From Wilderness to World Changers

Did you know that God had a church for thousands of years before Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem?

You can read it in your Bible; in Acts 7:38, referring to the One whom Moses called “that Prophet,” Stephen identified Him as Jesus: “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness.”

From the beginning of the Bible, the idea of God having a people separate from the world is a key theme. Abram, later Abraham, was told to leave Ur: “Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:1, 2).

Abraham was “called out” from his homeland to follow God. Moses and the children of Israel were “called out” of bondage to be God’s people. From the time of Joshua, the Israelites were the congregation of God in the world—called to be separate from the pagan practices of their neighbors. The Bible says they actually had “the gospel … preached … to them” (Hebrews 4:2).

And in the New Testament, there are 117 instances of the church named using the Greek word ekklesia, which means “the called-out ones.” But unlike that ancient “congregation in the wilderness,” the ranks of the New Testament church were and remain open to Jew and Gentile alike, following Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

If you are following Jesus, you also are one of those “called out” to make a difference for God in this world. You can share the good news with others, express God’s love for humanity in acts of service, and pray that one day, soon, His kingdom will indeed come!

Apply It:

Reflect on the long history of God calling out those He loves. Let this motivate you to share God’s Word with others around you.

Dig Deeper:

Exodus 19:6; Deuteronomy 28:9; Galatians 3:26–29

Key Bible Texts

And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; (Acts 17:6 KJV)