What Does Worship have to do with Mission?

Mission is not primarily a campaign to save lost souls. The call of Christ in the gospel is first and foremost a call to worship God. This is mysteriously profound; God desires worship from his creatures; he will have it from among all his people from all the nations; and he gives redeemed sinners the incredible privilege to be the transport vehicles of grace and gospel to bring the full number of worldwide worshippers into that eternal praise of God. This is the mission. Early on (Gen. 11), there was only one people, one culture and one language that existed upon the earth. Although they had been instructed by God to go and multiply and fill the earth, they congregated and settled down in the comfortable plain of Shinar instead. The people became wholly devoted to making a name for themselves (11:4). There was no praise for God among this people of Babel. And God judged them. Part of the judgment is that he confused their one language into what are more than 6,704 languages spoken in the world today; and splintered their single culture into the 24,000 people groups that are now scattered across the earth. Then he revealed a redemptive strategy beginning with Abraham (Gen. 12) whereby he would gather again a single people for his name; and he is systematically doing it people group by people group and nation by nation through his ambassador missionaries. This is amazing to me; that God redeemed us so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles (Galatians 3:13-14). What an unspeakable privilege that God actually makes his appeal (for reconciliation with the nations) through us (2 Cor. 5:20). Our passion for lost souls is only surpassed by our passion for the Lamb of God. Count Nicholas Zinzendorf (1700-1769); Founder of the Moravians Worship of King Jesus is the end and ultimate aim; mission is Gods method to get his chosen people gathered for worship. Mission, therefore is a deliberate act of obedient worship to God. This is the purpose of To Every Tribe. We are eager to break open new opportunities for irresistible grace in the still unreached territories of the earth. We want to be busy going and sending missionaries to deliver the ransom of God for his people throughout the nations. The people get a blessing Salvation; but were going primarily for Jesus. The privilege of carrying the sweet savor of Christ to the nations is a motivation that will keep missionaries in the frontline furnace when persecution heats up. In the end, God will again have One People gathered out from every one of the worlds peoples (Revelation 5:9 and 7:9). Gods cause; the worship of all peoples, will gloriously triumph. If elect knees from every ethne (nation) were already bowed in worship, the Great Commission would be unnecessary. David Sitton