As individuals and as a congregation of believers, our chief purpose is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. We glorify God when we obey the gospel and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and when we obey his commands. As recorded in Luke 10:27, Jesus Christ summarized the commands of God, including the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments, by quoting from the Old Testament: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5), and, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).
Our purpose also includes a mission. The mission of Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church is derived from Matthew 28:18-20: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” In addition, we believe Christ tasked the Church with equipping the saints (individual believers) for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16), which takes place primarily within the local church body. At Providence OPC, we are excited about our mission. In fact, the very reason Providence exists here in Tulsa is to make disciples and encourage them to follow the way of Christ.
We acknowledge that the extension of Christ’s kingdom is first of all God’s work, and that the advance of the church is utterly dependent on the mercy and power of our Sovereign God. Accordingly, we look to God in prayer for joyful strength to accomplish his mission, while working sacrificially to advance our Lord’s kingdom. Providence OPC hopes to fulfill its mission in the following ways:
- Preaching and teaching. Proclaiming the whole counsel of the word of God is the primary means used by God to spread the gospel, to help believers grow in maturity, and to equip them to use their gifts in service to Christ and others. This flows into genuine love for and fellowship with one another.
- Making disciples. This means training Christians whose lives are motivated by passion for God’s glory, gratitude for His great mercy toward us, and love for our neighbors. Although gifts, knowledge, experience, and abilities vary within the church, there is no distinction between the responsibility of pastors and other Christians to witness to others about God’s grace and mercy and to encourage other believers to love and good works. Each Christian is crucial to the building up of the body of Christ.
- Committing to planting churches. We assist the OPC in general and our Presbytery in particular in the planting of churches Reformed in faith and obedient to the Holy Scriptures.
- Seeking worshipers. All our witness and ministry aims for and culminates in individual and corporate worship of the Triune God – worship in spirit and in truth. As Jesus said, “The Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23-24).