Sometimes as the church we can be a “holy huddle” – i.e., we’ve received a precious gift from God (the good news), and we focus on enjoying it among ourselves in our worship and protecting it against the unbelieving world outside. Consequently, we don’t relate to the world outside the church, we don’t grow, and sooner or later, we will die.
We worship a Holy God. In the Bible to be “holy” means to be “set apart” – i.e., to stand out, to be special, different. A part of God’s “specialness” is His utter moral purity, and just as much a part of it is His saving grace towards humanity and creation. This God absolutely stands out amongst all other religions and worldviews; there is no other God like this – as special as this – He alone is Holy!
Since we have been made one with God as His people through the saving grace of Christ, we will reflect His holiness. This will include following a new, healed moral way of life. And it will include telling of, taking, and offering the saving grace of God to all people – to everybody in the community outside the church.
To be holy is to be the opposite of a huddle. To be holy is to go out to all the world – our community. Then we will fulfil our true character as God’s people, grow spiritually, and in every other way too (even in numbers!).
Grace and peace, Jonathan.