DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Annual Council 2002

Afternoon Devotional by Heather-Dawn Small,

Associate Director, General Conference Women's Ministries Department

October 10, 2002, 4:00 PM

Worship of God, the Objective of Mission

The devotional message entitled "Worship of God, the Objective of Mission" was presented by Heather-Dawn Small, Associate Director of the Women's Ministries Department.

With such a topic as this I thought it wise to refresh my memory on the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We all know our first mission is to spread the good news of Jesus, but a reminder would never hurt.

I chose as my source of information our Church's web page. There I found this statement: "The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to proclaim to all peoples the everlasting gospel in the context of the three angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-12, leading them to accept Jesus as personal Savior and to unite with His church, and nurturing them in preparation for His soon return."

This is very precise and helpful. And today that is just what I will do. I could attempt to give you a high and lofty theological dissertation on this topic. But one thing I have learned from working in Women's Ministries over the past five years is-keep it simple. So that will be the chosen methodology of this morning's presentation.

I have also learned that using a story to present a concept is always successful. You may forget my words, but the story will always have new meaning whenever you hear or read it again. Turn with me in your Bible to Luke 8:28-39. This is a familiar story about two demoniacs-or perhaps one demoniac-depending on whether you are reading from Mathew 8, Mark 5, or Luke 8. For today we will refer to one demoniac.

This story is a wonderful example of worship and mission and how the two are connected. We all agree that as a Church our primary mission is to preach the gospel to the world. But what does worship have to do with the gospel? Permit me to jump to Psalm 96 and return to this story a little later. Psalm 96 is another wonderful reference to worship and mission in the Bible. Follow with me as I read.

"O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name."-Ps 96:1, 2a Let us pause here for a brief moment. The psalmist begins by calling us to worship our God and Creator. This worship is a joyous experience. He writes about singing, but not just any song. It is a new song, a song that blesses the Lord. When we worship we sing many songs, but to sing a new song in worship means that our experience with God is new each day. It also says that this new song is one that comes from the heart.

But it does not end there. The last part of verse two and verse three read: ". . . shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people." Now we have two aspects of the Christian's life in one verse: worship and mission. You see, if we are saved-as we say we are-then showing God's salvation in my life each day is something that should come as a natural outpouring of that knowledge.

Showing God's salvation means telling others about God's mercy and goodness towards me a sinner. The psalmist urges us to tell of God's glory and His wonders to those who do not know Him. But what does that have to do with worship? Well let's look a little further into this psalm.

The psalmist graciously gives us a few reasons why we should worship before leading us any further into the act of worship. "For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."- Ps 96:4-6

We praise because God is great and worthy of our praise. When you compare God to other man-made gods . . . wait, let me rephrase that. There is no comparison between God and any other god made by human hands or human imaginings. He is God. Such a simple statement, but one packed with truth, power, and awe. He is God. There is none like Him. He is our Creator so we should worship Him. When we come before Him we should feel and sense His majesty and strength and bask in His beauty. Why praise? Because God is God.

Once the psalmist has established a reason for worship, he then moves on to some verses of praise and worship. "Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth."-Ps 96:7-9

In reading this psalm I was struck by just how much enjoyment the psalmist was receiving from worshipping God. His joy was overflowing-much like it is with ladies when we go to a spiritual retreat and spend time worshipping God. Our joy knows no bounds. But this joy does not end with worship. Let us look at the next few verses.

"Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth." In the midst of worshipping God the psalmist reminds us that we need to say something to the non-believers. That as worshippers of God we should have something to say. And then he tells us some of the things we should say.

". . . the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth."-Ps 96:10-13

We need to tell them that there is a God worthy of worship. We need to tell them that He loves them and died for them. We need to tell them that one day He will come again for those who know Him and whom He knows. We need to tell them that a day of judgment will come and that there is safety for those in Jesus. We need to tell them what God has done for me and you. WE NEED TO TELL THEM!

Now let us turn back to Luke 8. I will not go into the details of this story since we are all familiar with it. As I mentioned before, this is the story of Jesus and the demoniac that He met and healed while in the province of Gadarenes.

Let's go straight to verses 38-40. They read, "Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him."

You see, the man wanted to stay and worship Jesus. He was so enamored by his Saviour that he never wanted to leave Jesus' side. He begged Jesus to let him stay. His one desire was to worship. But Jesus knew that worship by itself was a blessing only to the worshipper. Jesus wanted the man to be a blessing to the world. He told him to go and tell what God has done for him. You know. Go and tell others of Jesus and His love. Tell of God's power to heal. Tell of your personal encounter with God. GO AND TELL!

