Psalm 147:1–11; 1 Corinthians 9:16–23
Psalm 147 opens up powerfully. It really is good to sing praise to God. Every worship leader hopes that it is the pleasure of everyone who attends church (whether physically or online) finds it a pleasure to praise God through singing.
Of course, the psalmist is a songwriter/performer, so is obviously a tad biased towards this form of praise. There is indeed something powerful about music. On the other hand, there are plenty of people who find their best time of worship and praise through prayer or stillness.
The heart of worship is honoring God. A heart that honors God, worships God. Those people faithfully wait for the next experience of God’s faithful love.
The expectation of experiencing God’s faithful love produces a response that can seem odd to a person who does not believe the same. Paul has such an expectation. That is part of what motivates his approach to his (Christ directed) mission to share the Good News.
Paul’s response to God’s faithful love? Share the Good News freely. Not only freely in regard to cost, but also freely to whomever, and freely however.
In many respects, the whomever and however continue to be a problem in regard to sharing the gospel. In some church somewhere, someone is saying, “Let’s not share the Good News with those people.” In another church (or maybe the same one), someone is saying, “We just can’t do it that way.”
It’s easy to say, “Paul would…,” but the reality is that we don’t know what Paul would have done. We can only at the “heart” of Paul as seen through his words.
We are often quite ready to put boundaries on many things in our lives. With whom and how (granted, without changing the Truth) however, the fewer boundaries we place the more likely we are to be where God already is.
※Reflection※
- What surprising/unexpected ways have you seen the Good News shared/spread?
- How should honoring/praising/worshiping God lead to sharing the Good News of the Gospel?
※Prayer※
Lord, may we find ways to share the Gospel that builds bridges of faith and love. Amen.