Exalting the LORD God Almighty
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9

Upwardly focus, the church is where we believers can exalt the LORD God Almighty. We are to give God what is due to him, which are honor, praise and glory. The church is very precious to God since Christ purchased the church with his own blood. Christ loves the church. The church is to be a place where believers can observe the Lord’s Supper, remembering Christ’s death and shed blood on our behalf. The church preaches God’s Word, sings God’s Word, and prays God’s Word together. When the early church met together, they worship the LORD, they broke bread and fellowship together. And God added to their number. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Acts 20:28, Acts 2:42-47, Ephesians 5:25-27)

Equipping the Saints

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13

Inwardly, the purpose of the church is to be the believer’s spiritual family. As we hold fast to our confessions of our hope, as well as draw near, we can encourage one another. In and through the church, God takes people with different personalities and gifts, unifies them as a single body, and equips them to care for each other and reach the world. We were not meant to live the Christian life alone; surrounded by the biblical teaching and loving community of believers. (Hebrews 10:23-27, Col.1:28-29)

Evangelizing the Lost

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Outwardly, the purpose of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission. There is no nobler privilege for the church than the ministry of reconciliation, which is to introduce others to Christ. We do this in part by making sure we faithfully represent Him and become who He has called us to be. As His lights, we are to shine in good works giving glory to God, as well as witness to people with the gospel whether down the street, across the border, or around the world (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Phil.2:15, Matthew 5:13-16)