We continue this week with the theme of how an economy is the foundation for any government and how love is the foundation for the economy of the government of God. Before continuing with our study of how this applies, taken from I Corinthians 13, I want to share a word that I was given nearly twenty years ago.
I was told that for the church to become what she is called to be, we would need to understand and implement the wisdom of the shopping malls. Not being much of a shopper, this caught me by surprise, but once I understood it, I immediately saw how profound it is and how it applies.
A shopping mall is built around two or more large anchor department stores and then dozens of smaller, specialty stores. We could liken the large anchor stores to mega churches and the smaller specialty stores to local congregations and other ministries. We might think that the large department stores would rather be alone and not have competitors in a mall, but the opposite is true. They have learned that the more stores there are, the more traffic is generated, and the more all will prosper by this. This is so established that none of the large department stores will join a new mall venture unless there will be other large anchor stores.
Of course, the large department stores may specialize to a degree, with one being high-end and another less expensive, but they have learned to work together. They also work together to help the smaller stores in the mall. As one department store manager told me, no one wants to see another store going out of business in the mall. As a result, stores sometimes get together to shore up competitors that are struggling. My father-in-law, who was a district manager for one of the large department store chains, said the last thing they ever wanted to see in a mall was a store going out of business. What would happen if the church in a city started thinking of their fellow churches that way? The Scriptures tell us in places like John 17, that the world would start to believe the gospel of love that we preach and that Jesus was indeed sent by the Father.
As I am daily trying to discern what the Lord is doing in the world and what trends are emerging in the body of Christ, it is extremely rare to see churches or ministries cooperating with each other. This is a terrible blight on the whole of the church, and it is certainly a main reason for many of the troubles in the church today. We are all members of Christ’s body, and if one member becomes cancerous, or infected, it threatens the health of the whole body. We have a basic interest in helping the whole body stay healthy.
I know many of the most visible Christian leaders today, and some I know quite well. Overall, I feel that some of the greatest missionaries and church leaders in history are alive and serving today. For every controversy and fall that hits the news, there are dozens, if not hundreds of stories of victory, faith, and courage of a most extraordinary nature that do not make the news. The church still has a long way to go to become all that she is called to be, but there already is a foundation of greatness that can be built upon that is creating some of the greatest advances for the gospel in history, with the potential for even greater things. This is beyond human engineering. The Lord is building His church, and it will be all that He desires it to be. However, one of the greatest stumbling blocks to any church or church leader’s inclusion is jealousy and the fear that feeds the jealousy.
In an army, there may be some friendly competition between the infantry, the armor, and the artillery, but when the battle begins, they all love each other! They also begin to do all that they can to help each other. They are well aware that without any one unit, not only could they lose the battle, but they could put their lives in jeopardy. Because of the pressures now coming on the church in America, there is a movement toward unity like I have never seen in my lifetime. We may have setbacks, and I would expect serious attacks on this unity, but I have no doubt that the unity required for us to be what we are called to be is not only now possible, but sure.
How can we overcome jealousy if it has come into our hearts? Begin to promote the very ones we have been jealous of. Robin McMillan tells the story of how he was once tempted to be jealous of me when I was able to buy a new car when he, at the time, was a pastor of a small, struggling congregation and was driving a beat-up older model. However, Robin resisted the feelings of jealousy and began to rejoice that I had been able to get a new car. His heart changed quickly and almost immediately, someone provided for him to not only get a new car, but he very same model I had. This sounds like a small thing, but it meant so much to Robin that he got a vision for resisting envy, seeing it as the key to a release of the grace of God in the lives of many people. He is right about this. Every present stronghold in our hearts can be turned into a great victory for not only us, but for many others as well.
I, too, have learned that there is something about resisting envy and doing the opposite of what envy would have us to do that truly pleases God and brings a special measure of favor from Him. Tommy Tenney likes to say, “One moment of the favor of God is worth a lifetime of effort.” I believe this is sound biblical truth, and resisting envy seems to quickly bring God’s favor. The kingdom is built on the grace and favor of God.
The best time to overcome envy is when it arises in our hearts. Therefore, we must learn to seize every opportunity to overcome a stronghold by recognizing it, not covering it up or denying it, but confessing it and repenting by doing something in the opposite spirit, such as loving those we have feelings of envy toward. If it is within us and we deny it, we can count on others seeing it, and it will hinder our progress, possibly more than any other thing. Do not let jealousy have any place in your heart for anyone. Go on a war against it by resolving to love, and you will be amazed at how much better things will go for you as well.
