Called Out

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.

1 Corinthians 1:2

The English word church in the New Testament is based on the Greek word ekklesia, a compound word derived from ek (“out of”) and kaleo (“to call”). Basically, the church is a group of people who have been “called out” of the world to be God’s people.

When we were in the world, we had no ultimate sense of purpose. But in Christ, we are called to be saints of God. Saint means “holy one”—therefore, the church is a group of unholy people who have been declared to be holy in Christ and who represent their holy God in the world. That is the church’s defining purpose, its reason for existence. If the church loses sight of its “called out” place in the world, it will begin to be more like the world than like God. The church’s greatest challenge is to remember its purpose: called to be holy.

As you make your way through the world this week, stay aware of your place in the church as one called out of the world to be holy in Christ.

We don’t go to church; we are the church.

ERNEST SOUTHCOTT