In the past few newsletters, we’ve been tackling a very important question: What’s going on with our world?

Though technology is advancing, our human connections are deteriorating. Though scientific breakthroughs are at our fingertips, our mental and emotional health is declining. Though we are more digitally interconnected than we have ever been, we are also more divided. We have access to so much knowledge, and yet are left with so many questions. 

What’s going on with our world is not an issue of external behavior but of internal motives, which only God can help us uncover:

All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions], but the LORD weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].

Proverbs 16:2 AMP

As we looked deeply at ourselves and the Bible, we made an observation: our world is currently being broken by selfish ambition. The apostle Paul identified the warning signs of selfish ambition in this passage: 

For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and you may not find me to be what you want. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. 

2 Corinthians 12:20 CSB

The signs of disorder in our culture are clear; selfish ambition is the destructive force behind it, but it’s not just in the world. It’s in our churches, too:

Some, it is true, are [actually] preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry [toward me—for no better reason than a competitive spirit or misguided ambition], but others out of goodwill and a loyal spirit [toward me]. [16] The latter [preach Christ] out of love, because they know that I have been put here [by God on purpose] for the defense of the gospel; [17] but the former preach Christ [insincerely] out of selfish ambition [just self-promotion], thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment. 

Philippians 1:15-17 AMP

Over the last few weeks, we have been testing a working hypothesis: selfish ambition produces spiritual disorder and social decay, but spiritual ambition rooted in God’s love creates peace, humility, and healing.

To test our hypothesis, we conducted an experiment, categorizing human ambition into six distinct types, each with its own potential catalyst to become spiritual. We learned how to transform destructive ambitions (selfish, dormant, and passive) into constructive ambitions (quiet, noble, and spiritual).

We learned that the greatest ambition we can have is to please God and make him known:

“Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him.” 

2 Corinthians 5:9 AMP

Where do we go from here? 

As we close this series, it’s now time to analyze our results and come to a conclusion. What do our hypothesis and experiment tell us about how to move forward? What can we learn so we can become catalysts for change? 

As we ask ourselves whether transforming our ambitions can transform the world, remember that Jesus didn’t demand blind faith. He invited people into an experiment:

“Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” 

John 7:17 NIV

He also said this:

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” 

Matthew 7:16-20 NIV

In other words: Follow the data. Observe the outcomes. Judge by transformation.

Notebooks open. Let’s see what we can learn today.

Our experiment in part two of this series revealed six types of ambition:

• Selfish ambition 
• Dormant ambition
• Passive ambition
• Quiet ambition
• Noble ambition
• Spiritual ambition

We learned what each of these ambitions looked like both in the Bible and our own lives. Now, let’s examine the result of these ambitions when they influence not just our personal lives, but our cultures and societies.

Destructive ambition creates disorder

Selfish, dormant, and passive ambition are all ultimately self-serving and self-preserving. Rather than developing an intimate, trusting, and powerful relationship with God, we use these ambitions to protect ourselves from our fears of rejection, risk, and failure. The result is a disordered life (James 3:16). The cultural data confirms our hypothesis that selfish ambition produces spiritual disorder and social decay:

• Rising narcissism. Studies show a 30% increase in measures of narcissism in American college students over the last two decades. 
• Declining intimacy. People once reported having four or five close friends; now it’s two to three, and the number with no confidants has doubled. 
• Eroding trust. In the early 1960s, a majority of the U.S. population believed most people could be trusted. By the 1990s, distrusters had a 20-point margin over trusters, and that gap continues to widen. 
• Collapsing empathy. Today’s college students score 40% lower than 1970s students in their ability to understand what another person is feeling, with the biggest drop occurring after 2000.
• The death of character language. Words like “bravery” (down 66%), “gratitude” (down 49%), “humbleness” (down 52%), and “kindness” (down 56%) have drastically declined in usage, while individualistic phrases like “I come first” have surged. 

The destructive effects of selfish ambition in the world are clear. But how do we address this? How do we become catalysts for change to turn selfish ambition into constructive spiritual ambition? 

Churches are in a unique position to bring this issue to light and provide transformation, but the topic has been missing from most churches. Modern churches mention sin-related terms in less than 10% of sermons. At the same time, church attendance and membership have declined:

• Weekly church attendance has declined across all US religious groups. 
• Church membership dropped from 70% of Americans in 1999 to 47% of Americans in 2020.
• The share of practicing Christians in the US has declined from 45% to 25% since 2000.

The correlation is clear: As churches stopped addressing the root cause (selfish ambition), both spiritual and social health deteriorated. It’s time to shift our focus.

The world desperately needs leadership guided by quiet, noble, and most of all, spiritual ambition. The church should possess the spiritual ambition to fulfill God’s will of being a light to the world. Darkness prevails when there are no spiritual people with the faith and courage to make God known.

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, [11] according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Ephesians 3:10-11 NIV

Constructive ambition creates healing

When we transform destructive ambition into constructive ambition, the results are clear:

• Increased longevity. Seventh-Day Adventists are frequently studied in medicine because they have a higher life expectancy than perhaps any other population. They live 7-10 years longer than others in their demographic because their spiritual discipline improves their physical health. Their quiet ambition leads them to value rest, physical exercise, abstinence from harmful substances, and living a purposeful life. 
• Increased intimacy. Religious couples report higher marital satisfaction and lower divorce rates.
• Improved emotional health. Church attendance correlates with lower depression, decreased substance abuse, and lower risk of suicide.
• Improved physical health. Prayer is known to improve health outcomes.

Each of these statistics reveals the tremendous opportunity before us; the church can be a catalyst for change. Our potential for impact in the world cannot be overstated. 

The roadmap for right ambition

Now that we have established the constructive and destructive effects of different types of ambition, let’s learn how to develop spiritual ambition.

Conclusion

Our scientific method has confirmed our hypothesis: Selfish ambition produces spiritual disorder and social decay, but spiritual ambition rooted in God’s love creates peace, humility, and healing.

Cease striving, start living

The answer to our cultural crisis begins with a simple command from God:

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

Psalm 46:10 LSB

We must cease the empty striving of the world—the endless pursuit of status, recognition, and personal advancement that leaves us exhausted and unfulfilled. Instead, we must seek the satisfaction that comes only from God’s will, purpose, and love. Moses understood this when he prayed this prayer:

So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. [13] Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. [14] O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. [15] Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, and the years we have seen evil. [16] Let Your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. [17] Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands.” 

Psalm 90:12-17 NASB

True satisfaction comes not from our striving, but from being filled with God’s lovingkindness and seeing his work confirmed through our hands when we align with his purposes.

The call to transformation

We have learned from our study that selfish ambition is causing the spiritual and social decline in our culture. The church should provide answers and inspiration, but too often it has become complicit when it imitates rather than changes the world.

The Chemistry Lab has revealed the formula for change: When we cease our empty striving and embrace God’s purposes, when the church operates with spiritual rather than selfish ambition, we become the catalyst God intended—transforming not just ourselves, but our communities and culture.

As you move forward to become a catalyst for change, consider these questions:

• How have you seen the destructive effects of selfish ambition, either in your own life or in the world around you?
• How might you contribute to bettering the church’s influence on the world?
• How will you embrace quiet, noble, or spiritual ambition in your life?
• What would being satisfied with God’s will, purpose, and love look like for you?

Soli Deo Gloria – Live only for the glory of God.