James 3:16 (NLT) For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
This past week I attended a meeting in Denver of the National Coalition of Clubs, a gathering of representatives from motorcycle clubs and motorcycle ministries from all over the United States. It is certainly no secret that many of these “clubs” do not play well with each other and have much different ideas. However, I feel that they present many great examples that could benefit the churches and ministries, especially when it come to jealous ambition. Now, we can stick our heads in the sand and claim that jealousy and ambition does not exist in the Christian community, although it shouldn’t, but we would only be deceiving ourselves. Jealousy and ambition between denominations, local churches and pastors have fueled many heartaches for not only congregations but communities as well , and have provided much ammunition for the enemy to fire back at professed Christian and like efforts emphasizing our inability to work together and even duplicate ministries and not pooling resources to solve a single problem.
The biker community demonstrated an amazing and yet simple solution to deal with many situations that are shared by the clubs and efforts that they all have an interest in, they pooled resources and energy to bring about legislation and solutions to those joint concerns. They put aside those things that separate them and instead of jealousy and their own ambition, they displayed unity for a shared cause. Knowing that effort, cash resources, and the energy of many will accomplish much more than everyone trying to do their own thing, they ban together for the greater good of all.
Just think how powerful the effort and results would be for the Kingdom if all the denominations and ministries pooled their resources toward winning people to Christ, to feeding the homeless and needy, to fighting the efforts of the enemy. Just think of, even within many of the same organizations how many times efforts are duplicated because of selfish ambition. Resources are stretched thin because so many duplicate ministries seek the same funding, and churches within the same denomination seek to outdo each other as they attack the same problems, realizing as they are blinded by jealousy that an army divided is so much more easily conquered. I realize that the use of warfare language may put off “church folk” but we must realize that we are involved in the greatest war in the universe, that of leading people away from the gates of hell to the loving and eternal life in Jesus Christ, above and beyond our own ambition, this should always be paramount. The Word reminds us that for one to promote their own jealousy and ambition they expose themselves to the opportunity of attack by evil and corruptness. Ambition and jealousy are the hiding place of deadly seeds of evil. Let each of us put aside any seeds of jealousy and personal ambition and take a lesson from the biker community and pool our resources for the battle and realize the power of unity in any and all efforts.
NOTW, Yours In Christ Jesus,
Bro. Mike
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