The American culture is intrinsically competitive. In fact, it was founded on the so-called democratic process, which implies elections. Elections, by definition, imply some form of competition between candidates for public office. America’s financial model is also competitive, being capitalistic. Where a winner takes the office in a democracy, a winner takes the market in capitalism.

Americans were bred to compete.

You can take a drive in a car and witness the manifestation of this real-time. For example, have you ever been in heavy traffic and observe the small competitions that last about five to ten seconds between merging lanes? There’s a reason road rage exists – it’s called competition. How dare that person aggressively advance one car length in front of another!

Competitiveness bleeds into every aspect of life because people don’t know how to turn it off. In some theological circles, the underlying reason for this is called “creature credit”, which is taken from Paul’s diatribe regarding the depravity of fallen man in Romans 1:25. If the human flesh isn’t winning in every aspect of its existence, it isn’t satisfied. If it loses, it’s enraged.

Humans were born into a condition which demands superiority in every aspect of life. Just because we are born-again believers doesn’t mean this magically disappeared.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
- Romans 7:18-20

Now, if we apply this truth to our own lives, we begin to understand something truly awful that exists in Christ’s Church. Otherwise well-intentioned believers are competing with one another, sometimes without even realizing it, across church boundaries.

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward."
- Mark 9:38-41

The Apostle John, the so-called “apostle of love”, apparently needed to be taught a lesson from his Messiah regarding the very real existence of others in the Body of Christ who were advancing the Kingdom of God and yet weren’t physically a part of Jesus’ crew at the time.

Not every member of Christ’s Church physically followed Jesus or His disciples during His public ministry. And Jesus was OK with it. In fact, He educated His disciples about the spiritual unity of the faith tying His Church together, which has nothing to do with local gatherings, assemblies, or church membership. Being a member of a local assembly, while a good thing, should never be cause for exclusivity amongst the Body of Christ; and yet, sadly, it is among the greatest maladies I’ve ever seen in my experience as a pastor for the last decade and a half.

The human flesh’s base desire is to feel superior to others. This is the very heart of an antichrist. This is the heart that seeks exclusivity and superiority, even in the churches. Believers, being insiders, are the greatest perpetrators of all.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
- Ephesians 4:1-6

As members of the Body, Bride, and Church of Christ, we ought to seek unity among the churches, not exclusivity. This doesn’t mean we abandon all discernment regarding Jesus’ words, of course:

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
- Matthew 12:30

My plea here is that you fully absorb Christ’s lesson on anti-exclusivity. If He encouraged others outside of His own, personal earthly ministry to continue to advance the Kingdom to God’s glory, then we ought to encourage others outside of our own ministries and churches to do the same. We need to keep our eyes on the prize, on the big picture, not on all the details that evil seeks to divide us over.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
- Philippians 1:15-18

Paul’s attitude is one we should all aspire to. Last time I checked, not a single person in Christ’s Church, regardless of how advanced they might be in the faith, has omniscience. God sees the heart – you don’t. We ought to rejoice knowing that there are multitudes of others, gathering whenever and wherever they can (many under extreme duress and persecution) to praise the Lord. This is a beautiful thing, my dear friend. Let us focus on this instead of falling prey to our own human flesh’s desire for superiority. That’s ugly and it’s the way of an antichrist.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
- Ephesians 4:11-16

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- 1 Peter 3:8-12

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
- Colossians 3:14-17

Be beautiful. Sow beauty in the Church of Christ. Resist the temptation to establish superiority – it’s ugly and it makes you ugly. Seek unity. Seek love. Squash your fleshly desire for exclusivity.

Life is short, my friend.

Life is too good to ruin because of petty differences. Besides, who are you to take issue with others? Read Luke 6:41-42 and be healed.

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins