Flee from spiritual ambition!

Jesus demonstrated the greatest love by laying His life down for His disciples (John 15:13). The Greek root word here for “life” is “psuche”, which refers to the soul and psychological life. In other words, Jesus laid all His personal emotions, thoughts, and desires down for His followers and He calls us to do the same for others. Jesus had no personal ambitions of His own, His only motivation was to do whatever He saw the Father do. This goes against the pattern of this world which tells us to be ambitious, even ambitious for God – that we ought to pursue spiritual growth, character growth, and ministry growth. One might ask, what is wrong with that? Ambition is not evil in itself but when it replaces a pure pursuit of God Himself, we are in danger of opening the door to an anti-Christ spirit. Satan is not intimidated by the growth of our ministries, but he is intimidated by those who are full of the Holy Spirit and who execute God’s will on earth.

(简体中文 > 远离属灵的野心！ | 繁體中文 > 遠離屬靈的野心！)

John 15:12-13 NKJV  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life [psuche] for his friends.

John 5:19 NKJV   Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 

The Greek root word for “anti” in “antichrist” means “against, opposite, or in place of.” In other words, anything that we uphold “in place of” Jesus as the centre of our motives is “antikhristos”. That also includes any way we serve that is “opposite to” Jesus’ nature, such as in agitation, pride, self-righteousness, and so on.

Unconsciously serving others for self-centred reasons

The challenge for us is that our hearts can be very deceitful. We may not even be aware if our motives are pure or not. Here are a few examples of unconscious selfish motives. Hopefully, it is not too difficult to identify the idols in each one of them.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV  “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

1. “I want to help as many people as possible (because I don’t want anyone to suffer like I have.)”
2. “I want to do more and more for God (so He will notice and validate me.)”
3. “I want to rise in spiritual ranking compared to others (out of personal ambition, insecurity, envy, pride etc.)
4. “I will pursue every learning opportunity there is (because I’m afraid I will not fulfill my calling).”
5. “I want to follow my father’s / mother’s success in ministry and create my own spiritual legacy.”
6. “I want to do enough to ensure I go to heaven.”
7. “I want to grow spiritually in this area because it makes me feel good about myself (and feeds my ego).”
8. “I will become more active in this area (because it seems to be what people praise me for.)”
9. “I will study the Bible extensively (so I can show people how knowledgeable I am.)”
10. “We will add more programmes to our ministry to attract more people (so we have a wider base to collect offerings from.)”

The idols are (1) one’s past suffering (2) validation (3) spiritual elevation (4) fear (5) parents, personal legacy (6) eternal security (7) the ego (8) people’s approval (9) admiration from others (10) money.

Most people would not consider these motives to be “selfish ambitions” until we notice that God is not the focus. In fact, spiritual ambition can lead to a lot of activity but not to a right standing before the Lord. Jesus has warned that one can do “many wonders” in His name and still be spurned by Him. God tests our hearts for who we serve; is it the Lord’s agenda or our own?

Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit”

The apostle Paul has warned believers, “​​Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.”

Philippians 2:3 NKJV  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

In Philippians 1:15-18, Paul noted that some people preach Jesus out of envy, strife and “selfish ambition”. While he rejoiced that the gospel was being preached, elsewhere in Galatians 5:19-21, he noted that selfish ambitions are “works of the flesh” and “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Therefore, it is possible to preach the gospel but still be shut out of the kingdom of God, because we did it for ourselves and not for the Lord.

Philippians 1:15-18 NKJV  Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV   Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Keeping our thirst pure 

Our motives are not always purely good or bad, they can be a mix of both. 

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will have a natural inclination for the things of God and a thirst for intimate connection with the Lord. At the same time, when we have unmet needs from childhood, these factors can affect our pursuit of God.

