Friday, June 25, 2021 Called-Out Ones LISTEN   “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” —Galatians 3:26 I think one of the great features of the church today is that we have people of different backgrounds, different races, and different ages coming together under the banner of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 3,  “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (verses 26–28 NKJV). Yet there are a lot of churches today that want to gear their entire church toward a specific group of people based on certain demographics. But we need to be careful with this because the Church is made up of true believers from every background.  Regardless of who you are, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you are a part of His Church. Jesus said,  “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 NKJV). The word Jesus used here for “church” is the Greek word ekklēsia, which means “called-out ones.”  The Jews used this word to describe themselves as a unique group of people, a unique race.  And some Gentiles used it in describing a community. But here Jesus used it in a unique context, which wasn’t for only Jews or for people living in a community together.  He was saying, “I’m going to build a new unit of believers. But it’s not just for Jews.  It’s not just for Gentiles. It’s for everyone.”  That was a revolutionary thought. Now, there may be a place for specialized ministry to various groups, but we must not allow that to overshadow God’s primary desire of bringing us all together.  That’s one of the great testimonies of the church. We are the called-out ones—called together, called to worship the Lord. Share this today:     Billy Graham: The Man I Knew Receive a copy for your gift of support today » Pastor Greg Laurie's new book, Billy Graham the Man I Knew, takes an in-depth look at his relationship with the great man while revealing the human side of Graham and his impact in history. Receive a copy with your donation. Copyright © 2021 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Harvest Ministries exists with your support to Know God and Make Him Known. If you would like, you can update your preferences. This email may be considered an advertising or promotional email. Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000 Phone: 1-800-821-3300