Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Worship Is a Witness
And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.
—Acts 2:47
There is a direct connection between worship and witness. We are being watched by the outside world. And the outside world marvels when a Christian can praise God when they are going through hardship. It is a powerful testimony.
Sometimes that outside world even joins us in the pew. So what kind of worshipper are you? What kind of a witness are you? You may think it doesn't matter, but actually it does, because unbelievers are checking things out. Maybe someone sitting near you has never been to church before. But while the worship was going on, you are preoccupied. You are chatting with a friend or daydreaming or texting. It is important to pay attention and engage during worship, because unbelievers may be watching you.
I can speak from personal experience on this, because I came to faith as a result of Christians who worshipped. No one invited me to their meeting. No one broke the gospel down for me and explained how to come to Jesus Christ. But when I saw a group of Christians sitting on the front lawn of my high school campus and singing songs to Jesus, I watched them and thought, They have something I don't have. It opened my heart to hear and believe the gospel message that was given that day.
There is a connection between our worship and our witness. So let's be a good one, and let's make sure that our heart is in the right place with God.
What an attractive group the early church was to a lost and watching world as they learned, loved, cared, worshipped, prayed, and helped out one another. The world watched and paid attention, and people came to faith. So witnessing is not just something we do; it is something we are.
Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
to listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com, click here.
SPECIAL OFFER
Hope for Hurting Hearts
In times of tragedies and trials, certain things become evident:
- This life will have its sorrows
- God loves us
- Jesus weeps in our times of pain
- God can be glorified through human suffering
Hope for Hurting Hearts, Pastor Greg Laurie's new book, examines these truths, revealing God's love and care for us, and shows how we can find hope, even in the midst of the most unbearable pain and sorrow.
You can have your own copy of Hope for Hurting Hearts by Greg Laurie in appreciation for your gift to Harvest Ministries this month. 