LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
4MAT Book Review: The Great Commission Worship
Submitted to Dr. Gregory Hammond
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
EVAN 520-D03 LUO
Contemporary Evangelism
by
Dianna L. Domek
April 3, 2018
Contents
Introduction 1
Abstract. 1
Concrete Response. 2
Reflection. 3
Action. 4
Bibliography 7
Introduction
The writer of this paper will offer an examination of this book that includes; an abstract, a concrete response or an account of an important incident in her life, a reflection on the book, and finally actions that the author will make in her life and ministry consequently of reading this book.
Abstract
The Great Commission to Worship by David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley stresses how Christians need to put worship back into evangelism. The authors provide a moving discussion of the interdependent correlation between evangelism and worship. In many churches, worship and evangelism are treated separately as if they can stand alone. According to the authors, worship is “it is a passionate response to the heart cry of God that includes active participation in the Great Commission.” If a worshipper does not include evangelism or the great commission or evangelism, then their spiritual life is incomplete. Wheeler and Whaley stated that “But a lifestyle of worship cannot be complete without a life of sharing—sharing the good news.” The great command can be found Matthew 22:37-39, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (KJV). The great is the last command that Jesus gave his disciples, which can be found in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (KJV). God expects each believer to live out both commands. The authors define this Great Commisssion Worshipper as “are those who are so in love with Jesus, so committed to worship Him, and so devoted to obedience of all His commands that they simply cannot restrain themselves from telling others about Him” They also state that Great Commissioners are formational, transformational, relational, missional, and reproducible. In the book they make these practices, practical for everyday Christians.
Concrete Response
I always felt that worship was only done inside the church building. My family never really listened to Christian music outside the church. I mean, we were there every time the doors were open, but no worship or praying was hardly ever done outside the church building. I mean my father smoked heavily and I would even catch him watching pornographic movies and he had porno books under the bathroom sink. He had supposed to have almost attended seminary but was unable to because of his father’s health. I thought if that was what Christians were like, I was not sure I wanted to be one.
However, when I married Tim and moved out of the town my parents lived in. I realized that I wanted what my husband Tim had. I have tried to share my faith a couple of times, but each time was shot down, so I never did that again. Sure, I invite people to church, but that is about it.
This book made me rethink my ideas about sharing my faith and worshipping God. If we truly want to worship God, we need to share what He has done for us and what he can do for them as well.
Reflection
Some of the questions that this book has made me ponder is what is praise and what is worship and what does worship have to do with evangelism. According to Wheeler and Whaley, praise is, “‘praise just bragging on God?’ Bingo! Praise is telling God, how good He is. When we praise, we talk big about God. That’s it. Nothing more. We tell God that we recognize His wonder, work, majesty, glory, and marvel—all of it.” I always thought that praise and worship meant basically the same, I was so wrong. According to the authors there are many meanings for the word worship.
One of the Old Testament words for worship is shachah—to kneel, stoop, prostrate oneself, or throw oneself down, in reverence. The New Testament word for worship is proskuneo. This Greek term literally means kissing, bowing down, showing respect and adoration. Charles Ryrie says that the English word “worship” is a shortened form of “worthship,” meaning to attribute worth to the object worshipped. Unger’s Bible Dictionary defines worship as “the act of paying divine honors to a deity; religious reverence and homage.”
The first two questions I have already answered but from what I have read you cannot have true worship without evangelism and you cannot have true evangelism without worship. As we worship God and become closer to Him, we can spread the word about Him. Just as we tell others about God, are worshipping of Him deepens.
Action
Action step one: I will meet three new people, unbelievers, by the end of EVAN 525. I will do this by first just getting out there. I live a very secluded life, since moving to this new town with my husband, Tim. I am a housewife and because of my disability and the secluded community I now live in, I do not get out and about like I use to ten or so years ago. My plan is to some volunteering at our local hospital and use that as a way of meeting new people. In addition, my pastor has put me in charge of the children Sunday school class and the children church services. We have a very small church congregation now, so the class is rather small. However, I am making a difference in these children’s lives. I am also hoping to reach the parents as well.
Once I meet these new people who are unbelievers and I have built a relationship with them rather it is a long term or short-term relationship. I will share my story. Even if they do not take the big step toward accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior, I hope that my story will give hope and maybe even peace with their past. I have been through so much in my past and I am hoping I can help someone else to know that there is light at the end of that tunnel they feel they are in.
Action step two: I am going to work on worshipping God more. I listen to Christian music when ever I listen to music but I still working on how to worship. I have never really been taught what worship was but listening and singing music to God. I am still working on ways I feel comfortable with when I worship God. Lay prostrate seems very strange to me. In addition, kneeling is something I am unable to do because of my health. So, how can I do this if physically I am unable to do it. I want to kneel, but I am in so much pain when I get that low on the ground and I am so large that it is very, very difficult to stand back up.
So, as you see I am having difficulty finding ways to worship that I am physically able to do. I want to, but I would need a crane get back up. But I do plan to discuss with my instructor, my pastor, and his wife, who is also disabled, how I can worship the Lord in other ways.
Action step three: By the end of 2018, I plan on meeting three new people and invite them to join her at local congregation. At this moment, I work closely with my pastor’s wife with the ladies functions we have going on. I hope is meet these new ladies and invite to one of our ladies functions we have going on at my church.
I have been working building a relationship with our handyman that works on projects around our home. My hopes that I can meet his fiancé and invite them again to church service. Shane is a very talented man but has fallen away from God. He has been pulled over and arrested a couple of times for DUIs. This last time he must go in front of a judge. I am praying that God allows me to guide him back to Him and remind him that God is the better drug to help with the troubles in his life.
Once I lose some more weight about twenty more pounds, my plan is to start walking around my community and when I see people outside stop and talk to them. I also plan to speak with pastor and getting a group of us to go to a few neighborhoods in my community as well our town and knock on doors and tell them about God and the services we have available at our church.
?
Bibliography
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Wheaton: Victor, 1988). 428. Quoted in. David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-based Evangelism. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2011.
Unger, Merrill F. Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody, 1966). 1172. Quoted in. David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-based Evangelism. Nashville, TN: B ; H Academic, 2011.
Whaley, Vernon M. Called to Worship (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009). xiv. Quoted in, David Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-based Evangelism. Nashville, TN: B ; H Academic, 2011.
Wheeler, David and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-based Evangelism. Nashville, TN: B ; H Academic, 2011.
