In Christ - The Believer’s Identity

In The Believer’s Identity, part of the In Christ series, Kelly Kinder returns to Ephesians to help you bridge who you are with how you live. He frames the message with a simple picture: imagine a scale with your calling in Christ on one side and your daily conduct on the other. The goal isn’t to grind harder but to let your behavior rise to match your calling. Kelly shows how Ephesians moves from identity (chapters 1–3) to lifestyle (chapters 4–6), and he urges you to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling” from Ephesians 4:1–3. Kelly reminds you that spiritual amnesia—forgetting who you are in Christ—wrecks confidence and relationships. But when you remember you’ve been crucified with Christ, hidden with Christ, and made alive by faith, you can love and serve without fear of rejection or the need for constant validation. Drawing from John 13, Kelly points to Jesus, who, knowing exactly who he was, took the lowest place and washed his disciples’ feet. Identity fuels purpose. From there, Kelly unpacks the “worthy walk” through four graces that turn belief into behavior. Humility isn’t groveling; it’s sober self-assessment that lifts others. With a lighthearted nod to Muhammad Ali’s airplane quip, Kelly contrasts self-promotion with Christlike lowliness that lets the work speak louder than our words. Gentleness isn’t weakness; it’s strength under control—the kind of measured presence that won’t break a bruised reed or snuff a smoldering wick. Patience stretches your fuse, trusting God’s timing in a hurry-sick world; Kelly even laughs at his own battles with red lights and long checkout lines to show how formation often happens in life’s “long line.” Enduring love bears with people to the end, echoing Jesus’ love on the night he washed feet—yes, even Judas’s. These graces are not abstractions; they work in real life. Kelly retells David’s restraint with Shimei to illustrate entrusting your case to the just Judge rather than retaliating. Then he gets practical: soften your tone, wait a beat before reacting, choose to serve unseen, and stay present when you’d rather withdraw. Unity isn’t something we manufacture; the Spirit already formed it. Our call is to maintain it in the bond of peace by walking this path together. If you’re ready to realign your walk with your calling and rebuild trust where it’s thin, watch and share this message—and consider which grace you’ll practice this week. We are Trinity Community Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Subscribe to our Podcast & YouTube channel to find past sermons, classes, interviews, and more! Find us on Facebook & Instagram