In a rare reading from Numbers, we find an overwhelmed and despairing Moses complaining to God about dealing with God's cranky people as they sojourn through the desert wilderness. God has an idea; call together the elders and leave it to me.

Moses follows through, giving the Spirit to each elder present. But then two other elders who skipped the tent meeting got the Spirit, too. How did that happen, and what to do about these two who didn't do what they were supposed to do and yet got the Spirit?

Jesus gets faced with a similar issue. Disciple John, son of Zebedee, in a rare speaking occasion, complains to Jesus about a man he saw casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Jesus dismisses the complaint, and goes on to teach about what should be really concerning for the disciples.

Find out what happened and what it means for us today in the sermon video below, noting the downloads below the video panel, including an audio-only downloadable MP3 file for later listening.