As a living body united in Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the purpose of Grace Baptist Church is to enable our fellowship to know God personally, to love God completely, to love one another and to share God’s love with all people.

     In part 1 of this series, I began by conveying that our new purpose statement has two important components. The first focuses on “"being”", the second focuses on "doing”." In part two, I looked at the Great Commandment and the Great Commission and recognized their influence on our purpose statement. Now let us press on to the 'doing' focus that is reflected in these two foundational scripture passages and our new church purpose statement.

     I find five essential activities which Jesus calls his church to be involved in. These essentials are resident in the last four phrases of our purpose statement.

     "The purpose of Grace Baptist Church is to enable our fellowship to know God personally..."
God wants to establish a personal relationship with people. In order to establish personal relationships with God, people must be shown how. Jesus calls this "making disciples" (Matthew 28.19). But Jesus goes on to say this "disciple making" has two elements; there is "baptism", and there is "teaching them to obey". The church has traditionally used the term evangelism to describe the process of telling people about Christ and inviting them to a personal relationship with him which then culminates in baptism. Beyond baptism, Jesus calls us to a life of learning to obey him -- or discipleship.

     "...to love God completely..." The Great Commandment calls Christians to a whole-hearted love for God. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind." Now that's a complete love! We express that love to God in a life of devotion (discipleship); but the language of this love is worship -- telling the world of God's worthiness.

     "...to love one another..." The Great Commandment not only speaks of love for God, but also love for our neighbor (Matthew 22.39). In particular, the New Testament speaks about God's family loving each other well. (See Romans 12.9-13, Galatians 5.13 and 1 Peter 2.16-17, 4.8.) The Bible has a special word for this love -- koinonia. We translate koinonia as fellowship.

     "...and to share God's love with all people." Although fellowship is an important part of the church's purpose, Jesus also calls us to take God's love outside of the church to a world that needs a demonstration of that love. We call this demonstration of God's love in word and deed, mission.

     Evangelism, discipleship, worship, fellowship and mission are the five essential activities that Jesus calls us to invest in here at Grace. They are our purpose.