WORSHIP’S INTENT
This past week the Lord has confronted me again with the frequent conflict between what I expect to get and what He expects to get out of Worship. This tension point has forced me to look at a couple of different subjects about worship. While I had actually intended to write about the other, I feel better prepared to share my thoughts about this one today —- Worship’s Intent.
Just what is the ultimate intent of worship?
We’ve already discussed various aspects of worship, but have not yet dealt with this idea. If you were to be asked this question, what would you answer?
Frankly, I’m not sure we have a totally accurate picture of the role of worship in our lives, nor its ultimate intent. Think about it for a moment . . . . most of us will unconsciously say that the intent of worship is to honor God . . . . or to draw us closer to Him . . . . or to make us feel good . . . . or to deepen our relationship with Him . . . . or to fulfill our Christian duty . . . . or a dozen other things.
While all these reasons may be good, all of them, in my opinion at least, are inaccurate. I base my conviction on frequent mention in the Bible regarding worship’s relationship to various things. The one passage I want to dwell on, however, is Romans 12:1; “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
In the reading of this passage, it becomes clear that it is in God’s heart that the end result of our times of worship will be that of service. At first glance you may not see that connection, but from the point of pure logic, it makes total sense. There is clearly a vital connection between worship and service. Worship to God without service to man is a counterfeit worship, for worship provides the occasion to develop intimacy with the Father. And no Christian in his right mind could possible keep quiet before others about that which he learned of the Father during those encounters of worship.
Much like the lepers in II Kings 4, when you see the presence of God and you enjoy the provision of God, you can’t keep from expressing it to others in witness or service.
Peter addresses this matter in profound splendor when, in I Peter 2:9-11, the Biblical People of worship as a chosen race, a class of royalty having a priestly role, and then nails the Biblical Purpose of worship in verse 9 by telling us we are to proclaim His excellencies. In other words, genuine worship is designed in such a way that it automatically results in proclamation and service. If it does not, then it was an incomplete or a superficial form of worship. If God is truly worshipped and you enter into His holy presence, it will be demonstrated in your life by service and proclamation. So, don’t fool yourself into thinking you truly met with God if it doesn’t make a difference in your conduct and service.
This is clearly what Paul is dealing with in the Romans 12 passage I noted earlier. Offering a sacrifice to God, whether literal or symbolic, is an act of worship which God accepts from us. In return He expects that to result in service.
So, this raises the question . . . . what kind of service?
Now, understand that worship is more relationship than it is ritual or activity. Go back and read some of my earlier letters in this series and you will see that. So . . . . based on the premise that worship is a relationship, a deeply intimate relationship, that relationship will be validated by an ever-increasing love for the Father. And, as Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Therefore, it becomes totally appropriate for us to assume that anytime we truly have a worship encounter with God, we will, out of the overflow of that love relationship, demonstrate that we have truly been with the Father by serving Him and ministering to others in His Name.
To think we can keep the blessing of worship to ourselves is totally selfish . . . . and yet that’s what we do, particularly in most corporate worship venues. We’re more interested in how we were blessed or whether or not our favorite song was sung or if we had adequate opportunity to sit down, or some other totally carnal and selfish motivation than we are serving the Father and ministering to others. Frankly, we often make pretty crummy priests and Levites who have been assigned the responsibility of “ministering before the Lord” . . . . no matter that this is to be the outcome of true worship.
Following this process, . . . . if service is the intent of worship, and hopefully its outcome, then we must take it a step further and ask ourselves what the relationship might therefore be between worship and the Great Commission . . . . for the Great Commission is certainly the highest form of service. Can you think of anything more grand than being involved in carrying out the Great Commission? There is nothing higher.
BEING A WORSHIPPING GREAT COMMISSION CHRISTIAN:
Since October 19, Jo Ann and I have been in eleven churches speaking on missions and the Great Commission. Only two Sunday have gone by where we were not speaking on the subject somewhere. During that process, God touched my heart about what it means to be a truly Great Commission Worshipper. Everywhere I have shared these thoughts people have expressed their gratitude . . . . and sometimes their discomfort over the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
I certainly don’t have time or space today to cover this adequately, but let me share five characteristics I believe God showed me about what a Great Commission Worshipper is like.
1. First, that person has clearly heard God. Jesus spoke specifically when He said, “My sheep hear my voice . . .” If you’re one of His sheep, then you can hear His voice. Why is that important? Well, like Isaiah in chapter 6, God had some important things to say to him during that worship occasion in the temple as Isaiah mourned the death of his long-time friend, Uzziah. How was that possible? Isaiah was worshipping God . . . and God spoke.
God has things to say to us . . . . things about Himself, about us, about the world around us, . . . It would be a good idea of we listened. One thing is certain . . . . if we come out of a worship experience without having heard God say at least something to us, then we missed Him and settled for something . . . . or someone . . . . else.
A Great Commission Worshipper consistently hears God.
2. Second a Great Commission Worshipper takes God’s Word seriously. Personally, I do not believe it is possible for a person who is flippant or distant toward the Word of God to have any type of genuine worship encounter with Him. Why would God want to honor you with such a blessing if you have a heart that disregards what He says in His Word? Besides . . . . what you feel He may say to you in worship moments can be either verified or rejected based on the inerrant authority of His Word. It would do us well to be more like the Bereans who “searched the scriptures daily to see if these things be true.”
