CULTURE > STRATEGY | Monday | 8/10

Who Are We Becoming?

Ephesians 4:1–6

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: ⁴ there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

One of the questions we ask most naturally is, "What should we do?"

It's the question organizations ask when they're struggling. It's the question churches ask when attendance declines. It's the question families ask when life becomes complicated. We want a plan. We want a strategy. We want someone to hand us a map that will get us from where we are to where we want to be.

There is certainly a place for strategy. Paul himself makes plans throughout the New Testament. He appoints leaders, organizes collections for the poor, establishes churches, and develops missionary journeys. Scripture never suggests that planning is unimportant.

But what strikes me about Ephesians is where Paul begins.

For three chapters he has unfolded the breathtaking reality of the Gospel. God has made us alive with Christ. Jews and Gentiles have been brought together into one new humanity. We have become God's dwelling place through the Spirit.

If I were writing the next chapter, I suspect I would move immediately to strategy.

"Here's how to organize this new movement."

"Here's how to grow the church."

"Here's how to influence your city."

Paul does none of those things. Instead he says, "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."

He doesn't begin by asking what the church should do.

He begins by asking who the church should become.

That feels almost backward to us.

We live in a culture obsessed with efficiency. We celebrate productivity. We admire people who know how to execute a plan. Character often feels secondary to competence.

Paul quietly turns all of that upside down.

He assumes that what a community becomes will ultimately shape what it does. Before the church develops ministries, it must develop humility. Before it creates programs, it must become patient. Before it reaches the world, it must learn to bear with one another in love.

That isn't because these virtues make the church more successful.

It's because they reveal the character of Jesus.

Perhaps this is why so many organizations struggle. We spend enormous amounts of time asking about vision, strategy, and execution while giving comparatively little attention to the kind of people we are becoming together.

The same temptation exists in our own spiritual lives.

It's easy to ask, "What should I be doing for God?"

It is much harder—and perhaps much more important—to ask,

"Who is God making me into?"

The Gospel is not simply about accomplishing more.

It is about becoming more like Christ.

Everything else flows from there.

Today's Invitation

Before you make your to-do list today, spend a few quiet moments asking a different question: Who am I becoming?

Ask the Holy Spirit to form in you the character of Christ before asking Him to bless the work of your hands.