God is majestic, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is all-knowing. He is present everywhere. He is powerful in every way. He is worthy of glory and honor and praise. This is the reason for worship, to give the Father his due. Beloved friend, I encourage you to keep company with fellow believers, especially in the church. Christian worship is a community where believers share in the common experience of praising God and expressing their love, gratitude, and devotion to him. You were not created to be alone; you are meant to live in community. Worship is a holy activity, and the church is the place where you will experience blessings not to be found elsewhere, for there are some graces and blessings that God gives only in the meeting together with other believers. Worshipping God means you are ascribing worthiness to God for who he is and for what he has done for you. Make worship a priority in your life. Worship also serves as a reminder of God’s love, grace, and power, and it helps to strengthen your faith and deepen your relationship with him. Through worship, you will experience encouragement and support from others, and you will be reminded that you are not alone in your faith journey.
Worship takes many forms, including singing, prayer, reading Scripture, preaching, and participating in the sacraments. It is an act of humility and surrender as you acknowledge your dependence on God and your gratitude for all he has done for you. Thus, worship helps realign your focus on God and his purposes and puts your worries, doubts, and fears into perspective. It will also help you prepare for another responsibility: to disciple those new to or weak in the faith.
Your spiritual health and well-being will eventually motivate you to the worthy work of making disciples. Discipleship involves serving and reaching out to others as a representative of Christ. As you grow in your faith, you are called to share it with others to help them grow in their faith as well. Simply put, you are to put your faith into action and be an example of Jesus to the world. This is accomplished through the joint study of the Bible and offering guidance as a spiritual mentor. As you mentor others in the faith, helping to interpret and apply the teachings of Jesus in your lives and circumstances, you become more like Jesus in your thoughts, words, and actions, and better able to reflect his love and grace to everyone. If you establish a regular practice of discipleship, you will help raise up the next generation of believers to follow Jesus earnestly.
New Christians often know little about the faith they profess to believe. Your challenge is teaching and training them and investing your heartfelt best interest in them. Your concern for them will help deepen and grow their faith in Christ as the newer believer follows your example of a seasoned Christian who has already walked through many of life’s everyday challenges. Through discipleship, you will introduce accountability into the new believer’s life, beginning with the basics and urging them toward a deeper understanding of Christian theology. This is a lot of responsibility, but you are up to it. And the Holy Spirit will help you. Fear not!
Friend, as more believers understand and live out Jesus’ teachings, our churches will become more vital and faithful to our Lord. Worship and discipleship should be ongoing activities throughout your life. I pray that you will delight in them always. May it be so!
