Worship and evangelism: Do they go together?God is seeking worshipers, and He desires for the church to fulfill its purpose of making more and better worshipers. When a nonbeliever comes to a worship service, he should experience Gods presence and be transformed from the inside out. A true encounter with God leaves us with changed hearts. A worship service is not the only place where such an encounter can occur, but its where people expect it to happen. Worship is an essential part of Gods strategy for building His kingdom and drawing others to it.
Worship comes in a thousand forms There are those at one end of the spectrum who prefer to worship in silence, grasping the glory of God in their minds. At the other end are those who prefer the full-out, roof-raising worship. Some prefer the grandeur of the pipe organ, and others prefer the energy of a praise band. Worship is so much bigger than the style adopted for the service. Theres no one correct style for worshiping God. It doesnt matter if its at one end of the spectrum or somewhere in between; God inhabits the praises of His people regardless of genre.
In his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren emphasizes that worship is more than music, its a lifestyle. While many churches today segment their Sunday services into times of worship and times of teaching, Warren says every part of a church service is an act of worship, not intended for personal benefit but for bringing pleasure to God. He also notes that Christians worship by the way they liveits not just a Sunday morning event.
Essentially, churches are going to have a distinct style of worship. Many churches have even been successful in mixing the traditional and the non-traditional forms of adoring God (traditional hymn, liturgical prayer, contemporary song, drama, multi-media or solemn silence). Whats important is that non-Christians who visit our services witness an authentic encounter with God.
I dont think the Lord really cares what style of music we worship Him with. If its in the guys gut, and hes really crying out to the Lordits worship, says contemporary Christian artist Michael W. Smith [What to do about the Worship Wars, Moody, July/August 2002]. In the end, musical styles and preferences are secondary. Worship is more than a song service or lip service. Its the heart-felt response to the supreme worthiness of Christ. Its the encounter that changes hearts. Its an opportunity to experience God and choose to follow Him.
Worship evangelism includes two groups of peopleworshipers and observers. Many unchurched persons are very open and interested in spiritual things. They want an authentic approach to God, to go beyond the programs, the social interaction, the music and the message; they want to be touched by God. The purpose of worship isnt evangelism. The purpose of worship is to glorify God. But evangelism is the natural fruit of authentic worship.
Paul teaches us that worship is an offering. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1). Christian worship is not only an offering to a Holy God, its a response of praise, thanksgiving and adoration to the God Who became accessible to us in Jesus Christ Who died on the cross so that we may have eternal life.
So what is worship?Simply put, worship means to attribute worth to someone or something. We are all worshipersChristians and non-Christians alike. Each of us was created with an inner drive to worship, and whatever we value most is what we worship. Whether its money, career, sports, self or God, there is something or someone that each person worships.
Since the beginning of time there has never been a shortage of objects of worship. People are going to worship something or someone their entire lives, says Louie Giglio, founder of Choice Resources and Passion Ministries. Nonbelievers spend their lives worshiping something thats less than worthy.
As Christians it is our calling to point nonbelievers to the One Who is truly worthy of worship. God is the only One Who is worthy of all praise and glory from all people.
The heart of Christian worship is simply to recognize Gods presence and acknowledge Him as Lord. Worship is about God and how we respond to Him. Its the spirit and truth interaction between God and His people. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks (John 4:24). Its our whole-hearted response to Gods self-revelation in ways that please him, says Bob Kauflin, worship pastor at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and worship columnist for Crosswalk.com.
In order for worship to evangelize it needs to be more than just one hour of one day out of the week. Worship that speaks to Gods majesty and transforming power is a lifestyle. Its a 24/7 kind of worship. We cant expect non-Christians to understand the concept of a new life in Christ if they see Christians in church on Sunday morning worshiping a holy God and then worshiping the mighty dollar and living a lifestyle during the week that is no different from a non-Christian lifestyle. Our worship of God has to carry over into every aspect of our lives.
Paul put it like this: and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17). We call this a lifestyle of worship.