God has a great deal to say about many matters . . . . holiness, humility, Himself, His purposes, sin, forgiveness, righteousness, obedience, . . . . If you don’t take His Word seriously and heed it, then don’t have the arrogance to think you deserve to be blessed.
3. Next, a Great Commission Worshipper has an unquenchable passion for God and an unashamed compassion for people in need. This may be one of the purest links between worship and service. You are passionate toward God, wanting to be in His presence constantly, and at the same time because of that, you have an insatiable drive to go tell other people about His great love. You find yourself torn between being in His presence and being in the presence of the hurting multitudes around you.
Incidentally, you cannot have one without the other. A passion for God with no expression for service is a selfish counterfeit, and professed compassion for people that does not come from a love affair with God is arrogant hypocrisy.
4. Fourth, a Great Commission Worshipper relates everything else in his life to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Look what happened with the disciples . . . . every time they met with Jesus, the ended up proclaiming the Gospel somewhere to someone.
Why was that the case? Because obedience to Christ by carrying out the Great Commission was the driving motivation in their lives. Everything else in their lives revolved around that one driving element. That’s why they could stay away from families for months at a time. That’s why they could give up secure occupations and forsake everything to follow Him. That’s why Paul could say, “to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” That’s why Peter said, “in Him I live, and move, and have my being.”
You and I each have some specific element that is the stack pole or the central focus of our lives. It could be our ministry, our family, our health, or something else. But whatever it is that is most important to you, I guarantee you that virtually everything else in your life orbits around that one thing. And whenever you make decisions about all those other things, it will always be as it relates to that primary focus issue.
So, if the Great Commission is the driving passion of your life, the primary focal point, then decisions regarding how much to pay for a car, whether or not to buy carpet, how to conduct yourself on your job, how you treat your family, . . . . all of these decisions are based on how they will affect the fulfillment of the Great Commission through you. You may buy a less expensive car because you realize you don’t need to spend that kind of money and keep it from being used in some Great Commission project. Your job no longer exists primarily to put food on the table for your family, but it becomes a mission field for sharing the Gospel; money for food is now just a side benefit . . . . one of God’s little perks for serving Him with a pure heart.
5. Finally, a Great Commission Worshipper has carefully counted the cost, with a willingness to pay it. Jesus told about the army commander who took time to count the cost before he entered into battle. There is no doubt that anyone who gets serious about the Great Commission will have to take a good hard look at what it may cost him, . . . . for it will indeed cost him. The difference between a Great Commission worshipper and an ordinary Christian is that the former has counted the cost and has made the choice to pay it if necessary. The ordinary Christian plays it safe and continues to play the religious games of the day.
This area has been a particular challenge for me personally, as you probably could tell from earlier letters. Frankly, it’s not been a fun experience to consider this upcoming move to Ukraine. I’m not thrilled as an only child about leaving my father at his age (he’ll be 88 next month); I’m not excited about shelving much of our stateside ministry and losing contact with pastors, fellow evangelists, and churches I have grown to love and appreciate. I’m not particularly thrilled over the idea of leaving all our earthly possessions, including numerous historic family heirlooms, in an unoccupied house.
But . . . . when I consider the cost of Not going against the cost of Going, going is the better deal.
Making that choice, though, was not easy . . . . and it was painful. And it still is. And it will be more so tomorrow when I drive out the driveway and head to the airport in Kansas City for a New Year’s Day departure.
FINALLY:
Well, here we are again . . . . taking another look at worship. What do you think about this idea of worship’s full intent being service, particularly as it relates to the Great Commission? Have I stretched the point along the way, or is this possibly at the very center of God’s heart when we come to Him in moments of worship? Is it possible that the greatest way you could ever worship and glorify Him would be to serve Him? Is it possible that we’ve missed this point for so long that we now find it almost impossible to embrace? It might even feel like blasphemy to think that the purest form of worship will be demonstrated in service.
But, . . . . that’s what Paul said in Romans 12:1. When we present ourselves as living sacrifices, we are doing something that is reasonable. We are positioning ourselves in the arena of worship that manifests itself in service.
And, don’t forget . . . . Jesus Himself said, “in this is My father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” (Jn 15:8)
Want to glorify the Father in worship? Go bear fruit.
Worship without service is fraudulent.
Sing all the songs you want, pray as long as you want, put a praise band together as large as you want, learn all the new songs you can.
But if you are not ministering before the Lord in worship in such a way that you end up serving Him through obedience to the Great Commission you’re fooling yourself into thinking you really understand worship when, in reality, you don’t.
Thanks for letting me share with you what God has been teaching me lately. I hope you will be encouraged to become a more pure and true worshipper today and the rest of this week.
Please, please, dear friend . . . . pray for us as we make this journey. Pray especially that God will enable me to write again faithfully next week, and that I can transmit my letter to you right on time.
In His Bond and For His Glory,
Bob Tolliver — Rom 1:11-12
Copyright December, 2002
Life Unlimited Ministries