We exist
- to love God with our warmest affection and highest devotion
- to love one another as Christ has loved us, and
- to love others as we desire to be loved ourselves.
Why love? What about worship, teaching, preaching, personal holiness, and evangelism? Should our focus really be so narrow when the Christian life involves so many other necessary things?
In the New Testament, love is consistently viewed as the highest of Christian virtues-the one that produces, unites, and balances all the others. Love for God inspires trust, obedience, worship, and a hunger for His Word. Love for Christ and for the members of His church knits believers together in local bodies. Love for others provides motivation for teaching and evangelism as well as for acts of kindness and generosity. Love runs through all these aspects of the Christian life, joining and aligning them the same way a string connects a collection of pearls. Without love, the Christian life falls apart.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:8
"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:30-31
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:34-35
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Colossians 3:12-14
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. . . . Love never fails. . . . And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 8, 13
This is the purpose statement of Christ Fellowship of Kansas City. You are free to use this statement as needed with the words, "Used by permission." If changes are made, write, "Adapted from the purpose statement of Christ Fellowship of Kansas City." You may visit the web site of Christ Fellowship at www.ChristFellowshipKC.org. Christ Fellowship, c/o CCW, 201 Main, Suite 3, Kansas City, MO 64152.