“When Jesus entrusted the disciples with the Great Commission He called them ‘together’:

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. (Luke 9:1-2)

The primary issue that destroys Gospel-glorifying initiatives is selfish ambition that expresses itself in envy, jealousy and bitterness. In my experience and my knowledge of Church history, enmity between brothers and sisters has been the primary reason for disqualification, sin, misrepresentation, and division. The brutal division of Abraham’s family, the imprisonment of Joseph, the violence of Saul and Absolom, the crucifixion of our Lord, and the divisions among the early Church demonstrate the destructive consequences of bitterness, jealousy and envy.

In Luke 9, the disciples lacked power to deliver demons, missed the cross, lacked compassion for the gentiles, and denied others the right to minister all because of selfish ambition. “A dispute arose among them as to who was the greatest.” This explains why Jesus was so stern with them in his rebukes. He knew how much such a posture of heart would cost them. Pride, envy and jealousy provoked our Lord then, and they provoke Him now. A lust for position and honor before men was consuming them.”

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