Most Christians understand the first aspect of our Christian walk, but few Christians understand or have any idea that the Christian walk has a second aspect. The second aspect of the Christian walk is for fulfilling God's purpose (Gal. 5:25b). As Christians we not only live to express Christ, we also live to accomplish a definite purpose.
The people who live in the world also have a walk with two aspects. A good father should behave properly. He should be loving, patient, and humble. He should also be a servant in his family, not a king. This is the first aspect of the father's walk. This kind of behavior is good, but this behavior alone would not provide the means for his family to be supported. Eventually, the father has to have a job, profession, or business in order to make money. To build up a business or to have a job in a certain firm or company in order to maintain his family is the second aspect of the father's walk. This second walk has the purpose of taking care of his family. It is good to be nice and humble; but these things alone do not accomplish the purpose of taking care of his family. He must have two aspects to his walk.
As Christians we should have two aspects to our walk. We should live Christ. To live Christ is for our daily life. This is the first aspect of our Christian life. There must also be another aspect to our Christian life. We must walk in order to fulfill God's purpose in accomplishing His economy in the building up of the church as the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 14:3-5; Eph. 4:12). This should be our goal, our purpose, our career, and our achievement.
In order to achieve the goal of the building up of the Body of Christ, we must take a number of steps. First, we must not love the world (1 John 2:15, 17). If we love the world, we are finished in fulfilling God's purpose in building up the Body of Christ. Second, we must not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2). Third, we must deny the self, bear the cross, and follow Jesus (Matt. 16:24). Fourth, we should take the step of putting on the new man, that is, living in the Body of Christ—the church (Eph. 4:24; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:23). To put on the new man is to put on the church life, because the new man is the church. To put on the church life is to live in the Body of Christ. Fifth, we should live the new creation (Gal. 6:15). We are not here just to live a humble, patient, and good life. We are here to live the new creation. We must learn to take Christ not only as our Savior and Redeemer, but also as the new creation. Sixth, we must pursue Christ (Phil. 3:12-16). Seventh, we must be perfected (Eph. 4:11-12). To be trained is to be perfected. The purpose of college is to perfect people in a profession so that they can fulfill their purpose in human life. We also must be perfected in order to fulfill God's purpose. Eighth, each of us must grow into Christ and function in His Body in each one's measure for the direct building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:15-16). The foregoing steps are for the walk in the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose.