Worship and Effective & Enduring Leadership 2.1
The first of God's five New Testament purposes for us is Worship.
There are legitimate reasons why we discuss Worship before the other 4 of God's purposes for us. “Worship is one of the most crucial actions of our lives as Christians, so much so that its importance cannot be overemphasized. One of the simplest and most accurate definitions of worship is our natural response to the reality of who God is, and what he has done. The idea here is that when we compare ourselves to a being who can speak light and life into existence, we are faced with the totality of our inadequacies. We have no choice but to approach in complete humility and surrender. Worship is not and was never meant to be relegated to a time slot in our week or in a church’s service plan. It is supposed to define every day of our lives; it is supposed to be the foundation from which every decision is made. We were created to worship, and we will never find a greater satisfaction than when we are fulfilling that purpose.”24 Since Worship is the foundation from which we make every decision, it is safe to say that having a good Worship lifestyle is fundamental to the other four purposes God has for our lives.
After we experience Salvation, God has 5 purposes for us to fulfill during our lives here in our temporary homes on earth. There is a natural order to these 5 purposes as each one builds on the other. These 5 purposes represent God's expectations for our Christian walk after we are saved. As discussed above, Worship is the first purpose for us to become proficient at. Note that it is not necessary to achieve perfection or become a 'master' at one purpose before proceeding to the next. One purpose is not more important than another and we may be growing in more than one purpose at a time. However, it will be next to impossible to become good at any given purpose without first becoming good at the previous purposes. For example, it will be difficult to become really good at Fellowship if we are weak in our Worship. Likewise, it will be difficult to become good at Discipleship without first having good Worship and Fellowship skills. When Jesus returns we will be judged on how well we fulfilled God's 5 purposes for our lives.
There are legitimate reasons why we discuss Worship before the other 4 of God's purposes for us. “Worship is one of the most crucial actions of our lives as Christians, so much so that its importance cannot be overemphasized. One of the simplest and most accurate definitions of worship is our natural response to the reality of who God is, and what he has done. The idea here is that when we compare ourselves to a being who can speak light and life into existence, we are faced with the totality of our inadequacies. We have no choice but to approach in complete humility and surrender. Worship is not and was never meant to be relegated to a time slot in our week or in a church’s service plan. It is supposed to define every day of our lives; it is supposed to be the foundation from which every decision is made. We were created to worship, and we will never find a greater satisfaction than when we are fulfilling that purpose.”24 Since Worship is the foundation from which we make every decision, it is safe to say that having a good Worship lifestyle is fundamental to the other four purposes God has for our lives.
After we experience Salvation, God has 5 purposes for us to fulfill during our lives here in our temporary homes on earth. There is a natural order to these 5 purposes as each one builds on the other. These 5 purposes represent God's expectations for our Christian walk after we are saved. As discussed above, Worship is the first purpose for us to become proficient at. Note that it is not necessary to achieve perfection or become a 'master' at one purpose before proceeding to the next. One purpose is not more important than another and we may be growing in more than one purpose at a time. However, it will be next to impossible to become good at any given purpose without first becoming good at the previous purposes. For example, it will be difficult to become really good at Fellowship if we are weak in our Worship. Likewise, it will be difficult to become good at Discipleship without first having good Worship and Fellowship skills. When Jesus returns we will be judged on how well we fulfilled God's 5 purposes for our lives.