God first gave the Jews the ball and said, “What are you gonna do with it?” And they huddled up together and did nothing with it.
In Exodus 19 God told the nation of Israel that they were to be a kingdom of priests...they were to tell the world about the one true living God. But rather than reaching the world, they became proud, self-righteous and exclusive. They put on their Pharisaical robes and called everyone else a Gentile dog. They are an example of what the church must not do.
One day, Jesus told his followers..."Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt 28:19)
This is when Jesus gave the Church the ball and said...”What are you gonna do with it?”
The Church began as a movement to share the message of Jesus with the world.
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excerpt from "CHURCH: the big idea"--free downloads at pathwayonline.org