Mission without worship is not really God's mission. There is a great move among the church today toward mission projects, local and urban missions volunteering and even giving sacrificially to missions. There is a trend toward activism growing in volunteerism but at the same time not growing in worship of God.
Members of congregations and mission groups are very active in doing good deeds, but simultaneously are often disconnected from Biblical understanding and intimate communion with God. They are focused on the mission of justice while at the same time being distant from the God who defines what is just. Too many want to do God's work without seeking God. In Amos 4, the call to the people of God was to seek God and turn to Him. Our worship of God requires that we find the beginning place for mission in God Himself. There are too many who get lost in mission activity and not in God Himself.
As we begin the season of missions emphasis may we remember that this is about the heart of God. It is about the mission of God. It emanates from God Himself, not a program from the church or the personal desires of His people.
Our mission must be filled with worship---responding to God in praise and adoration. We need to acknowledge His presence in the mission. Worship and works authenticate one another. Mission without worship is just as off-balance as worship without mission. We are in partnership with a God who is on mission. The mission comes from God and the work is done in partnership with Him.
In worship we deal over and over with the ultimate truth that Jesus, who overcame the powers of evil through His death and resurrection, is able to overcome those powers of evil that are now at work in our own lives and in our own world. Worship inspires people to be on mission with Him. Authentic worship mobilizes people for mission. Our expressions of worship must ultimately result in mission. As we enter this season of missions emphasis, let us first worship Him! mjm
