The New Testament calls Christians the “called out ones.” That’s the literal meaning of the Greek word that is translated as “church” in most English Bibles. Christ-followers are called to no longer be conformed to the cultures of this world but to follow and obey the risen Jesus instead.

We are called out of:

• Fear into faith,
• Sadness into joy,
• Worry into peace,
• Hostility into love,
• Pride into humility,
• Anxiety into patience,
• Corruption into purity,
• Chaos into self-control,
• Rudeness into kindness,
• Apathy into compassion,
• Rebellion into surrender,
• Discouragement into hope,
• Wrongdoing into goodness,
• Resentment into forgiveness,
• Troublemaking into peacemaking.

That Greek word that was translated as church (ekklesia) was also the name of the participatory town hall meeting in ancient Greek cities where the citizens were called to come together to interact with each other and to freely share their concerns about the city. Christ-followers are called out to connect heart-to-heart with each other and to help each other follow the risen Jesus out of earthy systems and structures and into the kingdom (government) of God by learning to be led from within by God’s Spirit.