Our Purpose

The two most important verses in the Bible that give us our sense of Purpose are...

The Great Commandment's and the Great Compassion:

Matthew 22:36-40: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment... And Jesus answered and said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment... The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."

The Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19-20: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have given commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

 

"BELIEVE"

When Jesus was asked what which He felt was the most important of all the commandments, He answered them from the Old Testament. "Love the Lord your God" Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Jesus made a great point here - if we love God with everything we have, we will have no problem following all the other commandments.

Belief is with the heart. At the center of that heart is love. Love was shown in the most sacrificial, giving way possible… the cross. When we believe, we put that kind of love inside of us, we receive God's love on the cross in our heart. It envelopes us, secures us, saves us and lifts us upwards - our spirits, our souls to the heavens.

At New Life, we want to introduce others to a loving relationship with God. We wish not only to see people Believe in God, but to fall in love with Him, with all their heart. We encourage our body to share their faith with those that do not have this relationship with God.

"BELONG"

Jesus' selection of the second most important commandment came from Leviticus 19:18. Once our "vertical" relationship with God is right then how does that affect our "horizontal" relationship with the world? Jesus says "love others." Our focus should be on building loving relationships with others. Call it community, togetherness, brother/sisterhood, fellowship... Whatever. It works and it's vital to the Christian life.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, we don't become members of an organization. We become part of God's family. God uses the concept of the family to explain our relationship to Him. He is our "Father." We are His "children." We are each other's "brother and sister."

At New Life, one of the best ways to help build those relationships is through Small Groups, where people can share and care. A fact of life is that we need each other. We each have strengths that can help others. We have weaknesses that others can help. Small groups also facilitate discussion, knowledge, and growth concerning the Bible.

What a comfort to Belong to a community that grows together, supports each other, and loves one another.

 

"BECOME"

Last words always leave an effect on people. Jesus carefully chose these final words before He departed Earth... for good reason - they give us all a mission and a purpose to carry out. His commission tells us to do two things: Grow and Minister.

GROW: The Great Commission not only supports our Believe and Belong purpose, but also our Become purpose. We are to become "disciples." Disciples are followers, learners, and people Growing in their relationship with Christ.

As we Grow, we build into other people's lives, mentoring them into fully devoted followers. These seeds sprout over time and we see our legacy left in our friends, coworkers, neighbors and family members.

We should see Christ work in all aspects of our lives...

· Managing Our Life's Resources: finances, marriage, emotional and physical health.

· Maturing in Our Faith: growing deep in our spiritual walk.

· Ministry: finding our place in the church and serving others with the gifts God has given us.

· Mission: being on a mission to reaching our world for Christ.

MINISTER: As we Become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we help others do the same. As we grow in our faith, we must find a place to serve others. These ministry opportunities allow us to see God in action as He works through us to reach our world for Christ.