The church, both in the universal and local sense, is important because it is the primary technique through which God carries out his purposes on earth. The church is the body of Christ—his heart, his mouth, his hands, and feet—reaching out to the world. The church is the people of the Kingdom of God. At the same time, all believers are members of the universal church. The universal church is made up of every single person who has exercised faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, including members of every local church body throughout the earth. The church, therefore, is not a place. It's not the building, it's not the location, and it's not the denomination. God's people who are in Christ Jesus are the church. The purpose of the church is to love and worship God through Jesus Christ and make him known throughout the world.