God created us for relationship – for us to love each other, for us to love and worship Him, and for Him to love us.
We then trusted in ourselves rather than God, missing God’s perfect mark and separating ourselves from Him (Genesis Chapter 3). In God’s infinite love, He chose to restore our relationship. God provided Himself, through the person of Jesus Christ to live among us, die in our place, and then rise again to restore our relationship with Him for all who believe in Jesus (John 3:16, Romans 3:22-25, Romans 6:26).
The Great Commission
After Jesus died and rose again, He commissioned His disciples (to include the future Church – even us!) to carry on the mission of loving His people and sharing the good news of Jesus and what He did for us to all the world.
Jesus said, “All authority has been given unto Me, therefore, go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you” (Matt 28:18-20).
The Great Commandment
Jesus taught us to follow all that God commanded, but He also simplified by summing up all that is good and right into two fundamental laws:
1. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
(Matt 22:36-40, see also Micah 6:8 and James 1:27)