The purpose of Vallejo Bible Church is to nurture its people so that they will be equipped and motivated

        to minister to one another

        to evangelize effectively the people around them

        to incorporate the evangelized ones into the local body

        and to fulfill the Great Commission by thrusting forth some of its own members and by supporting them with material possessions and prayer so that other local bodies of like faith and practice might be established.

The motivating thrust of Vallejo Bible Church is that we have a valuable ministry to perform and pursue.

The strategy of Vallejo Bible Church is that we will seek to minister the Word of God in keeping with biblical principles by prayerfully utilizing procedures and programs with the people and resources available to us so as to achieve individual and corporate maturity in Christ.

It will be the intention of these pages to examine this statement in detail and see how it is supported in the Scriptures concept by concept.

CONCEPT # 1. The purpose of Vallejo Bible Church is to nurture its people.

This is in harmony with Ephesians 4:11—16, Ephesians 5:25-33 and Colossians 2:17- 19. In Colossians 2:19 Paul warned of false teachers who pursued and promoted religious requirements and activities which were harmful to true believers.

He accused them of,

        …not holding the Head, from whom all the.

        body by joints and bands having nourishment

        ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

They gained large followings, did religious things that were outwardly impressive gained control over people and built personal reputations as religious leaders.

They were not holding the Head, Christ, as preeminent. When Christ has preeminence in a body of believers, that body will be building itself up and ministering to one another to generate greater maturity and intensity of concern for one another.

Biblical service is done by people who have learned to be faithful, devoted and loyal to Christ and to one another. The bonds of love among people committed together in a local church become stronger than any other ties known to man. Deception, manipulation and personal competition are excluded in healthy Christian fellowship. Trust, selfless service and simple honesty are the results of this mutual edification of ‘believers. The harsh and untrue criticisms from people outside such a committed group, whether they come from unsaved people or from carnal believers, cannot distract the body from its submission to God or its true esteem for its own people. The integrity of the body repels infection from false teaching, fleshliness and worldliness because of the prominence of the Word of God. His Word is the body’s source of doctrine, discipline, discernment and the statement of its duties.

Ephesians 5:26-27 expresses the Savior’s purpose for His body in its universal scope. This must extend to local bodies of believers as well. He gave Himself for it,

CONCEPT # 2 The purpose of Vallejo Bible Church is to nurture its people so that they will be equipped and motivated.

Equipping and motivating comes from nurture in God’s Word. God the Holy Spirit gives every believer one or more spiritual gifts. He does this sovereignly and not as the result of our asking for such gifts. I Corinthians 12:11 leaves no doubt about the gifts being given "as He will!"

Nurturing in the local church provides for the "perfecting of the saints,"(Ephesians 4:12) or helping the saints become capable in the use of the gifts God gives. In I Corinthians 12:7 the gifts are called "the manifestation of the Spirit," and declared to be for the profit of all or the common good of the whole body of believers. We can say correctly that by the mutual exercise of God-given spiritual gifts we are equipping and being equipped for the ministry.

Nurturing in the local church also provides for ministering to one another "as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." The Bible is clear that a desire to serve God must come from God. When we become alert to what He has given us to do and what He has provided for us to use in the tasks, we become zealous about His will and His work.

Thus, we do not seek to urge people to become devoted through giving them religious work to do, we seek to help them see the Lord’s work as the spiritual privilege of devoted people. Devoted people are motivated from the inside as a response to the Holy Spirit’s ministry.

External control can get results and provide satisfaction for the person who controls others. Internal power is available to and satisfies every believer in Christ who commits himself to God. The former is temporary and the latter is permanent. We must see the Lord’s people become steadfast in devotion. We must count the privilege of walking closely with the Lord as having greater value than doing things for God.

There will never be a lack of workers who know how to serve and who want to serve in the local church when we commit ourselves to nurturing God’s people in His Word. Neither will there be a failure to see lost people in their need, as God sees them, when we are walking worthy of Him