Go deeper with others.

(Ephesians 1:3-14) – Most of us instinctively avoid checking what we fear will disappoint us—but in Christ, the opposite is true. We are richer than we know. Ephesians 1 pulls back the curtain on what God has already deposited into the lives of those who belong to Jesus. In a world that often feels random, fragile, and exhausting, Paul gives us three stabilizing truths: we have something to look forward to, someone we can count on, and someone we can surrender to.

(Ephesians 1:1NIV) – We kick off a new series this week exploring Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which offers a beautiful “mountaintop perspective” on our calling as Christians. Written as a circular letter to multiple churches, Ephesians offers a wide-angle vision of what it truly means to follow Jesus – and right out of the gate, Paul makes it clear that the Christian life isn’t about being the hero of your own story, but about participating together in God’s much larger one. This shift—from me to us—should change how we understand purpose, belonging, and community.

As our “GOAT Problem” series comes to a close, we’re reminded that Scripture does not condemn confidence, ambition, or achievement; what it confronts is how easily those good things become distorted by comparison and competition. When our personal growth turns into superiority, our confidence turns into scorn, and our ambition becomes self-centered, we drift away from the way of Jesus – the Way of Life. This week we wrap up by offering two more alternatives to “Better Than” and reframe both confidence and ambition as Jesus would have us live them out.