There were times when Jesus told those He had healed not to say anything to anyone about what He had done for them. But this time was different. Jesus was in the mission field. These people did not believe in God and Jesus needed people to tell of God's goodness. He needed a living witness of praise. So He told the man to, "Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee."

The result of the man's obeying Jesus' command was marvelous. When Jesus returned to that area some time later, the people who had previously turned Him away in fear now welcomed him eagerly, for they had been awaiting His return. They had heard of what God had done for this demoniac. They had seen the change in his life. Now they wanted to experience it for themselves. What a testimony of a worshipping heart.

We too need to worship at Jesus feet. But worship must not be an act solely delegated to church service or devotional times. It must be part of our daily lives. As we carry out our mission people will see the change in our lives because we have learned to truly worship God every moment of the day.

When I look at the people in the church I can identify two groups of worshippers: those who worship to live and those who live to worship. Those who worship to live come to church to get a shot in the arm. Once they have associated with the members during the worship service they feel lifted up, ready to face the week. They need to worship in order to live their daily, often problematic lives. Worship for them must include a good sermon, good music, and good relationships with the members. Once these things are in place for them, the act of worship is complete. They come more to receive than to give. But church worship is just the frosting on the cake; they forget they need a cake in order to receive the frosting.

The other group live to worship. Now that is living. Worship for them is a daily, hourly experience. Worship is a joyful experience. One they would not miss for anything. The psalmist put it so nicely in Psalm 96. You see, all aspects of the Christian's life that relate to worship and mission are included in that psalm. There is worship and praise (verses 1-3), a reason to worship (verses 4-9), and a commission (verses 10-13).

Our lives must be God-centered lives. To do this we must remain focused on our Creator at all times, in all circumstances. And to do this we must live in an attitude of worship. Now this is not natural for us, but it is something we can and must cultivate if we are to live a victorious Christian life. We must come to the point where worship and mission become one, where we find we cannot do one without the other.

To put it another way, I would say the natural outpouring of worship is mission. Do you get it? Worshipping God is not independent of mission. They are entwined. One is a natural extension of the other. Psalm 92:1, 2 reads: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night."

Did you see it again? The psalmist once again shows that mission is a natural extension of worship. He first begins with praise and then shows that telling of God's loving kindness and faithfulness comes from a heart at worship. I tell others of Jesus because I worship.

How we worship is an individual experience. The service may be outlined, but my reaction to it differs from every other person. We all sing the same hymns, hear the same words, and read the same Bible, but my present life situation colors my worship experience. What are my expectations? What impact does worship have on my life experiences? The worshipping heart is first in the giving mode. We come to give adoration and praise, honor and glory to our God, for who He is and all He has done. But in the process God gives us something in return. He gives us joy, peace, strength, and victory-to mention a few.

Have you ever had the experience of doing a good turn, not expecting any reward, but when you received one you were thrilled? When we don't expect to receive, but just want to give, and then God blesses us with these gifts, what joy, what blessings, what a thrill! Now I am ready to go and tell.

In the last district where my husband pastored, we had a member who was a very giving person. He enjoyed saying thanks to us in a tangible way for the blessings he received from our ministry. From time to time he would call us over to his car after church and would open his car trunk and proceed to give us loads of vegetables and fruit from his garden. Before we knew it our car trunk would be full of these good things, more than we could consume.

After he had so cheerfully given to us, we would then pay a few visits to some other members who we knew were in need and share some of the food with them. God gives to us in the same manner. He gives in abundant measure. Malachi tells us that God opens up the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing that there is not even enough room to receive it all.

Let me explain to you what I mean. As a child, when visitors came to our home, I was sent to bring them a cool drink. Mommy had taught me that it was not good manners to fill a glass to the top, just in case some of it spilled in serving it to the person. So I would fill the glass three-quarter full and serve it. That was good manners.

But our God has no manners when it comes to giving. We come to Him as empty vessels longing to be filled, but first giving our praise. He hears our praise, and from a heart of pure joy He fills our vessels. Three-quarter full? I don't think so. God fills them all the way to overflowing. Why? So when we leave His presence we can spill over into the lives of those we meet. I am glad my mom never told God about how to fill a glass.

Well what more can we say? I could tell you about the different ways to worship and to evangelize. But another lesson I have learned in Women's Ministries is once you have made your point let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Worship of God leads to mission. Or to put it in another way, a heart that praises God cannot help but tell of God. It is too sweet, too wonderful to keep to ourselves. If I can spend time worshipping God because of who He is and what He has done, then I want others to have that same experience.

Do you have a heart that praises God? Is worship of God part of your daily lives? What is the result of that worship experience? Like the psalmist we too should say, "How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord . . .to proclaim your constant love every morning and your faithfulness every night."-Ps 92:1, 2,TEV GO AND TELL!