Planting Churches among the City's Poor - Volume 1

26 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 1

A Community of Worship The church is also a worshiping community. From the beginning the church worshiped God as a natural outpouring of its life together. Paul taught the young church that worship should remain the church’s focus (Ephesians 5:19-20). Worship is the church’s response to the character and actions of God. When God’s Word is taught and God’s power and love are demonstrated, it calls forth worship from His people. This worship may take many forms including repentance (James 4:8-10), praise (Psalm 9:1), thanksgiving (Psalm 107:1), music and singing (Psalm 43:4, Psalm 89:1), physical expressions of respect or gratitude (Psalm 95:6; 134:2), offerings and vows (Psalm 76:11) and affirmations of God’s character and position (Psalm 96:7-13). Worship also includes celebrating the entry of new believers into the community of faith by baptism and the remembrance of Christ’s finished work of redemption through Communion. Robert Webber, an authority on the history and practice of worship, says, “The public worship of God takes place in the community of the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in proclamation and enactment of the work of salvation, through visible and tangible signs.” 9 A Community of Witness Finally, the church is a witnessing community. The church’s witness includes evangelism, service and prophesy. 10 Evangelism is sharing the good news of Jesus and the Kingdom. Service means following the example of Christ in meeting the world’s needs. Prophesy refers to the church’s corporate witness to the world. “The church is prophetic when by its worship, community and witness it points toward and manifests the new age of the Kingdom.” 11 Individual disciples carry out the church’s witness within the context of a community of disciples. Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs or as a group (Luke 9:1-6; 10:1). Orlando Costas affirms, “To be sure, evangelization is nourished and facilitated by individuals. It takes place, practically speaking, through individuals. But it is a witness that cannot be offered without the ecclesiastical community.” 12

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9 Robert E. Webber, Worship Old & New (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982), p. 17

10 See Snyder, p. 90

11 Snyder, p. 91

12 Orlando E. Costas, Liberating News: A Theology of Contextual Evangelization (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), p. 135