Be Worthy
With Captain America: Civil War having recently come out in theaters, a great cast of Avengers took to the screen once again. It was awesome to see all of them, from Iron Man to Ant-man, fighting with and alongside each other. However, there were a couple of Avengers missing from the movie. Namely Hulk and Thor.
Both of them are scheduled to be involved in the next Thor movie, but while big action sequences and explosions are fun to watch, where these Marvel movies shine is in making these characters relatable. Not only do we get to see the heroes fighting the villains, we also get to see them hanging out, talking to each other, and just being normal everyday people. There’s one scene in particular from Avengers: Age of Ultron where many of the Avengers try lifting Thor’s hammer Mjölnir. Mjölnir can’t be lifted by just anyone, but they all have fun trying.
The story goes that a long time ago Thor’s father Odin wielded the hammer Mjölnir before passing it on to Thor. Inscribed on the hammer are the following words, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Throughout comicbook history many have tried to wield the hammer, but few have been found to be worthy. There were even times when Thor himself was not worthy, but what does it mean to be worthy?
Nothing sells newspapers quite like a scandal. The tabloids are filled with celebrities and public officials who’ve done this or that. Many times the issues aren’t anything that unusual, but because it happened within a prominent family or to a prominent person, it’s suddenly big news. People lie every day, yet when Brian Williams was caught in a lie the media had a field day. Right or not, we hold prominent figures to a higher standard. Queens don’t get drunk in public, journalists don’t lie, and Presidents don’t get into domestic disputes. It’s beneath their status. Because of the position that has been given to them, we expect them to live a life better than the common man.
As Paul continues in his letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 4:1-16), he comes to the same conclusion. Those who have faith in Christ are heirs within his kingdom. As such, we are to live a life worthy of that position. He starts this section by calling us to live a life worthy of our calling, or to live up to the standard of the position we’ve been given. Much like with a king, queen, or president, we as heirs to the Kingdom of God are to live a life worthy of that title, that calling. While we have a basic understanding of what this means, Paul lays out some guidelines for living a life worthy of the calling we’ve received.
He first calls us to unity. This isn’t the first time he’s called for unity among believers, but he reemphasizes it yet again. Specifically, within our own lives he tells us to “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” While each of these things is a personal action, they are key to living in unity.
Patience is one of the things that I need to pray for often. It’s not just a personal thing, but it affects all those around me. When my patience is wearing thin and snap at somebody that certainly didn’t deserve it, do you think that affects the unity between us? When we choose to seek our own selfish desires instead of bearing with one another in love, do you think that affects the unity between us?
Paul spends a great deal of time focused on this idea of unity. “There is one body and one Spirit […] one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.” No matter our differences, race, gender, age, doctrinal beliefs, we all serve the same God. We all have been called to the same mission and the same savior. Let us use those things that we share to unify us within his love.
In addition to calling us to unity, we are also to embrace our diversity. Unity does not mean uniformity. It does not result in each of us looking the same and acting the same. We don’t become clones of one another to which there can be no distinction. God has made each of us different and special. He has given us natural abilities and spiritual gifts that we are to use to accomplish the mission he has set before us. The way that I fulfill the mission will be different from the way you fulfill the mission.
This brings us to a portion of scripture has been repeated to me over and over as my family and I moved to Colorado and spent time at Nazarene Bible College, Ephesians 4:11. This passage was repeated over and over to emphasize to us that there are some men and women that have been called upon and set apart for this specific purpose.
However, I think that this passage has been pulled out of context way too many times, albeit for noble purposes. On the surface it can seem as if Paul is singling out those people who God has called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors. I’ve even seen churches in which, whether by fault of the pastor or the people of the congregation, the pastor does all the work of ministering to the community while everyone else comes to church a few times a week to hear the pastor speak. This formula is not only dangerous, it is completely wrong.
When taken in context, here is what Paul is actually saying, “We’ve all been called to unity in Christ, but Christ has apportioned to each of us different gifts and abilities. He gave some the task of being pastors, prophets, and teachers that they might help each believer to learn what it means to serve God and to train them in the knowledge and unity of Christ that all might become mature and full of Christ.”
The reason God has called certain people to be pastors, teachers, and prophets was not so that they might do the work of the church. God called me to be your pastor so that I might teach you more about Christ and his love and to help prepare you to use your gifts and abilities to accomplish the mission he’s called you to.
We often speak of God calling people to be pastors or evangelists, but the truth is that God has called each and every one of us. When Paul said to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received,” he wasn’t speaking to the pastors and evangelists within the church. He was speaking to the church as a whole. Each of us has been called. We’ve been called out of the sinful lifestyle that once was the norm, and we’ve been called to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In Greek the word for church is ekklesia. It literally means, “called out ones.” You have been called upon by God, out of the sinful mess that used to be your life and into his glory and fullness that you might carry his gospel message to the ends of the earth. That’s not the calling just for pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. It’s the calling of anyone that places their trust in Jesus Christ.
Finally, living a life worthy of this calling means that you must develop maturity. In 1 Corinthians 3:2 Paul spoke of giving the church spiritual milk because they were not yet ready for meat. Likewise he states in Ephesians 4:14-15, “Then we will no longer be infants […] Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, […] Christ.”
I’ve known way too many Christians that have been going to church their whole lives but are still only drinking spiritual milk. They haven’t moved past reciting bible stories from Sunday School to actually digging into God’s word and allowing him to make a real impact in their lives. And so, as Paul says, they are “tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” If we are going to live a life worthy of this calling, we have to grow up. We can’t go about our lives playing church, going to church on Sundays and neglecting our calling the rest of the week. That is not a life worthy of God’s calling.
Each of us have been called to something greater than ourselves. We have been called out of sin and into the service of the all-powerful, all-knowing, living God, and with such a high calling, such a high status or rank, comes the responsibility of living up to that calling. Paul urges us to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of the calling we’ve received. Can you honestly say that you’re doing that? As you examine your life, is God’s unity with the body evident in your life? Have you embraced the mission that he’s called us to and the diversity that we all bring to the table? Are you actively working toward spiritual maturity? Are you living a life worthy of your calling?