Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility W and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity hof the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
Walk Worthy
This past Sunday in the series we are going through, We Are The Church – A Study In Ephesians, Paul calls the church in Ephesus to walk worthy of the calling they have received. The first three chapters of Ephesians have been about our identity in Christ and all he has done for us in grace. Now Paul gives them, and us, a plan of action to walk worthy of the calling we have been given in our everyday lives. It is a plan for each of us individually and also a plan to walk worthy together as the body of Christ.
In this series we are learning what church is, our part as Christians in the church and as the church in the world. Our key truth is, The church is not a destination, but a base of operation. Church is not where we are to quietly live outur days as a believer, but instead it is a launchpad where we are equipped, encouraged, supported, loved, taught, and sent out to do the work God has called us to do as his church – to go out and spread the Gospel far and wide.
Paul urges us to walk worthy of the calling we have received. What does that mean – to walk worthy? Paul gives us the character of what that looks like:
With all Humility – not selfishly; not about our own agenda but what the Spirit leads; thinking of ourselves less and others more.
Gentleness – strength under control.
Patience - waiting with kindness
Bearing with one another in love - loving endurance with others
Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace –
For most of us, these character traits listed are not naturally who we are. These traits come from a relationship with Jesus. Our flesh if selfish, ill-tempered, and impatient. We like to be in control and have things our way. These are the traits that will come out of our lives when we are not filling our hearts and minds with the things of Jesus. We have to fill up on his goodness and mercy and love so we can spread it to the world around us and point others to him. The calling we have received involves the transformation of our lives to look like Jesus. Everything about us should look more and more like Him and less and less like the world.
Walking worthy is not just about our individual behavior. It is about keeping the peace, a spirit of unity, in the body of Christ. To do this it requires all the characteristics above and the fruit of the Spirit in our own lives. As the church, if we cannot be unified to the world around us, we lose our witness. Paul goes on to remind them:
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. vs 4-6
The church is one body, with one Spirit (the Holy Spirit within us), we serve one Lord (Jesus Christ), we have one faith (faith in redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus), one baptism (His seal of His Spirit on us at the point of salvation), and we have one God and Father above all and through all. The Spirit of Christ in us connects us with the Spirit of Christ in other believers.
We must maintain our relationship with Jesus, which maintains our hearts, so that we can be in right relationship with those around us. This maintenance – our relationship with him – changes the way we live and love those around us. We must show unity and love in the body of Christ to the world so they will know we belong to him.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35
