Before results, titles, or influence: walking worthy of the calling you have received.

On Saturday, I attended a Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) chapel service on the DC campus, and something stood out to me in Ephesians. Paul is encouraging the church in Ephesus to walk worthy in their calling. Then it hit me. Is my leadership where the Lord has called me to be, being walked out worthy?

This section of scripture addresses unity within the body of believers. While it certainly addresses unity within the church walls, that unity extends beyond Sundays and the midweek gathering. Unity in our walk as the sent church.

… urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received … (Ephesians 4:1b, CSB)

Not everyone is called to vocational ministry, but at the same time, have you “received” your calling to leadership, and understand that IS your calling? Some questions come to mind:

• Does the way I lead reflect a worthy calling?
• When pressure rises at work, do my decisions look different because I belong to Christ?
• Do I prioritize in how I lead vs. the outcomes of my decisions?

In a world where the ends justify the means, that last one I have to remind myself: the outcomes are His to own, not mine. I’m responsible for walking worthy.

But This Passage Starts with Therefore

Every time I see a therefore, I must ask myself why is the conjunction there for? To understand, we must go back a few verses to see what preceded this critical walking-worthy exhortation. Starting with verse 14 of chapter 3, Paul gives us a prayer. In this prayer, Paul asks the Father to strengthen believers through the Holy Spirit so that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith. He prays that the church, rooted and firmly established in love, would comprehend, together with all the saints, the immeasurable love of Christ and be filled with the fullness of God.

This makes me think. Does my team see Christ’s love through my walk? Do my clients see this? Do my vendors see this? The leadership fruit of humility, gentleness, and patience shows through my leadership. (Eph 4:2) The past two weeks have been filled with stress, not feeling well, and a ton of critical issues; it was a 1-2 punch to reflect. Then I need to remember that Paul prays before he exhorts the body to a worthy calling. I have to remind myself that a worthy walk is not a self-generated moral performance; it is the fruit of a people strengthened by the Spirit, rooted in Christ’s love, and dependent on the Spirit’s power.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3, NLT)

Your Calling is Where You are Placed

One of the main issues I have with the church is the sacred/secular divide and how this creates a false dichotomy. Work is worship. That started in Genesis. While some are called to the far reaches of the earth on a missions trip, most are sent where they currently are. Their family and their work. For some, secular or marketplace leadership is their calling and mission field. Leadership can be a significant sphere in which a Christian lives out that shared calling. Christians exercise workplace responsibilities as people already called into Christ’s one body to be the hands and feet of Christ for people who may never enter a church.

As a body, I would love to see greater unity among Christian leaders, not building our own little kingdoms, but joining Christ’s mission and equipping one another for His kingdom, which gets us to Ephesians 4:12.

To equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (Ephesians 4:12, NIV)

Ephesians 4:12 does not turn every company into a church. But it does confront every Christian leader with a question: does my leadership create dependence on my name and platform, or does it equip people and strengthen Christ’s body? While business as mission is great in concept, we must remember that the mission is Christ’s love in the workplace for the ministry of reconciliation and stewarding what was given under our leadership. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) This includes resources and the people.

A marketplace leader is not exempt from the call to humility, unity, truth, love, and maturity. It is through the Spirit that we seek knowledge and the ability to comprehend the Word, so that our Scripture-shaped judgment in daily leadership is worthy of our calling. This is applying our theology in the workplace and through our leadership.

Before I try to build, correct, lead, multiply, or influence others, am I prayerfully rooted and grounded in the love of Christ? Am I leading in a way that strengthens unity and maturity rather than merely getting results?

Let’s just say I’m a work in progress.