The Most Important Thing We Do

Everyone is looking for meaning in life. Life is short! We want to make sure we don't miss what it's all about. We can pursue money (and what it can buy), power, fame, luxury, thrills, highs, sensuality, or a number of other things. When it is all said and done, will we have accomplished the purpose for which we were created--that is, if we were created by someone for something?

Jesus, the one I follow, said that our highest purpose is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” (Of course, He was quick to add a close second: love your neighbor as yourself!)

So, our greatest purpose is loving God with all of our being.

How do we do that? Perhaps the grandest way we communicate our love to God is through worship, both public and private. The English word worship comes from the word “worth” and signifies that we worship when we express to God how much He is worth to us. And to the follower of Jesus, God is worth all we that have and all that we are! When we truly worship God, we are motivated and empowered to go out and minister in His name in our world, which is really simply an extension of our worship.

Some Christians believe that evangelism is the most important thing we do. While I have sympathy with that view, the truth is, the most important thing we do is worship. It is the driver for evangelism and everything else we do.

Having already said that worship is both public and private and includes our behavior as we live, I would like to talk some about that important area of public worship. What a shame it is that worship is the most important thing we do, and yet many believers spend a lot of time divided over worship today. Let's think together about it for a few minutes. Let's start with a verse from the Psalms:

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” Psalm 95.6-7

Notice that in the portion of Scripture reproduced above, King David encourages “us” to worship—that is, he is speaking of the need to gather with other believers to worship. As you consider joining in to worship at any particular church, you might have some questions:

• What is worship?
• What can I expect at a certain church?
• What “style” of worship is practiced?

Good questions! I would like to give you my philosophy from my understanding of the Scriptures and how we try to put that into practice at the church I pastor.

So, what is worship? Let me share the answer in a couple of ways that may seem strange to you at first glance, but I think they will make sense to you in the end.

First, Worship is a verb. That means it is something you do, not something you merely attend. At the close of a “worship service,” even though all have gathered at the same time and place and experienced the same songs, prayers, and words, it is likely that some have truly worshiped and some have not. It is not a matter of being in a “worship service,” it is a matter of a heart turned toward God in adoration, prayer, and praise and a hunger to hear a word from Him in return.

Second, Worship is a balance. When we come together as worshipers, we come from a variety of backgrounds and a variety of tastes and a variety of styles. And most of us have a favorite way that we experience worship. But we must be careful not to define worship according to our own tastes and somehow criticize others because they worship in a different manner. In fact, we should learn to appreciate different aspects of worship, because God may want to speak to us in different ways on different days.

Let me share with you three balances that we see in worship.

First, there is the balance of spirit and truth. Jesus says that those who want to worship God—and the kinds of worshipers that God desires—must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4.23-24). What does it mean to worship in spirit? I am not sure I will ever totally fathom that concept, but of this much I am sure: to have spirit, our worship must be alive. It must be more than going through the motions. It must be more than ritual. While I would be hesitant to say that some worship is dead, I might be bold enough to say that a lot of it seems to be on life support!

But there also must be truth. To have truth, our worship must be biblical. While there are many ways to legitimately worship, we always seek to evaluate our worship by what God reveals to us in His word. Some churches have a lot of spirit but seem to be lacking in the truth of God's word in many of their practices as well as their doctrines.

Second, there is the balance of old and new. The Bible says, “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past” (Deuteronomy 32.7). It also says, “Sing to the Lord a new song!” (Psalm 96.1 as one example). Again, we see a balance of worship: we must always keep a vital connection with the church throughout the ages, but each generation of believers must also make fresh declarations of praise based on their personal experiences with Him. Another way to say that is that each generation must sing God's praises in its own "language." At our church, we are intentional in seeking to have worship that is multigenerational. We believe that God wants us to learn to appreciate the variety of worship in the community of faith, hope, and love. We will see this balance achieved over months and not necessarily every week.

Third, there is the balance of celebration and meditation. The writer says in one of the Psalms, “Clap your hands all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” In the previous Psalm, though, we read that God says to us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 47 and Psalm 46). Not every week’s worship should be the same; we must not get locked into only one mode or “style” of worship. We need celebration and we need meditation. Some services will be more celebrative in nature—perhaps most are! But we must also have times for meditation and contemplation. Worship is unbalanced over time if there is only one or the other.

So, trying to put these into practive at our own church, Clairmont Hills Baptist Church (but realizing we do not always achieve our desire), you can expect an easily understandable worship, you can expect to be greeted by people who are genuinely glad that you are there, you can expect a variety of styles of music and other modes of worship over time, and you can expect a message based on the Bible that at once honors God and is relevant to the lives of those living in our community. You can also expect not to be put on the spot in any way.

But there is one thing more you should expect. And this is the most important expectation of all. Expect that God will speak to you and bless you when you come ready to worship Him!

Yes, expect to give yourself to God through worship, and expect to receive from God in the process. It's the most important thing we do.