Lausanne World Pulse – Worship in a Place Where It Will Bother the Darkness
By Marcell Steuernagel
As John Piper says, mission exists because worship doesn’t.1 It is not difficult to understand the meaning behind this phrase: if proclamation of the gospel is necessary in a certain context, this means that it has not been heard in this context. If it has not been heard, no knowledge of the gospel is preexistent. In that case, worship of God is not possible, and proclamation makes itself necessary.
What Does It Mean to Worship to the Fullest?
But what do we do with this knowledge? For the average Christian, what does “worship” mean? Sunday morning hymns? Saturday evening youth concerts? Personal devotions? Worship means much to us, and many times it means different things. It is as multiple as the infinite facets of the God we worship! An infinite God deserves infinite worship. We, as finite beings, worship in many different ways because we perceive fragments of the infinite character of God and respond to them. God has created us with a desire—no, more than that—a need, for wholesome, rich, daily worship.
One question which always hangs in the air is, “How well have we, as sons and daughters invited by the Lord himself, seized the invitation he gives us to its fullest?” The banquet of worship is laid before us every day, renewed and fresh, and we have the opportunity to partake of the feast. But many of us only grab a glass of water, a quick sandwich and a toothpick from the banquet table, and march on to our daily affairs. Few of us sit down, wrap a napkin around our necks and feast throughout the day. In order to shout the gospel from the rooftops, we must be well fed. To declare satisfaction for eternity, we must not be seen as a portrait of spiritual starvation. To evangelize through worship, we must first worship ourselves, as fully as possible.
Worshipping to Be Light in the Darkness
The Lord says we are to be as light in the darkness, illuminating a fallen world and directing it to the reality of the kingdom. We often ask God, “How, Lord, would you have us light this scene? From the top left? From the bottom right? Do you want a spotlight or diffused back lighting?” And we never get around to shining! A light does not shine as an action—it shines as a way of being. It shines because it is a light. We cannot shine at will—we must live believing we are light, and therefore shine because this is creation at its best and original intention!
To worship in the midst of darkness: that is evangelization.
In other words, we must worship as a way of life. If all of our time is taken in strategy and statistic flowcharts, when do we go out and shine in the darkness? How many of us have the courage to be light where it is needed? To worship in the midst of darkness: that is evangelization.
Therefore, we cannot speak of wholesome worship in any context but the context of the Great Commission: to go out and make disciples. Redeem from darkness into the light. Teach how to worship. Show how good it is. Demonstrate what it is like to be in an intimate relationship with our creator.
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Marcell Steuernagel is a Brazilian musician. As part of a rock back, he does Christian outreach and evangelization to communities and people not touched by the local church—slums, public schools, downtown areas, etc. Steuernagel was part of the 2006 Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering program planning team. |