Are you in the ekklesia?

Ekklesia – (ek·klay·see·ah ) sounds like a disease or something bad, doesn’t it? But I assure you, being in the ‘ekklesia’ is a very good thing! Today we use the word, church. Paul called those gatherings of Believers the ‘ekklesia.’ In so doing he borrowed from a common civic practice of the time. Imagine trying to get a message to a town in an age preceding TV, radio, newspapers, or email. The quickest and most effective way was to send out runners to summon the people to the town square, to call an assembly. If there was an issue to be decided, only citizens could participate in the debate and the voting. When those citizens were called into a gathering, they were the ‘ekklesia,’ literally – ‘the called out ones.’

Believer, God assembles His people in a gathering that is distinct from the rest of the world, that has a high purpose of carrying out His purpose. He calls us His Church. Note the capital ‘C.’ That denotes the universal Body, those who are called out of the world to be ‘in Christ.’ The Church is bigger than my church or your church, our local congregations. It encompasses Believers of many persuasions concerning styles of worship and particular practices of faith. We do real damage to God’s work when we assume that ‘our’ group is ‘the’ group – that we (whatever our denomination or fellowship) alone are the ‘ekklesia’ of God! The Church is made up of all those who have heard the Spirit’s call and responded by faith to receive Christ Jesus as Lord. As we look at other Believers, even those who differ from us in secondary doctrines, we need to take our cue from Paul who said that he gave "thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:13, NIV) The Church is God’s assembly, not my club! Neither you nor I get to choose who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out.’ He elects, we accept!

Being part of God’s ‘ekklesia’ is a high holy calling! When I was a young boy, I attended a tiny congregation of 40-50 people that met in a non-descript chapel on a side street in an ordinary town. But we had a real sense of belonging to God! I understood, at a very young age, that I had been given a special privilege as a member of God’s own ‘ekklesia!’ It caused me to live differently; hopefully not as one who felt superior, but as one responsible to bear the mark of my King. I didn’t look down on my friends, but I looked up to Jesus and prayed that He would help me to live in a way that was worthy of His calling to be a citizen of His kingdom! I still feel that same holy responsibility today, years later. The fact that I am “God’s own” is never far from my thoughts.

Are you ‘in?’ Believe the Good News about Jesus Christ. Let the Spirit of God flow into your life. Hear the call to the ‘ekklesia.’ Then, live a worthy life, filled with love for Christ, connected to His Church, and overflowing with compassion for those who are yet to be called into His great assembly.

Take this word from the Word with you today. Meditate on it.

"…when he comes to receive glory and praise from his holy people.
….you will be among those praising him on that day, for you believed what we testified about him.
And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of the life to which he called you. And we pray that God, by his power, will fulfill all your good intentions and faithful deeds.
Then everyone will give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus because of you, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the undeserved favor of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:10-14, NLT)