Authentic worship invites responseMusical performances, drama, testimonies, messages and apologetics about God and faith are all wonderful tools God can use to touch the mind and heart of a non-Christian. But they are all examples of presentation and dont require people to give anything of themselves back to God. Corporate worship should do more than inspireit should provide opportunities for response.
Worship is the key to evangelism because worship is experienced. In worship we embody truth, proclaim it, sing it, pray it, teach it and enact it.
Robert E. Webber
Worship evangelism happens in two ways: first, unbelievers hear the truth about God and second, they observe the real relationship between worshipers and God. The Truth rings out when we emphasize the gospel and highlight the Word of God in our songs and in our worship.
Nonbelievers may not be able to worship in spirit and in truth, but they can gain understanding of the gospel by observing it in motion as those around them respond to a magnificent God Who sent His Son to die a cruel death for our salvation. We need to allow the supernatural God of the Bible to show up and interact with people in the congregation. Our time together in corporate worship should be spent presenting a clear picture of Who Jesus is and what Hes done for us, says Bob Kauflin.
The value of our worship experience correlates to the value of Who it is we worship. How Christians worship God will directly affect a non-Christians image of God. Through our worship we can show nonbelievers how big our God is. We need to show visitors to our services that we worship a holy and magnificent God. A non-Christian should be able to come into a gathering of Christians who are worshiping in song and come away with two things, why God is so great and why these people are so passionate about Him, says Bob.
Worship rises or falls with our concept of God.
A. W. Tozer
Here are three suggestions for gearing a worship service for believers and nonbelievers.
1. Make sure everything in the service is grounded and supported by scripture. We want to let Gods Word do the work and not rely on our own cleverness and creativity.
2. Center the service around God, the Trinity and the gospel. Apart from Christs redemptive work on the cross we are not able to come into Gods presence. Our worship should be centered around the greatness and holiness of God, Christs death on the cross and His triumphant return from the grave. Magnify Gods worth, and magnify Christs death on the cross.
3. Think about ways it can be edifying and accessible to everyone who is there. Keep in mind that you may need to take time to explain spiritual concepts to the unbeliever within the flow of the worship service. Be careful when using Christianese or concepts that may be foreign to nonbelievers. You may need to explain a word like justification. If you sing a song with words the unchurched probably wont understand, take time to explain them. Also, dont assume that everyone in your congregation is familiar with the Bible.
Next to theology only music deserves to be the mistress and the governess of the feelings of the human heart.
Martin Luther
When a worship service is accessible to everyone, its an open doorway to an encounter with God. Most unbelievers will probably not participate in worship, and thats fine. They can watch worship. They can learn deep biblical truths from the words of songs, drama, video and the message and how God transforms lives through testimonies and baptisms. They also will see how Christians respond to this great God. When an unbeliever sees the life of a worshiper of God, the optimum response would be, Wow, I want this.
In his book, Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper says, God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshipers for himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. But worship is the fuel and goal of missions.
Keith Pipes is minister of music and education at Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Buford, Georgia. Carol Pipes is managing editor of On Mission.
Worship ResourcesSo where does a worship leader find music to which both believers and unbelievers can respond? To many that may not seem important, but lets face it, aside from the Holy Spirit, music is probably the most moving element in a worship service.
Worship Leader magazine
Worshiptogether.com
Songs4worship.com
IntegrityMusic.com
Songdiscovery.com
WholeHeartedWorship.com
www.sovereigngraceministries.org/ music/
Choice Resources www.268store.com
www.igracemusic.com/igracemusic/
More resources about worship
Real Life Real Worship (Back to the Bible) by Tony Beckett
The Complete Worship Leader (Baker) by Kevin Navarro
Reaching out Without Dumbing Down (Eerdmans) by Marva J. Dawn
Experience God in Worship (Group) Michael D. Warden, editor
Worship Evangelism: Inviting Unbelievers into the Presence of God (Zondervan) by Sally Morgenthaler
Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (IVP) by David Peterson