Our Purpose is to MAKE DISCIPLES
who LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE and FOLLOW JESUS
This one sentence summarizes the mission of the church and it comes from three passages in scripture. We call these passages The Great Commission, The Greatest Commandments, and The Great Calling.
The Great Commission:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…
Matthew 28:19-20
The very last thing Jesus said to His disciples before He ascended into heaven was Go Make Disciples. Remember Jesus was God, but He was also very much a Jewish rabbi. All rabbi’s have disciples (students) who dedicate themselves to learning the rabbi’s teachings and way of life. So for three years Jesus disciples followed Him around and listened to what He said and watched what He did and at the end of their time together, Jesus told them to go make their own disciples and teach others what He had taught them. We call this the Great Commission!
The Great Commandment:
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:37-39
Love God, Love People. These are the first and second most important commandments in scripture. In fact in the very next verse, Jesus says: “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” In Jesus’ day the Old Testament was all the Bible they had and it was broken down into two sections or parts: the Law and the Prophets. So when Jesus said, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” basically He was saying you could sum up the whole Old Testament with these two Great Commandments: Love God, Love People.
The Great Calling:
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23
Jesus didn’t call people to just be good. Jesus didn’t call people to just go to church or call themselves Christians. Jesus called people to Follow Him. Follow His example, follow His teachings, follow His lead. This is a picture of a disciple following the Master and imitating His teachings and way of life. This is the goal of every Christian, to become more like Jesus!
Our Purpose is To Make Disciples Who Love God, Love People and Follow Jesus.
This is what we are Commissioned to do.
This is what we are Commanded to do.
This is what we are Called to do.
We are not perfect. We don’t have it all figured out, but we are doing our best to point people to Jesus and make the world a better place. If that sounds like something you want to be a part of, then we invite you to join us!