For example, if our parents never affirmed us growing up, we might think we need to work for Father God’s affirmation and approval. Or perhaps we can subconsciously use ministry to gain affirmation from other people instead. The unresolved issues of our hearts and internal anxieties can become an obstruction. This is why forgiveness is such a crucial part of following Jesus. It removes the shackles and blinders from our hearts. This is part of putting down our psuche life to grow in Christ and to serve others with the new life He has given us. 

When we harbour any unforgiveness, the bitterness in our hearts obstructs us from seeing our true carnal motives and creates unnecessary anxieties. Unforiveness is such a huge issue that the Lord has warned us that if we do not forgive others for their trespasses against us, then God the Father will not forgive us either. 

Matthew 6:15 NKJV  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

It is when we release our resentments, judgements and bitterness by forgiving those who have hurt or offended us that our hearts can be purified for the Holy Spirit to work through. The Lord is holy and His vessels He uses also need to be holy and set apart for Him.

Many ministry problems arise when people with good intentions strive to do more for God but not out of a newly resurrected life that is led by the Spirit of God. Rather, they operate out of the old “un-crucified” self, subconsciously driven by self-centred motives and ambitions of their soul (psuche life). Serving God without being born again in Christ makes one’s effects indistinguishable from other religions. What is worse is if we set the wrong example for the next generation to follow!

Galatians 5:24 NKJV  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

As followers of Jesus, we should stand out as genuinely embodying the love and life of Jesus, to move in His Spirit and deal with things of this life on earth with wisdom and power that is undeniably from heaven. People should naturally encounter a supernatural God when they interact with us. 

God seldom chooses the ambitious

God seldom chooses the ambitious because the ambitious will become a danger to themselves and to the Kingdom. Instead, God calls the unlikely and the reluctant. For example, Moses felt under-qualified (Exodus 3-4), Gideon felt unworthy (Judges 6), Jonah did not want to see his enemy receive God’s mercy, Jeremiah felt too young (Jeremiah 1), Ananias hesitated to see Paul who was infamous for the death of many believers (Acts 9), and so on.

Indeed, God exalts the humble and resists the proud. Moses is a good example. He became the greatest prophet Israel has ever known because of all the signs and wonders God did through him, Moses was also known for his regular encounters with God face to face. At the same time, Moses is described as a man who “was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). 

James 4:6 NKJV  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:  “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Deuteronomy 34:10-11 NKJV  But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land,

Great works are not a sign of God’s approval 

It is a human tendency to look at a Christian’s “achievements” in the kingdom of God as a sign of God’s favour on someone who must be “morally upright”, “special,” “chosen,” and “beyond fault.” The Bible shows us that this is not the case. 

Judas was one of the 12 chosen apostles and went everywhere with Jesus. He cast out spirits and healed the sick. On top of that, Judas was given a significant role that none of the other apostles were given; he was in charge of money collection and disbursement on behalf of Jesus’ ministry. People might have naturally assumed that Judas was highly trusted and respected by Jesus. Yet Judas’ heart was not for Jesus but for himself, he eventually betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. 

Matthew 26:14-15 NKJV  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 

Balaam was recognised as a prophet who heard from God and was sought out by kings. He is the only man recorded in the Bible as having heard God speak directly to him, seen an angel, and understood what his donkey said to him (Numbers 22-24). With such powerful “anointing”, surely this was a man approved by God but no, Balaam is recorded in the New Testament as loving the “wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15-16), being greedy for profit (Jude 1:11) and having “put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality” (Revelation 2:1). 

Romans 15:19 NKJV in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

This is in contrast with John the Baptist who did not do any signs and wonders but whom Jesus referred to as “among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” John led a very humble, simple life, preached Jesus and called people to repent. He had the unique privilege of baptising Jesus and ushering in the kingdom of God. Later, John was beheaded because of the kingdom of God that he preached.

Matthew 11:11 NKJV   “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

Great works, anointing, and miracles are not a sign of God’s endorsement. A person’s calling and gifts are not a reward for good behaviour or favour. Our gifts and calling were assigned to each one of us even before we are born. Mankind’s free will means that we can choose to use them for the kingdom of God, for ourselves, or for the kingdom of darkness.

