If you don't have a good reason to worship God, you won't really do it - even if you go through the motions of doing it. Mentally, you can know why you should, but if your heart is not in it, worship will only be another religious duty that doesn't please you or God. This can lead to a godless form of man-made religion. Heartless forms of worship can also just make you give up. When worship is hypocritical, heartless, and heretical - and when people just quit trying, it adds to the bigger problem of unbelief in the world. Where is there to be found a testimony for Christ and the Gospel?

If the personal lives of professing Christians are half-hearted and inconsistent (I Corinthians 6:19-20); if churches are weak and shrinking; if their form of worship is mere entertainment or dead tradition - then outsiders will not be drawn to Christ and the Gospel.

If individual Christians are worshipping in spirit and in truth - then churches will be filled with love, godliness, and vitality. The lives of individual Christians and the effect of the churches corporately will produce a testimony that will confront the unbelief that is in the world (Matthew 5:13-16 cp. Matthew 5:1-12; John 13:34-35; 17:14-21; Acts 4:31-33; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 1:12; 3:20-21; cp. Ephesians 3:14-19).

So far, we have mostly spoken of the kind of worship that goes on privately - in the believer's closet (Matthew 6:5-15). We must now consider worship that is up on the rooftop (Matthew 10:27-33 cp. Matthew 10:1-42).

It is time to consider the church's worship life as a part of her testimony to the world. We do not mean a vain show - to please and entertain men. Rather, our worship is open and public so that God is glorified through the praise of Him in the name of Jesus Christ (Psalm 22:3; 31:19; 50:23; 117:1-2 [this is called "the missionary psalm"]; II Corinthians 4:6, 15; Ephesians 3:21).

Our Scripture reading gives us much encouragement concerning our public worship and testimony. Let's highlight a few points:

Psalm 145 - Worship, Testimony & Evangelism

Our worship and praise is an affectionate and passionate form of teaching the next generation - Psalm 145:4-7.

See I Corinthians 11:26 (show, declare, announce, proclaim, preach "the Lord's death…" via the Lord's Table).

Our worship and praise should "bless" the Lord - Psalm 145:10-12.

We bless or honor God by revealing His glorious kingdom, power, and majesty. We exalt Him by making others know the great things God has done and is still doing.

• The LORD is gracious - Psalm 145:8
• The LORD is good to all - Psalm 145:9
• The LORD upholds all that fall - Psalm 145:14
• The LORD is righteous in all His ways - Psalm 145:17
• The LORD is near to all of those who call on Him - Psalm 145:18-19.
• The LORD preserves all them that love Him - Psalm 145:20.

Our worship and praise is a call / invitation for others to join us in faith, love, submission, worship, and service - Psalm 145:21.

David desired everyone to join him in love and praise to God. See David's passionate call in Psalm 34:1-3, 8-11 (consider Psalm 34:1-22 cp. Psalm 66:16).

Paul was concerned that outsiders and unbelievers would be helped and given understanding (I Corinthians 14:19, 23-25).

Our worship of God should spread like leaven - contaminating Satan's kingdom (Matthew 13:33; Isaiah 12:2-6).

The Great Commission is not just about getting people to go to heaven when they die. It is about helping other people to become worshippers and followers of Jesus Christ.

So, when you come to church:

• Do you seek only that you are satisfied with the worship of the church?
• Does it concern you that God is satisfied?
• Does it concern you that others are edified? (i.e. built up in understanding and drawn to Christ)
• Does our satisfaction with God override our more trivial displeasures with people and practices within the church?
• Do you have a burden for the church to have a stronger testimony to the community and to the world?
• Is your worship aimed at the goal of glorifying God through Jesus Christ unto the brotherhood of believers and unto the world of the unbelievers?