Beyond Comparison: the virtue of Pure Love
“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” (2 Cor 10:12). “I saw thrones in heaven, and all the thrones were on the same level”
Introduction
The Spirit has been sensitising me to various personal attitudes and emotions and their awful difference from the glorious life of Jesus he’s put in me (Col 1:27). His ultimate goal is “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Tim 1:5). Then others will see God as he is through me (Matt 5:8), a rare reality in our time. What the Lord is showing me about myself, to use a common idiom, “is not pretty”. This process is not only for my own transformation, but for the beautifying of the glorious Bride of Christ (Isaiah 62:3-4; Eph 5:25-27; Rev 19:6-8). Approaching this process from a less spiritual angle, after 3 years of university psychology, Freud’s notion of unconscious “defence mechanisms” is true and biblical! Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress (bury from consciousness, repress) the truth.”, was constantly our way of life until we were born again. Now, knowing there is “no wrath” in God our Father towards us (Isa 27:4; John 1:29; Rom 3:25; 1 Thess 1:10), we can/should be free from all repressive tendencies. Sadly, my personal experience, and counselling, indicates all believers have repressed idolatrous images of God in their hearts (cf. Ezek 14:3). In the last few weeks, the Lord has been drawing up from my heart various experiences of anger, annoyance at others, folk feeling like I “hate” them; not the “righteous anger” of God (Num 32:13; Ps 7:11; Mark 3:5). The near infallible wife says when I furrow my brow and squint my eyes (cf. ≠ Rev 1:14) people feel judged. These are some of my issues, but how does Jesus see me/us?
Seeing from Above
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col 3:1-4). Given that our elevation with Christ into the heavenlies is a fact of our spiritual life (Eph 2:6), how should we see other Christians? Some years ago, I was chatting with a devout Christian couple, but the longer we spoke the more obvious it became to me that she habitually degraded herself in relation to him. (He was a prominent pastor and politically active man in their locality.) Seeing that she was suffering from this confusion as a chronic condition, I asked permission to lay hands on her and pray. With their agreement, I proceeded to do so, and unexpectedly, “in the Spirit” (Rev 1:10; 4:2), it was like I was seeing many thrones in heaven, and all the thrones were on the same level. So I prayed into her life a revelation (Eph 1:17-18) that in Christ we are all equally positioned before God. Our giftings differ radically, but there are not differing levels of being an adopted child of God or a justified person (John 1:12; Rom 5:1; 8:1, 1). Tragically, this is NOT how most of the Church lives today!
Elitism among the Family of God
No-one these days ever asks me the regular question asked of local pastors’, “how big is yours” (congregation that is). (Subconsciously, a vulgar expression of infantile phallicism (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phallicism). Though called out of spiritual “infancy” (1 Cor 3:1) and to live free from being “tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching” (Eph 4:14), we are in fact being taught to focus on “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers” (Eph 4:11). This concentration on the “5-fold ministry” is hindering our growing up “into the Head” into the immeasurable “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). Until we have ministers who focus on this immeasurable stature of our calling in Jesus, we will remain in patterns of comparison keeping us immature in Christ (Eph 4:13). This is a just judgement.
We have largely replaced “bishops”, “priests” and “deacons” with a hierarchy of “apostles”, “prophets’, “senior pastors” and the like because “hierarchy” comes from the demonic world and its deceiving power “over the whole world” (Rev 12:9). The 500+ group was a national network limited by size to larger churches initiated by the then pastor of the largest church in Perth. Having no biblical foundation (1 Cor 4:9 with Eph 2:20), it was just a “club”. Those whose vision is to bring the pastors of the largest churches in a city together to catalyse revival fail to give account to the history of God’s miraculous working. The Evangelical Revival of the 18th century, the dynamism of the Salvation Army in the 19th century, the Welsh Revival and Azusa St in the 20th centuries, the seed-beginnings of the explosive growth of the Church in South Korea etc. all started microscopically (Mark 4:30-32 “mustard seed”). Since the authority of the kingdom of God builds the Church (Matt 16:19.18), and in this kingdom of God “the last will be first, and the first last.”” (Matt 20:16) we have a lot of growing up to do!
Pure Love is Pure Service
Jesus’ command, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15), must be taken in the spirit of end-times literalism. That is, the essence of pure love is pure service. Each of us need a revelation, as the Lord has been speaking to me, , that we exist to serve others. Jesus came into being as an enfleshed human to redeem our fallen humanity (John 1:14; Rom 8:3). To achieve this Christ Jesus who was in the “form of God/very nature God” became the “the form of a servant/in very nature a servant” (Phil 2:6-7). Humble service is the essence of the love who is God for us (1 John 4:8). “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45). If we could take away the serving heart of Jesus, leaving all the power and gifts, we would be left with a likeness of the devil. To what degree then are our current Church structures false portraits of Christ?
Conclusion
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3). The depth of humility commanded by Christ, as he calls us into his own image and likeness (Eph 4:24), is impossible without “the eternal Spirit” (Heb 9:14) who made possible his lowest of deaths, crucifixion (Phil 2:8). Such an impartation of lowliness is the revival we desperately need. Until then, we will remain condemned to the ordinariness Paul describes, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2 Cor 10:12). It is time to grow up brothers and sisters, time to die with Christ to all comparisons for his greater glory in the Church (Eph 3:20-21). As we progressively do this, we will reflect to the lost a new image and likeness of what it means to be a human being, a being destined for eternal glory (Col 3:10). We will image the Son of God. Pray for this, give your life for it.