PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH
1. The ultimate purpose: The glory of God (Ephesians 3:10, 21)
2. The informational purpose: The exaltation of the Truth (1 Timothy 3:15)
3. The missional purpose: The making and equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry – fulfillment of the great commission (Ephesians 4:12; Matthew 28:19-20)
4. The relational purpose: The mutual love, unity, and edification of the body (Ephesians 4:12-16; 1 Corinthians 14:12)
PRIORITIES OF THE CHURCH
1. The priority of service (I Corinthians 12:7ff)
2. The priority of unity (I Corinthians 12:4-26)
3. The priority of prophesying/preaching (I Corinthians 14:1-40)
4. The priority of edification (1 Corinthians 14:12)
5. The priority of understanding (1 Corinthians 14:19, 20)
6. The priority of glorifying Christ in the church (Ephesians 3:21)
7. The priority of holiness (Ephesians 5:27)
8. The priority of the Word (Ephesians 5:26,27)
9. The priority of prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH IN RELATIONSHIP TO ITS PRIORITIES
Doctrinally we should be promoting Biblical truth: Bible-centered (1 Timothy 3:15)
• Declaring the truth of the Gospel to the lost (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
• Unifying each believer in the faith (Ephesians 4:13)
• Maturing each believer towards the stature and fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13, 15)
• Stabilizing each believer against false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14)
Relationally we should be united in love for each other: Others-centered
• Unified in our relationship with Christ (Ephesians 4:13)
• Communicating truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)
• Caring and praying for each body member’s needs (I Corinthians 12:25; Ephesians 6:18)
Methodologically we should constantly striving for excellence, clarity, and effectiveness in each
of our ministries: Goal-oriented
• Perfecting the saints (Ephesians 4:12)
• Seeking to achieve and promote effective understanding of biblical truth (1 Corinthians 14:19, 20)
Practically we should be seeking to see each believer perfected and useful for service in the
Kingdom of God: Christ-centered
• Perfecting the saints (maturity, holiness, involvement in the work of ministry, contributing to the
building/edifying of the whole body.) (Ephesians 4:12, 16; 5:27)
• Each believer should be actively fulfilling the great commission – evangelizing the lost (Matthew
28:19-20)