This article has been excerpted from Worship and Witness: Becoming a Great Commission Worshiper by David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley.
What's more important in the life of a Christian: worship or evangelism? That's a tough question.
On one hand, much of what we do as Christians every week is considered worship. We pray to God throughout the day. We listen to worship CDs. We sing hymns and songs of praise at church. More importantly, the Bible repeatedly commands us to worship God, using words like "Praise the LORD, all nations!" (Ps. 117:1).
On the other hand, evangelism is an unquestionably vital part of the Christian life. Just the idea of outreach feels weighty and important because eternity is at stake for billions of people around the world. That's why we learn the Roman Road and invite our neighbors to church. That's why we go on mission trips and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So is it worship or evangelism? Which one is our greatest calling that deserves our most fervent effort?
If you're having trouble deciding whether worship or evangelism represents our primary purpose as believers, you're actually on the right track. That's because worship and evangelism aren't separate elements - or at least they shouldn't be. In reality, they're unified expressions of obedience to God, both of which deserve our full attention as we seek to follow Jesus and help others follow Him as well.
Misconceptions
The reason we often perceive a separation between worship and evangelism is that many Christians (and many churches) possess a false view of each experience. There's a disconnect between the biblical view of worship and evangelism and the way we often carry out those activities.
For example, many Christians' idea of worship is limited to an emotional high on Sunday mornings, yet during the week they ignore Jesus' mandate to go and make disciples of all nations (see Matt. 28:19). At the same time, many Christians feel pressure to try and "bring people to Jesus." However, without grounding their efforts in genuine worship, they win converts but fail to make disciples who are true worshipers.
The truth is, modern believers (and modern churches) aren't worshiping well, nor are we doing a good job of making disciples. We've created a false dichotomy between those elements, and both have suffered.
A biblical understanding of worship and evangelism sees them as united expressions of obedience to God. God intended His followers to express both callings as we seek to multiply His kingdom.
A new definition
Both evangelism and worship are expressions of a life totally committed to Jesus Christ. As such, they allow us to live out our primary purpose as followers of Jesus. That purpose is defined well by the first line of the Westminster Shorter Confession: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."
The purpose of a believer's life is to glorify God. We worship so that God can be eternally exalted among the nations. We bring people to Christ for the same reason. When we live surrendered, obedient lives that seek God's glory, we offer open invitations for others to become worshipers of our great God. Evangelism and worship are therefore uniquely related. Evangelism ignites a holistic lifestyle of worship, and worship of the one true God leads to evangelism.
Jesus issued two commands that define our calling to worship and evangelism. The first is the Great Commission.
Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20
This was Jesus' final command before ascending to heaven, and it assured His followers of His power and His presence. He instructed them to go and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them. In doing so, they would bring glory to God by leading more and more people to worship Him.
Jesus' also instructed His disciples in what is now called the Great Commandment.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.
Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus' words express the heart of both worship and evangelism. He called us to glorify God with unyielding allegiance, but our worship isn't complete unless we also love our neighbor. If we fall in love with Christ and seek to glorify His name, we'll also love others and lead them to worship with us.
Biblical worship, therefore, is a passionate response of devotion and obedience to God, and it results in active participation in the Great Commission. Neither evangelism nor worship is an isolated religious activity; both combine to form a lifestyle that seeks to glorify God by joining Him on mission every day.