“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”
These words from John Piper, in his book Let the Nations Be Glad, rightly express a Biblical understanding of worship and missions. All of God’s mighty, sovereign works – through creation, providence, and redemption – are accomplished by Him “…to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:6,12,14). Likewise, “…from him and through him and to him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:36)
These truths certainly undergird all that Paul has to say in his letter to Titus, which we began studying this past Lord’s Day. We see this as the letter opens in Titus 1:1-5, with Paul declaring that God, through Jesus Christ, is the One who sends, saves, speaks, and sets in order. The clear implication is that God alone is worthy of all trust, submission, and adoration; He is worthy of all worship. All of this has great implications for the church.
Within the body of his letter, Paul works out in specific and practical ways what the worship of God is to look like in the godly leadership of the church (chapter 1), and the godly lifestyles of the saints (chapters 2-3). I’m excited to be considering these truths afresh, and walking with you in God’s will for us at RCG. As we do so, let me encourage you to read the short letter of Titus weekly. And be praying for the Lord to inflame all of us with zeal for His worship, and concurrent zeal for His purposes in missions and the church.
Because He lives, and is returning,
Greg