God has always desired a relationship with those who bear His image and likeness. Adam and Eve’s sin severed that relationship as it stood. As a result, God put in motion a plan to reconcile people to Himself, culminating with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Before this plan came to fruition, our completely holy God was willing to have fellowship with less than completely holy people because the solution was coming; since the plan came to fruition, He is willing because the solution has come. The experiences and expectations of those with whom God related before the Cross form a background for us to understand what He has revealed about those with whom He relates now, i.e., the church. Against this background, we will examine what the Bible says about the church’s mission, its assemblies, its organization, and its expectations for members, among other topics.