Paul called for the elders of the church to come meet with him. What he had to say to them was crucially important!

1. The blood of Jesus creates a radical distinction between the church and the world.

a. It creates a distinction of ownership and identity. v. 28

b. It creates a distinction of nature. John 10:2-5

c. It creates a distinction in provision and protection.

d. What the distinction is not:
i. a distinction of space
ii. a distinction of common humanity and culture

2. The blood of Jesus calls us to maintain a radical distinction between the church and the world.

a. You were bought with a price, so glorify God.

b. You are now a sheep in your basic nature, so be what you are.

Clarification: When Paul speaks of the church and the flock here, he is speaking of the local church as it should be.

c. If God has given us the protection of elders, then we ought to follow them.

d. Make the wolves hungry.

e. On a corporate level, we also have a responsibility to make a clear distinction between the church and the world.

3. This distinction is important:

a. to the integrity of our testimony in the world.

b. for non-Christians to grasp.