Passion Creek Church

Scripture works best when we allow it to work slowly over the long haul in our lives. But this confronts our impulse to seek immediate results and instant satisfaction. Where Scripture plants small seeds that bloom slowly over time, we often live too hurried and impatient to allow it to do its deepest work in us. But by adopting both a daily pace and a humble posture, we can slowly train ourselves to endure while letting Scripture do its deepest work in our souls.

In Ephesians 6, Paul describes the armor of God and tells believers to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When Jesus faces off with the devil in the wilderness, he uses Scripture as his main defense. Each temptation from the devil was met with a specific truth from God’s Word. In the same way, we too are called to apply Scripture specifically to our lives in order to combat the deceptions, accusations, resistance, and temptations from the enemy. The more we saturate our minds with Scripture, the more the Holy Spirit brings specific verses, promises, or truths to our minds in the moments we need them most.

“Sweeter than honey to my mouth…” That’s how the Psalmist describes the Bible in Psalm 119. Which means that Scripture is not just information to absorb or rules to obey, it’s meant to reshape our desires. Where most of us either indulge or suppress our desires, the Bible aims to redirect them back towards God. In order to allow ourselves to be reshaped by the Bible, we practice meditating on it. By meditating, we’re not rushing or skimming, we’re savoring. We’re slowing down with God’s Word to allow it to slowly sink from our heads into our hearts. Over time, as we consistently meditate on God’s Word, our thoughts begin to align with God’s thoughts, and our desires begin to align with His.

In order to be formed by Scripture, we must learn to submit to its authority. In Psalm 119, the Psalmist describes God’s Word as a lamp, something that illuminates just enough for us to take one small step of obedience to Jesus at a time. This means that Scripture can’t simply be read, it must be obeyed. If our attitudes, actions, behaviors, and beliefs are never redirected by the Bible, then we aren’t treating it like a lamp unto our feet. But by ruthlessly assessing the darkness in the world and our own hearts, and by radically accepting the light of God’s Word, we can slowly practice submitting to Scripture and obeying it as truth.

The Christian life is not defined by a single powerful moment. Instead, Scripture shows us that formation happens through both moments and marathons. In Acts 19, the church in Ephesus experienced a defining moment where God moved powerfully to save its people and bring revival to the city. But years later, Paul wrote Ephesians to guide them through the long obedience of faithful discipleship. Eventually, Jesus Himself addressed this church in Revelation, warning that perseverance without love leads to drift. The invitation of the gospel is not to grit our teeth through the race, but to keep falling in love with Jesus. To do this we must learn to guard our hearts, walk in community, practice faithfulness, and rely on the Holy Spirit to form us peace by piece over the long haul.

All of us want peace, transformation, and a life that reflects Jesus. But becoming like God is not something we can accomplish on our own strength. Paul reminds us in Ephesians that transformation is only possible through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a force but a person who dwells within us. We can grieve Him through our words and relationships, even while remaining secure in our salvation, sealed by His presence. And while those who follow Jesus already have the Spirit within them, we are continually invited to be filled by Him through repentance and surrender. As we walk together in worship, gratitude, mutual submission, and love, the Spirit forms us, peace by piece, into the likeness of Christ.

All of us are aiming our lives at something. We have a vision of the kinds of people we want to become over the course of our lives. But if we’re honest, few of us know how to get there. We either falsely assume we turn into people who look like Jesus by accident, or we rely on big dramatic moments to define us. But change happens through teaching, community, practice, the power of the Holy Spirit over the long haul. In Ephesians 4, Paul reminds the church that everything around us is forming us and shaping us into who we are. The cultural waters we live in shape our desires, habits, and imaginations. Our practice, then, becomes counter-formation. We say “no” to the default patterns of our culture so that we can say “yes” to a better way of life. This type of discipleship looks less like dramatic sprinting and more like walking; slow, ordinary, and repetitive. But over time, our daily practices shape who we become. Slowly we’re formed into the likeness of Jesus over the long haul. To walk faithfully and practically, we use a Rule of Life: a simple way of ordering daily, weekly, and lifestyle rhythms around practices that shape us into who we want to be.

It’s no secret that America is experiencing a loneliness epidemic. Though most of us are surrounded by people, digitally connected, and relationally busy, few of us have actually experienced the deep and life-giving reality of authentic community. In Ephesians 4, Paul paints a picture of what Christian community can look like. Rather than giving us model, brand, or method, Paul describes community as a body. Just like a body, each person within a community has a part to play in supporting those around them. But also like a body, if one person is unhealthy and unwilling to change, the rest of the community can get infected. Lying, anger, stealing, foul language, and bitterness can cause damage to the communities we find ourselves in. Because of this, true community is a risk. But it’s also the way in which we can grow more like Christ, accept his love, and share that love with those around us.

This week in the Peace by Piece series, we explore Ephesians 4:1, focusing on the crucial role of teaching in Christian formation. Many of us are shaped by ideas and images that subtly pull us away from God’s truth. True transformation doesn’t happen through quick fixes or isolated frameworks, but through a holistic, patient process of engaging with the essentials: Teaching, Community, Practice, Holy Spirit, and Moments & Marathons. This process requires confronting the lies we believe, renewing our minds with Scripture, and allowing God to form us piece by piece over time. As we grow in this grace, we begin to embody the peace of Christ in a chaotic world.