The next “work of the flesh” we will study from Galatians 5:20 is “envying.” This is similar to “jealousy” that we studied previously, but not quite the same. Jealousy is more directed at a person, while envy is directed more at possessions, positions, or what they have. Though all of these works of the flesh are to some degree intertwined and overlapping, the apostle listed them separately for an obvious reason, and so we should look for their distinguishing characteristics as well.
Like jealousy, envy is one of the most deadly of these evil works, as we are told that even Jesus was crucified because of envy (see Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10). The Pharisees and Sadducees were envious of the great crowds that followed the Lord. This too is where many of the divisions and infighting in the body of Christ begins. When one church in a place starts to grow or prosper, or a special grace or anointing comes upon them, church history establishes very consistently that this will likely result in persecution from other churches and other church leaders. This is a deadly trap that many church leaders have been just as prone to fall into as the leaders of Israel in the first century.
Envy can be one of the most destructive of all of the works of the flesh because it usually affects church leaders, who then infect their followers, defiling many people, bringing devastating enmities and divisions in the church. These leaders will usually claim to be protecting the sheep or defending the truth, but the Lord is not fooled and we must not continue to be either. Either jealousy or envy will be found at the root of almost every division in the body of Christ. We must learn to recognize these evils when they arise in our own hearts or in those we accept as leaders.
As the Lord taught in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25:40,
“Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” Therefore, if we are envious or jealous of any of His people and thereby persecute them, we are actually being envious of the Lord Himself and are persecuting Him. The way we treat His people, even “the least” of them, is the way we are treating the Lord.
One of the most tragic ways that envy has manifested itself in church history has been with the way a passing generation tends to persecute the emerging generation instead of blessing them and helping them prepare for their own purposes. Just as King Saul became envious of David, those who are insecure in their position will be threatened by any new movements or ministries that emerge and often attack them. This has been repeated in almost every spiritual generation to date.
The worst curse that was ever placed on Israel was if they forsook the Lord, they would devour their own young. Is this not exactly what has happened to almost every generation in church history, when, for a period of time, the greatest threat to the life of emerging leaders would be their own spiritual parents?
It is easy for a subtle form of pride to come upon those who are mightily used by the Lord, causing them to think that if the Lord desires to do anything great on the earth, He would certainly call on them first. Many great leaders have fallen to this pride that actually disqualifies them from further use by the Lord. Since they believe they are the best candidates for accomplishing any major purpose of the Lord, they cannot conceive that any such thing which comes through others could be from the Lord. Therefore, they reject it and often persecute it.
There will be a time when the hearts of the fathers and sons are united. Then we will know that the end of this age is truly near, just as we are told in the last chapter of Malachi. Until then, we need to understand that those who arise with a special anointing or grace for leadership of a new emerging church or movement will most likely be attacked, and most likely by the present church leadership.
As a ministry we, too, have been subject to this quite often and have learned to expect it in every new city or situation that we enter to do a work for the Lord. Not all leaders will do this, but we have learned to count on some doing it. When we first moved to Charlotte, we were welcomed by most everyone until we started drawing large numbers of people. Then some began attacking us, and as we have continued to grow the attacks have increased.
However, many, if not most of the church leaders in Charlotte blessed us when we came and have continued to bless us, help us, and cheer us on, even those who had some of their people begin coming to our church. This has been one of the greatest examples of true Christian nobility and true Christian leadership that I have witnessed, and is a great inspiration. I have come to trust these like few others. I believe that much of the fruit of our own ministry should go to their account. When these come to us with a word of concern or correction, we listen because we know that they have our best interests at heart. These are the ones we look to as the true elders in our city.
One reason that I have studied this specific problem in the church for so long is that I do not want to fall to it myself. Understanding is light, and when you have light on your path you should keep from stumbling. Even so, to date I really have not been tested the way that others have, and do not know how I would react to it. I hope that I would do well and try to smoothly pass the baton when it is time. However, one characteristic that I think leads to stumbling is thinking that it could not happen to us because we understand it. Understanding helps, but we must always keep in mind the exhortation to “let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).
I have also come to believe that many who have run well for their whole lives fall to this near the end of their lives simply because they have not been healed of the afflictions that others brought upon them—which is simply the failure to forgive. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, and bitterness will defile or poison many others. Because as a ministry and me personally, are almost continually attacked by someone, we have to preach, teach, and practice forgiveness continually. This is hard, but it is also our best opportunity to be transformed into the Lord’s image.
We have one pastor in the Charlotte area that seems to be making a good living just attacking us. Once when I was listening to his radio broadcast and he was saying many things that were not true about us (and some that were), I asked the Lord if He would stop this man. The Lord replied instantly, “Yes, but who do you want to take his place?” I got the point and have been content to let this man continue attacking us for many years now. I think it may continue through him and others until we have been conformed to the Lord’s image, who laid down His own life even for the very ones that were torturing Him. Since we obviously still have quite a way to go to be like Him, I expect this to continue, maybe for as long as we are here.
Another way we have tried to combat this tendency to be envious or jealous of others is to give positions of authority in our ministry only to those who show a genuine devotion to equipping and raising up others. One of the main things that I look for in leaders is the joy on the face of leaders when those under them do well. Our key leaders all tend to get more excited about those that they have trained being used by God in a major way than they do when they are personally used by God. These are true spiritual fathers and mothers who are deserving of “double honor.”
When Paul the apostle observed that we have many teachers but not many fathers, I think the same is still true (see I Corinthians 4:15). We tend to call them spiritual fathers who are older and experienced, but being a father has nothing to do with age or experience as much as it does the ability to reproduce. Just as in the natural most become fathers when they are rather young, the true equipping ministries which are listed in Ephesians Four may also be quite young. There are many who do ministry well, but rarely train or equip others. We need to question whether such are really the equipping ministries listed in Ephesians Four, as their primary purpose is to equip others to do the work of the ministry.
We will begin to take this calling to equip others seriously when we know that this will be the only way the church can attain to: “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
I try to keep as the focus of my life that the ultimate reward of success in this life is to hear the Lord say on that great day, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). As a pastor, I also realize that for me to hear those greatest words, I must do all I can to ensure that all the Lord has entrusted into my care hear those same words as well. I therefore must keep in mind that my hope of success is the success of those who are a part of our ministry or members of our churches. Because of this, I am compelled to measure my own job for the Lord by how well others are accomplishing their purpose. We preach this continually, and I know some get tired of hearing it, but I do not intend to quit. I know when this ceases to be a basic value that we have in ministry, we will have diverted from a basic purpose we have.
If we truly see that a basic measure of our own success is the growing anointing and success of those we have trained, it is much harder to be envious of them. For this reason I believe that John the Baptist is one of the greatest examples of true godly leadership. His whole job was to point to Jesus and to prepare the way for Him, not just build his own following. He knew all along that the One coming to follow him was much greater and considered himself not even worthy to untie His shoes. Then, when the Anointed One came, he rejoiced just to hear His voice, being a true friend of the Bridegroom, and rejoiced to decrease as He increased. For this reason, John was honored by the Lord as being called the greatest man born of a woman. Such true nobility of spirit is the hallmark of those who truly are the greatest.
