The answer to your questions, or at least most of them, is "yes." You are to do all those things. However, in the LC, we were constantly told not to try to do anything. That the only things that matter would eventually just happen because of some nebulous "growth in life." But somehow that growth "in life" happened while nothing was happening to our actual life. The disconnect should make us wonder whether "growth in life" as described by Nee, Lee, and the LC actually has anything to do with our life.
For all of the efforts at touching, getting into, and/or being in our spirits, there seems to be little any transformation of the lives that show to the world. This would make me wonder whether there really is anything to all this "my spirit" stuff — at least in the way the LC talks about it.
God made man in his image and likeness to have dominion over the earth. But if I was an outsider looking in at the members/participants of the LC, I would see people who are isolating from the world. The image of God that I would get from them would be a puffed-up, delusional heckler shouting nicely-phrased curses at everyone while bragging about his superiority.
Now that is an image I really want to go after -
NOT!
But the Bible, primarily in the core (and heart) of the NT — which is the gospels — has a lot to say about what it is I am to do. It says to be poor in spirit. To be meek. To hunger and thirst for righteousness. To be salt and light to the world (not avoid it, or merely tolerate it). To turn the other cheek. To give not only what is asked for but more.
And much more.
And then it says that the most important commandment is in two parts:
- Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength
- Love your neighbor as yourself.
This two-part commandment is said to sum up the whole of the law and prophets. That means that if you really do this, you will live a life that is salt and light to the world. That is righteous. That is slow to anger and quick to forgive. That would not slander another to hide your own failure but speak the truth.
And "love your neighbor as yourself" does not mean "tough love." I bet you don't love yourself that way.
I know that God has a purpose. And because he is eternal, you can call that purpose eternal. But when a God with a host of worshippers creates an environment for a new creature, man, to inhabit, and then sends him to take care of that environment while only coming to talk with him for part of each day, I begin to wonder how we are supposed to assume that the purpose was to become people who simply spend all day declaring "Holy, holy, holy, . . ." It looks like we got sidetracked.
I may not understand the whole of God's purpose, but it does appear that his purpose for man in this life was to be like him as we do the normal things of life. Not have high thoughts about him as we hide away in meetings.
That is both our "personal" purpose and our corporate purpose.