So many people and churches lack purpose. They simply do not know why they exist. They are happy when they do what they did last year! There is nothing outside of them to shape their focus. 
Think of a magnet. It works by attracting the poles of the molecules to one side. I've made my own magnets, inadvertently, just by leaving a piece of metal near a good magnet. After a bit of time, that piece of metal started having magnetic properties. It was being shaped by an outside force.
When God's people draw near to the Lord, He, His principles, and His purposes become that outside force that shapes us. We reflect His purposes. We exist to do His will.
Even as Jesus came to do His Father's will, so we need to stay focused on our Father's will. By claiming to be a people of faith in the Lord, we are stating that His view of the world has become our view. Faith then becomes life altering. His people that have met Him are never the same. Once we have His love, we have His works.
