A week ago Jared Tabor shared with our interns an overview of the Book of Romans. In that overview he quoted Christopher Ash in regards to Romans thrust towards mission and unity. This quotation has been immensely helpful to me and catches what I believe to be the Lord’s direction for our church. It is a false dichotomy for a church to choose between an outward focus or an inward focus. The most unified are those who offer grace outwardly in the broadest of ways. If grace is not extended widely inside the church then it will not be extended widely outside and vice versa. Christopher Ash gets it right. – Pastor Joe

“When a church ceases to reach out, they become practical unbelievers in the gospel of grace; and when they become practical unbelievers in grace reaching out they become practical unbelievers in grace bringing harmony within. If I don’t really believe that the offer of grace is for all outside the church, then I will not believe that it is for all inside the church. And as soon as I forget that, my relations within the church become marked by non-acceptance of those who are not like me. And so my lack of evangelistic zeal bounces back into divisions within the church.” ~ Christopher Ash