The Church Imagined - "The Called Out Ones - (Ekklesia)"

What is the church and how does Jesus and the New Testament writers define it? In this opening message of the new teaching series, The Church Imagined, we are reminded that the Church is neither a business nor a social institution, rather the  ekklesia or the people of God who have been called out by Christ and set apart for His purposes.

This sermon series will explore the New Testament’s rich images and illustrations of the church, which help us imagine what Jesus intended when He said, “I will build MY church” (Matthew 16:18). Beginning with the foundational picture of the church as the “called-out ones,” we see that the church belongs to Christ and is both built and empowered by Him through the Holy Spirit.

As the called out ones, followers of Christ are called to live distinct from the world without compromise, grounded in truth, unity, and holiness, as we learn to be the church Jesus is forming for His glory and the world’s good.