For or Against
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. – Matthew 12:30 NKJV.
In Matthew 12:30 Jesus is drawing the line. He is making it clear who stands with Him and who is against Him. We cannot straddle the fence. It is all or nothing. Jesus is Lord of our lives, or He is not Lord at all. We can try to hide in our foxhole, but the enemy will find us.
During the Civil War, a Union soldier was shot in the arm at the battle of Shiloh. His captain, noting his injury, ordered him out of the battle, saying, “Gimme your gun, Private, and get to the rear.” The soldier handed over his rifle and ran north seeking safety.
After running a few hundred yards, he ran into a skirmish. He then ran east and came upon another part of the battle. He turned west and soon encountered more fighting, so he ran back to the front lines. He ran up to his captain and said, “Gimme my gun back, Captain. There ain’t no rear to this battle!” (From James W. Moore’s book “Seizing the Moment.”).
There is no “rear” to our battle either!
There are some dangerous people in the spiritual realm. They are people who often seem to be sincere about their religion. They believe in God. They go to church. They try to be good, moral people about most things. They usually say the right words. Sadly, they have been deceived by the enemy and are being used by the enemy. They have religion instead of a relationship with Jesus.
These people may be church members, but they are not Christians. They may contribute but they have not been changed. They may have been baptized, but they did not believe in their hearts unto righteousness. They may be leaders in the church, but they have not made Jesus the Lord of their lives. They may respect God, but they do not allow Jesus to sit on the throne of their hearts.
So, are we with Him or against Him? Do we gather or scatter?