My friend Dom recently posted a blog on the nature of the church and why it exists. Essentially he questioned if the church exists primarily for worship and as a result naturally becomes a witnessing community, rather then existing as a witnessing community first.
These few bible sections came to mind last night as the topic brewed in my mind over the week-end. I think they connect for me both worship and witness as coming together somehow. I’ll state them briefly.
1. Every gospel account leaves us with a commission and Acts starts us with a commission from Jesus – to go into the world. We’re not commissioned to worship, but rather to witness.
2. If this is Jesus’ will for us there could be a connection for us in John 4 when he corrects the disciples while in Samaria as they wonder why he didn’t take time to eat lunch and stayed speaking to a foreign women. His response: my food is to do the will of the one who sent me.
3. Romans 12:1-2 came to mind when Paul gives us a glimpse of true worship, to be a living sacrifice – to live worship. And yet the result of that comes back to knowing and doing God’s will (v.2).
I’m making some connections here with worship, witness, and God’s will. Somehow they’re all tied together.
Sorry for getting a little linear (it’s really not this sequential or meant to be), but maybe we can see it this way: our spiritual act of worship – living sacrifices – somehow gives us a better disposition to know God’s will, which I believe for us would be the same as Jesus. Jesus sends us as he was sent. I.E. (become) Worship(ers) – (understand and do God’s) Will – (his will would intend you - and t he church - to becoming a) Witness.
Thoughts??
2 comments:
Dave
great thoughts. Here is a question. Do we cease to exist when our mission is accomplished?
All i'm suggesting is that worship is the mission and out of that flow the rest of our idenity as the people of GOd.
I wonder if worship is more the relationship and as a result, a lifestyle.
I am created to worship God. Culture, and the Bible, tells us we're made to worship something, but of course we believe our true worship belongs to God. We're made to be in relationship with him. To be worshippers of God - the only way we can be in relationship with God. Christians have found true joy and fulfillment as worshippers of God.
Our mission, of course only in partnership, and serving God with this, is to see people restored back into the relationship he intended for us at creation.
So what's our mission? To worship God - what we were really created for; or as worshippers of God, serve God in mission as he draws others into that similar relationship.
now that you started me thinking about this...
1 thing: mission can never come before worship. Otherwise we'd lose the context
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