Romans 11:29 NKJV  For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Elevation in God’s kingdom starts with dying

Paradoxically, the way to become significant in God’s kingdom is not to aim high but to aim for the grave, so to speak, to die to ourselves so we become a “slave” to all. This does not mean that we become a doormat for people to walk on but rather that we are so dead to our own fleshly desires and submitted to God that we will do whatever He calls us to, out of our deep understanding and gratitude for His love for us. In other words, we follow Jesus’ example and put down our psuche life for Him.

Mark 10:43-44 NKJV  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.

Matthew 23:11-12 NKJV  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  

It is, however, not always easy to ascertain if we have died to our own desires, so here are some questions that may be helpful.

1. Do we resist suffering willingly for the sake of the kingdom of God? 
2. Do we become upset when people don’t acknowledge what we have done?
3. Do we struggle to diminish so that another ministry or person can flourish in their calling and impact for the Kingdom of God? 
4. Do we tend to see ministry as a hierarchy, in terms of who is higher up and who is not? If we are higher in that hierarchy, do we expect people to show us deference and honour? 
5. Do we feel a sense of envy or anxiety when other people or other ministries appear to be more popular than ours?
6. Do we tend to count what we have done for the Lord as a sign of how much we have “achieved”?
7. Are we reluctant to share surplus resources with other people or other ministries, seeing these as “ours” rather than the Lord’s?
8. Do we react defensively when we are given constructive feedback, correction, or redirection?

When we have put down our psuche life to follow Jesus, we can answer “no” to all these questions!

Matthew 16:24-26 NKJV  Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life [psuche] will lose it, but whoever loses his life [psuche] for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Such obedience is highly valued in the kingdom of God because then, the Lord knows that He can entrust us with more. As the prophet Samuel said, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” There is little point sacrificing lots of energy and time to do “God’s work” if what we have been doing was never our mandate or God’s will for us. Walking in God’s will is of paramount importance or we may miss the real purpose He put us on earth for. Our obedience is much more precious to the Lord than all the things we can strive to achieve, because God receives our obedience as love.

1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV  So Samuel said:  “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

John 14:15 NKJV  “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJV   Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

Be ambitious to know God and love Him well

The one ambition we should pursue as followers of Jesus is to know God intimately and love Him well. John 1:10-11 says that “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know [ginosko] Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

The word ‘know’ here is translated from the original Greek word called ‘ginosko’. Ginosko does not refer to a knowing that is merely intellectual based on observation, but a knowing that is deep, personal, experiential, and intimate. It signifies a deeper, more transformative understanding that is based on a full and exact knowledge of God. ‘Ginosko’ includes the expectation of learning, perceiving, recognising, understanding, and being closely acquainted with God. After all, the greatest commandment is to love God, we can’t truly love Someone we are not closely acquainted with.

Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”  Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Many can “make it” to the highest “ranks” of Christian ministry and activity and still miss the heart of God. A case in point were the 12 apostles. 

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus told them that He was about to be betrayed, condemned, mocked, whipped and crucified – but all they could think about was their own spiritual ambitions. Even at the Last Supper, the apostles were still comparing themselves with one another and disputing who was the greatest amongst them, at a time when Jesus needed their care, focus, and support most crucially. Can we imagine what that must have been like for Jesus? In His wonderful grace, He answered them graciously and reminded them to be humble.

Matthew 20:18-22 NKJV  “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?”  She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”  But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”  They said to Him, “We are able.”

Luke 22:22-24 NKJV   And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves..

Jesus is worthy of our adoration and love. May we keep our eyes on the Lord and pursue to know His heart and will. It is all too easy betray our God with our own personal agendas. If the 12 apostles fell for it, so may we. May we be careful to love the Lord genuinely and love Him well.

May this sharing be a blessing to you as you seek to love the Lord with all your heart and put your psuche life down for Jesus.