As I look around at the current SBC landscape, I can’t help but consider the words of Paul found in Ephesians 4:1-3: “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.”
Southern Baptists are doing a lot of walking and talking lately, but it doesn’t seem that we’ve done so in a manner worthy of our calling. Think about the characteristics Paul uses to describe such a walk: humble, gentle, and patient. Most of our SBC dialogue might be described as prideful, harsh, and irritated.
Much more than any one issue, we clearly have a spiritual problem in our denomination. Let me be clear, I am likely part of the problem. I think we have all been subconsciously influenced by the cultural trends that surround us. Like the lost world, we assume the worst in others. Our default is to take a defensive posture in conversation. Our Baptist tribes have grown smaller and smaller, while their platforms have grown larger and larger.
In Ephesians 4:14-16, Paul challenges us to “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.”
We are lacking the love and unity that naturally flows from those who are intimately connected in growing a relationship with the Father. American Christians — and Southern Baptists in particular — are acting like children, and we are falling for the deceitful schemes of the enemy. The winds are blowing, and we are being thrown back and forth by the social and political trends of the day.
So how might a Christian walk worthy of his calling? The particular Greek word used appears only six times in the entire New Testament, and four of those occasions are found in Paul’s letters. It’s clear that we are not trying to become deserving of God’s favor. Yet, we are expected to act in a way that fits the value of our God and His gospel.
Humility, gentleness, patience, and unity are supernatural products of knowing and growing in Him. Healthy relationships with other believers are the outcome of our healthy relationship with our God. He is the only one who can bring us together, and His glory is the only reason we can find common ground in the mission. Our tendency is to see the fault in others, but we must realize the problem is us.
Two passages stand out when considering our dependence on God. Jesus Himself declares in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” You can tell when someone is living out of the gospel of Jesus Christ when they display humility, gentleness, and patience.
Finally, Paul reminds us of the source of our expectations in Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us … .” There are countless moments of weakness when we neglect to embrace the power of God. This is when our expectations are lowered to a standard based on us, but that is not the will of God for us.
God is able to do exceedingly more than we can ask or think. So, commit with me to walk this way, talk this way, and live this way. He is able to do it in us. Charge on!