Worshiping God and Serving Others: The Dual Purpose of the Church

Over the past quarter-century, approximately 40 million Americans have left the church. While some departures were due to mundane reasons like relocations or scheduling conflicts, others stemmed from deeper, more painful experiences. This mass exodus raises a critical question: What is the purpose of the church, and why should anyone be part of it?

The answer lies in Jesus' response to what may have been a trap question from religious leaders. When asked about the most important commandment, Jesus replied with what we now call the Great Commandment: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself."

From this commandment, we can deduce the dual purpose of the church:

1. To love God through worship
2. To love others through service

This purpose applies not just to the church as an institution but to every individual believer. This is why we were born and placed on this earth.

Worshiping God is how we relate to him vertically. It stems from understanding who God is—both great and good. The Old Testament, particularly Isaiah 40, paints a picture of God's tender love like a shepherd carrying lambs, juxtaposed with his immense power in measuring the universe. The New Testament, in John's Gospel, reiterates this duality of God's nature.

Worship isn't a chore; it's an invitation to enjoy God. C.S. Lewis aptly put it: "In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him." This worship occurs in two primary ways:

1. Daily and Private: Personal time with God, reading his word, and praying
2. Weekly and Public: Gathering with other believers to corporately express adoration for God

Both forms of worship are crucial. While private worship can be done independently, public worship fulfills a deep need for transcendence and awe that many in our postmodern culture are desperately seeking.

Serving others is the horizontal purpose of the church and of our individual lives. This service is intrinsically linked to the concept of spiritual gifts. Every believer has received at least one spiritual gift from God, designed to help the body of Christ function effectively.

Key principles about spiritual gifts include:

1. Every believer has at least one.
2. God sovereignly decides who receives which gifts.
3. No believer has every spiritual gift.
4. We all have different combinations of gifts, making each of us unique.

Discovering and using these gifts is crucial for serving effectively in the church. While spiritual gift tests can be helpful, the best ways to discern one's gifts are:

1. Considering whether your gifts fall into the category of "speaking gifts" or "quiet, helping gifts"
2. Gaining experience in serving and listening to both external feedback (what others say about your service) and internal feedback (how you feel about the service)

Two individuals who found their purpose through serving in the church illustrate how this can work in practice:

1. Bruce Myers: After initially serving on the tech team, Bruce discovered his passion for mentoring teenagers with special needs. His personal experiences with family members who have special needs equipped him to make a significant impact in this ministry.
2. Shelby Renton: Serving on the worship tech team, Shelby found purpose in enhancing the worship experience for others, particularly newcomers. Despite facing personal challenges, including battling stage four cancer, she finds joy and purpose in her service.

These examples illustrate how serving in the church can help individuals discover their God-given purpose and find fulfillment in using their gifts to benefit others.

For those unsure about serving, consider this analogy: a human body missing a finger. While the body would still function, it would miss that finger every day. Similarly, when we don't serve, the body of Christ misses out on our unique contributions.

The underlying message is clear: don't wait until you feel fully prepared or until you've discovered your spiritual gifts. Start serving, and in the process, you'll likely discover how God has uniquely wired you to contribute to his body.

The purpose of the church—and by extension, our individual purpose—is twofold: to worship God and to serve others. This dual focus keeps us vertically aligned with God and horizontally connected with our fellow humans. It's a purpose that demands our whole lives, as reflected in the lyrics of a popular worship song: "I lift my hands up, lay my whole life down, my whole life now is for you."

As we internalize this message, let us challenge ourselves:

1. Are we actively engaging in both private and public worship?
2. Have we discovered our spiritual gifts?
3. Are we using these gifts to serve others in the body of Christ?

The church isn't just an organization to join; it's a living organism of which we are vital parts. By embracing our role in worship and service, we not only fulfill our purpose but also experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from aligning our lives with God's design.

Let us, therefore, lift our hands in worship and extend our hands in service, laying our whole lives down before the King of Heaven, our King forever. In doing so, we find our true purpose and contribute to the vibrant, living body that is the church of Jesus Christ.