“Missions is not first and ultimate. God is![1]”
The aim of this preaching series at Spreydon through February and March 2012 is to show how worship and mission are interlinked, both are eternal, both the call and work of God and together they involve us as whole people in our doing and being.
The diagram above which shows the Gloria Dei (worship of God) already existing in the Trinity of love to which we as the people of God are invited to join. And it shows the Mission of God in which the church is sent by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and being sent is called back into the worship and love of God.
So worship and mission are not to be held separately or in completion or given priority over each other but rather, from a biblical perspective, the work and worship of God and God’s people are interconnected and support each other.
The practical outworking of this series is for us as a mission focused church to understand, value and incorporate into our lives the complementary importance of worship as the fuel and goal of our mission work.
This is not a diminishing of the importance of Mission. John Piper states “When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God’s true worth, the light of Missions will shine to the darkest peoples on earth[2].” Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak.
Worship is not a gathering. It is not essentially a song service or sitting while someone preaches. Worship is not essentially any form of outward act. Worship is essentially an inner stirring of the heart to treasure God above all the treasures of the world. . . it is right affection in the heart toward God, rooted in right thoughts in the head about God becoming visible in right actions of the body reflecting God. Worship is reverence, respect and honour brought in spirit and truth, lived out in service. It involves our whole lives.
