The Call to Become Like Christ

It is easy to rely on what is familiar the routines and traditions we have practiced for years. Yet God constantly calls us to change, urging us to be transformed into the very image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2
"For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Romans 8:29
This truth forces us to ask a difficult question:
If Jesus were to look at the Church today, would He look at us and say, "This is My Church" or would much of what He sees feel entirely foreign to Him?
To ask it another way: Are we truly being faithful stewards of what Jesus entrusted to us?
"He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:18
For many, the quick answer might be "yes." But what would Jesus say?
If His answer were "no," then why do we keep doing things the same way?
Why do we cling to methods and structures that do not reflect His heart?
The answer often comes down to three things: Religion, Culture, and Tradition.
"You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'" Matthew 15:6–9