Yet whilst they were fasting, they were doing what they wanted, rather than what God wanted, and mistreating the poor in exploiting their workers (58:3). Isaiah talks of what the Jews of his time saw as worship: to fast and to keep the Sabbath day. Other passages which support Paul’s words in Romans 12, that outreach is worship, or a spiritual sacrifice, and different from direct preaching, are Isaiah 58 and James 2. It is an opportunity to “do good to all people” whilst not forgetting our greater responsibility to those who “belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10). Outreach projects allow us to worship as a community in that, together, we can: “give generously” and “show mercy” to those at “our gates” who, like Lazarus the homeless beggar, have absolutely nothing (Luke 16:20). Giving generously (or sincerely) (v8), and.
But many of us have the ability to worship by: We are not all able to preach or teach from the platform. It is vital that we grasp Paul’s argument here if we are to wholeheartedly embrace outreach as an important spiritual sacrifice in our worship as individuals and as a community. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith if it is serving, then serve if it is teaching, then teach if it is to encourage, then give encouragement if it is giving, then give generously if it is to lead, do it diligently if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully…” (Romans 12:4-8, NLT). We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. So why use that particular word for worship? Paul, through the spirit, goes on to explain what our true and proper worship now entails in our Lord Jesus : “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Surely, we are no longer under the Levitical law? Surely, God would not expect the believers in the first century to keep the ceremonial laws and temple rituals? Obviously not. This is a word which should make us stop and think. In Romans 9:4, the same word is used of temple worship. The Greek word for worship (translated as “service” in the KJV) is “latreia” defined as “the service or worship of God according to the requirements of the Levitical law”. Notice that offering our bodies, or our lives, is our true and proper “worship”. We read: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1, NIV). Romans 12 is a key passage in thinking about the strong scriptural foundations for The Garden’s type of outreach work. If there are differing views on outreach as an ecclesial activity, rather than arguing, we need to submit to one another in love, and find a “win-win” solution.Īnswer: If we want to obey Jesus’ fundamental command to “do to others what you would have them do to you” we have to reach out to those around us.Our motives in reaching-out must be sincere – and not to be deliberately seen by others so that we can massage our own egos (Matthew 6).We need to encourage and support those who are able to reach-out, just as we support our speakers, preachers and teachers. There is one body, we have all been given different abilities.Outreach is a different act of worship, or spiritual sacrifice, from preaching and teaching, but equally as valid.Outreach is: serving, encouraging, giving and showing mercy (Romans 12), just as the Good Samaritan showed “mercy” to the man who was beaten, stripped, robbed and left for dead (Luke 10).We can worship (reach out) together or as individuals.Our neighbor is anyone we might meet – even our enemies.Outreach is an act of worship, which need not be justified by direct preaching, though it often does lead to conversations about our hope in Jesus.
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