Walk Worthy: Running in Rhythm Together

Ephesians 4:1–6 ESV

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Big Idea: We are called to live in unity and humility as one body in Christ.

Introduction – The Three-Legged Race of the Christian Life

Have you ever been in—or even just watched—a three-legged race? Two people tie their legs together, and suddenly something as simple as walking becomes a challenge. What used to be natural—running, keeping your balance, staying upright—now feels awkward, jerky, and frustrating.

At first, they work against each other without even realizing it. One steps too fast, the other too slow. One leans forward, the other pulls back. Every step is a struggle until they finally learn how to move in rhythm.

And to win that race, they have to do two things: submit to one another and work together. Only then can they run well.

That is exactly the picture Paul paints for us in Ephesians 4:1–6.

In Christ, our lives have been tied together. We don’t run alone anymore. Whether we like it or not, God has joined us to His people. And if we insist on running our own way—pushing ahead, pulling back, or ignoring those beside us—we will stumble, struggle, and trip our way through the Christian life.

But Paul calls us to something better. Something higher. Something worthy of the One who saved us.

“Walk worthy of the calling you have received.”

Walk in unity. Walk with humility. Walk with the people God has tied you to.

“So the question becomes: what does that worthy walk actually look like? If we are tied together in Christ, how do we move in rhythm with one another?”

1. Live With Humility, Patience, and Love (vv. 1–2)

Paul begins with the heart posture needed to “run well” in this shared race:

Lowliness (humility): We do not think we are better than the other. In this three-legged race we may have a longer stride than the other, or a better gate, but we are nit better just gifted differently. We need to consider where the other person is at and then from there work with them rather than against them. This is humility.

Gentleness: Here we gently urge and guide others forward. When preparing to run a marathon one does not just go and run long distances, they begin small and build up. It is the same here. We all begin small and build up so we need to be gentle with those who are not at the pace we are.

Longsuffering (patience): Here is everyone’s favorite, Patience. I know it is a cuss word but it is true we need patience with others. They are not where we are, but guess what, we are not where those ahead of us are either. Patience is critical in our lives in general and especially in this walk as one body in Christ.

Bearing with one another in love: here is the key, we bear with others in love. We do this because we love and we love because we have been loved. I know at tiumes loving others in this walk is hard, but it is required becaus you may know it all and be highly gifted but all that is nothing more than a loud clanging gong if you have not love (1 Cor. 13:1).

Just like in a three-legged race, we can’t run ahead of others or drag them behind us. We can’t demand our own pace or push our own preferences. Walking worthy of our calling means recognizing that God has tied our lives together on purpose.

Humility says, “I don’t have to be first.”

Patience says, “I can slow down if you need me to.”

Love says, “We will get through this together.”

If you find yourself frustrated with another believer, remember: you are tied to them. Sometimes the reason we keep stumbling isn’t because of the other person—it’s because we won’t humble ourselves.

“And when humility, gentleness, patience, and love start shaping the way we walk… something beautiful happens. They create the conditions for unity. But unity doesn’t maintain itself. Unity takes effort.”

2. Make Every Effort to Keep Unity (v. 3)

Paul commands us to be:

“endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Unity doesn’t happen by accident. Like learning to run in rhythm with someone else, it takes effort, intentionality, and a willingness to yield.

Where unity is absent, someone is pulling in a different direction.

Where peace is broken, someone is refusing humility, patience, or love.

Unity is not optional—it is the worthy walk of those tied together in Christ.

Unity is also not uniformity. No, unity is we may have differing views but we can be together because the core truth we hold is the same. Some of us have differing views of some things the Scripture teaches, but hold that the Scriptures are God’s authoritative word and the writings in it are the truth and truthfully recorded and we live by them, but we agree that Jesus is the only way and that one is saved by grace alone.

This core truth allows us to know that we can be in unity because we agree that it is Christ alone and His Word is truth. We are not in full agreement on every teaching in Scripture but we have unity because we know we ar eone body together and Jesus is more important than us being split.

An illustration may help:

A child building with Legos doesn’t care if the bricks look different. They just care that the bricks stay together.

Paul is saying: It’s not the shape of the bricks that matters— it’s the unity that allows the structure to stand.

Some of us are square bricks. Some round. Some oddly shaped.

But the Holy Spirit is the “bond of peace”—the divine glue holding us together.

“But Paul doesn’t just tell us to fight for unity—he tells us why unity matters so much. We don’t strive for unity because it sounds nice or because it makes church easier. We strive for unity because of who we are and who our God is.”

3. One Body, One Spirit, One Lord (vv. 4–6)

Paul ends this section by reminding us why unity matters:

One body

One Spirit

One hope

One Lord

One faith

One baptism

One God and Father of all

We are not running individual races. We are one body with one purpose under one God.

To fight each other is to fight against our own body.

To refuse unity is to refuse the work of the Spirit.

To insist on our own way is to forget the calling we have received.

Whether we like it or not, we are running together. So unity is not just preferable—it is essential.

Much like this:

A football team may have different positions—quarterback, linemen, receivers—but they all wear one jersey.

If the lineman refuses to block because he doesn’t agree with the quarterback’s play call… If the receiver runs his own route instead of the coach’s… If the defense refuses to hustle because the offense messed up…

The whole team loses.

Different roles. Different strengths. But one team—one identity—one purpose.

That’s the church.

“So Paul has shown us the picture (the three-legged race), the posture (humility, patience, love), the pursuit (fight for unity), and now the purpose (we are one body under one Lord). The only question left is this: What will we do with what we’ve heard?”

Closing Challenge

A pastor once watched an elderly couple trying to cross a busy road. Their steps were slow. Their legs were weak. But they wrapped their arms together—matching their pace so neither would fall.

That’s unity. Not doing the Christian walk perfectly… But doing it together.

When Paul says “walk worthy,” he’s not asking you to be fast. He’s asking you to be faithful—joined arm-in-arm with your brothers and sisters.

So, if you are angry with another believer, or feel tension with someone in the body of Christ, remember the three-legged race, remember this elderly couple. You are tied together. If the race feels rough, it may be because you aren’t submitting, slowing down, or showing patience.

Choose humility. Choose love. Choose unity.

And trust this truth:

God is able to help you run well today—far better than you imagine.

Walk worthy of your calling.

Walk in unity.

Run in rhythm with the people God has given you.