Worship: More Than A Song by Chase Stancle

Worship is often an understated matter for us church folks. Think about the last time you used the word “worship.” For many of us, it refers to the time of singing before the sermon at a church gathering. Some even call that gathering “worship.” For others, the last time we said the word worship, it was in reference to an intensely intimate time of communion with  the Spirit and fellow believers. While none of these are incorrect, none of them capture the full breadth of what worship actually is. These are better defined as expressions of praise. Don’t get me wrong—God is worthy of praise, and we should praise God exuberantly and often. But worship has always required more from us than a song; it is our life.  

What Is True Worship?

A basic definition of worship is to express reverence or adoration for something or someone. While for most of human history, this involved sacrificing the life of animals or burning crops, for Christians, worship is a heart surrendered to the lordship of Christ. It goes beyond declaring Christ as our Savior. Worship compels us to make Him our King, and therein lies our sacrifice. Instead of burning animals, we sacrifice the ability to be the lord of our own lives and follow Christ. 

This is what Paul is pointing to in Romans 12:1 when he says that believers are to submit our bodies as living sacrifices as our way of worshiping. He draws upon the practice of surrendering something of value as a way of declaring that our allegiance to the One we are sacrificing to is more valuable than the item offered. For believers, we don’t bring a dead, burnt offering. For us, the only appropriate sacrifice is our lives, poured out for our King as we live them.  

Worship and the Great Commission

In this way, worship is an integral element in everything we do, especially our shared mission  as disciple-makers. This mission is laid out for us in Matthew 28:19-20:  

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.  

Jesus gave these instructions to His first followers, and they have been passed down as part  of our inheritance as members of the family of God. This is not just busy work to maintain our attention until Jesus returns. This is vital work in the business of redeeming the Earth, and we have been entrusted with it. It is far more than just “what we do” as disciples of Christ; it is, in part, who we are and a key ingredient in our observed Lordship of Christ—our  worship.  

When Disciple-Making Becomes Worship

Making disciples is invigorating, but by no means easy. We are regularly challenged in this  effort, as we have an enemy with a vested interest in our failure. And even more challenging —humans keep changing. But that’s where the beauty of remembering that this work is a part of our worship comes in. When making disciples is more than a chore but an expression of what it means to be a living sacrifice, we think more creatively. We don’t give up as easily,  and we find ways to keep relational doors to unbelievers open rather than closing them due to our discomfort. 

When our mission is a part of our worship, we live it out with joy. And when that is difficult, we ask the Holy Spirit for help rather than discarding the mission as if it were a Christian hobby. Praise to our amazing God may bring you to tears, but worship will make you bring others to Him so they, too, will experience the full life we have been granted in Christ. May we worship God vibrantly.