The Bible teaches that the church has a threefold mission: worship, edification, and evangelism. These three elements of the church's mission represent a comprehensive account of the church's relationships: God, other believers, and those who do not believe in Christ. There is an order of priority among the church's relationships. Worship describes the church's relationship to God, and it is the most important of the church's relationships and, therefore, it is the most important element of the church's mission. The other elements of the church's mission all serve the goal of worship. Edification describes the relationship of church members to one another. Believers edify one another in the church that they might faithfully worship the one true God. Evangelism describes the relationship of believers to those who do not believe. Believers evangelize unbelievers so that they might become worshippers of the one true God. Consider each of the three elements of the church's mission:
God-Centered Worship: The Lord Jesus Christ must be the center of Christian worship. Rather than seeking entertainment, warm feelings, or personal gratification, we seek to honor God in worship. We sing hymns that declare God's glorious person and works. We pray as children seeking to express our love to our Father, and we hear His perfect Word explained in order to bow to it in our lives. We strive to do all things decently and in order, and we believe the acceptable way of worshipping the one true God is instituted by Him, and limited by His own revealed will in the Holy Scriptures.
God-Centered Edification: When Christ saves sinners, He calls them to join local churches for the purpose of mutual edification. Christians gather together not for selfish ends, but to serve one another in love. Christians are to pray for one another, to bear each other's burdens, to live in harmony with one another, to regard one another as more important than themselves, to meet each other's needs, to rebuke and correct one another when necessary, to exercise their spiritual gifts toward one another, and to glorify God together with one voice, in love and unity that Christ may be all in all.
God-Centered Evangelism: Too much evangelism today emphasizes what God can do for you, give you "your best life now," pay your bills, and make everything easy. Man-centered evangelism turns God into our "answer man" rather than recognizing Him as our Creator, Judge, and Savior. God-centered evangelism, on the other hand, focuses on the greatness of God as our sovereign Creator. He is the righteous Judge who opposes our sins, the merciful Savior who rescues us from from our sins, and the wise King, who commands our lives in this world. True evangelism calls people to repent of their sinful ways, to believe in Jesus Christ as the only way to escape from the wrath to come, and to obey God's commandments in every part of our lives. God-centered evangelism seeks to win Christians who love Christ and keep His commandments for His glory.