White Lake Baptist Church

The Four Purposes

Church: Church isn't a building or a program or a sermon or a prayer. A church is a group of people gathered together who have one thing in common, Jesus Christ. When we gather we are the church and when we gather as the church this is what we do:

1. Love God - When Jesus was asked by the religious experts of his day what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered "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."

2. Love Others - Jesus continued his response on the greatest commandments by teaching a second greatest commandment. He said "and the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

3. Disciple - After Jesus rose from the dead he had one more command to give them. He said to his followers "make disciples..." He told his followers to do this by going to share the faith, baptizing believers, and teaching them to obey his commandments.

4. Serve - When the first churches started meeting God made it clear that everyone had a job to do. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good... All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."

Christianity isn't a spectator religion. The Holy Spirit gives every believer a gift, a job to do in the church. We've got lots of opportunities for believers to serve and share their gift in the work of the church.