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Serving as Worship
When we think of serving God, we often think of the missionary helping in a third-world country or of the pastor visiting the sick and preaching Sunday morning. Similarly, when examples of great Christian leaders come to mind, we probably picture Billy Graham, D.L. Moody, Amy Carmichael, or Elizabeth Elliot. We imagine those who did BIG things for God; those in the public eye, really. However, consider the following illustration from the Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan (which we have here at The Study Room and is great for lesson or message prep): “In the Louvre, in Paris there is a famous painting by Murillo. It is entitled “The Miracle of San Diego.” A door opens, and two noblemen and a priest enter a kitchen. They are amazed to find that all the kitchen-maids are angels. One is handling a water-pot, another a joint of meat, a third a basket of vegetables, a fourth is tending the fire. The message of the picture is that no labour is common unless we make it so. Jesus Christ Himself toiled in a workshop” (p. 1274). Though this is a simplified understanding of the 17th century painting that completely ignores the levitating monk in the centre, the premise is on point.
Is serving God exclusively for the paid pastor? For the author or conference speaker? For the musician? Can’t serving God be so much more than that? Yes! Most definitely and assuredly yes! With the help of three resources here at The Study Room, let’s explore Murillo’s idea that all work is in service to God, not just our traditional work but every aspect of our lives. With the help of John MacArthur, Warren W. Wiersbe, and Gary Witherall, let’s discover how serving is an act subordinate to worship, how to be an effective servant for the Lord, and how to count the cost.
To begin this study I honestly wanted to avoid, at all costs, the story of Mary and Martha as an example of prioritizing worship over service. Alas, I cannot! I can rationalize and justify Martha’s actions all I want, but in the end, Jesus praised Mary for being at His feet. For choosing time with Him and not just time for Him, if that makes sense. However, let me rewind a bit here and catch us all up on the story. Luke 10:38-42 tells us the story:
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
In my heart of hearts, I believe that Martha’s actions were coming from a place of love. Martha wanted to show Jesus that she loved Him; she wanted to do “many things” that showed her devotion and faithfulness. However, as John MacArthur put it, “worship is the primary essential (in Jesus’ words, “really [the] only one”), and service is a wonderful and necessary corollary to it.” Corollary? Meaning the consequence or repercussion of worship. Martha was serving before worshipping. That’s the rub. In his book Worship: The Ultimate Priority, MacArthur explores in depth how worship, and worship alone, is to be our top priority. Mary shows us that our place is to be at His feet.
Furthermore, Jesus allowing Mary to worship and learn at His feet in this story also freed everyone, but especially women, from mere service. In Twelve Extraordinary Women when discussing how Jesus elevated the status of women in His culture MacArthur writes, “He encouraged their discipleship by portraying it as something more needful that domestic service” (p. xiv). What a thought! Had Jesus indulged Martha’s request, it would have relegated women to such service only and indefinitely. But what blessedness! To be allowed to, and told to prioritize, time with our Lord and Savior. Why do we feel such frustration over this story and for Martha? I’d argue probably because we secretly want the answer to be serving, as it is achievable, gets us recognition, and works within our current skill set. Martha was serving in her area of strength; she was going to be praised for the amazing meal and for her hospitality, so she thought (probably subconsciously; let’s give her the benefit of the doubt). However, that is not what Jesus wants; He wants us.
When Mary sat at Jesus feet, she was listening and learning from Him; He, in turn, was filling her up, preparing her, making her fall in love with Him. I mean, how can we not fall in love with Jesus once we have spent time with Him? Now that she was filled, prepared, and motivated (love is a big motivator), Mary is ready to serve. She was maybe even prepared to serve in an area beyond her current skill set. Moreover, when Mary or we sit at Jesus’ feet, He gets the glory…the well-deserved glory and praise. With this order of worship and then service, Jesus gets the recognition for those good deeds for which we were prepared ahead of time (Ephesians 2:10). Accordingly, if we are to be of true service to God, we must choose worship first.
Let’s look at this worship/service concept with a different example laid out by John MacArthur in Worship: The Ultimate Priority. In the chapter called Worship Is a Way of Life, MacArthur draws our attention to the order of examples found in Hebrews 11 and how God confirms the order of worship and service in our lives. Hebrews 11: 4-7 reads as follows:
“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”
MacArthur emphasizes three key words, one for each man: worship, walk, work. Let’s start with Abel who, according to Genesis 4, offered “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” At that point in history and so far in God’s revelation to mankind, they knew that an offering was to be an animal, so Abel’s “worship was in accord with the will and the plan of God, and his offering was accepted by God” (p. 48). The lesson to us is that worship of God starts with sacrifice, and in our case, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We don’t bring animals to an alter anymore; it would be pretty weird in our culture if we did. Consequently, we start worship here, at the cross, having our sins forgiven. If you would like to know more about Jesus and His work on the cross, please reach out to us at The Study Room.
Enoch is next and shows us a life that walks with God. We are not given much detail in Genesis 5, nor in Hebrews 11, nor elsewhere he is mentioned in the bible. The biggest detail of his life is that Enoch walked with God and then he was no more, not dead but taken up. To learn from his life, we further our worship by walking with God. What does that mean tangibly? In brief, sitting at the feet of Jesus…like Mary. Meaning, we read our bible habitually and we pray continuously. Not those long, fake, repetitive, drawn-out prayer where you are half asleep, but incorporating quick texts-like-prayers, something that we might send to a friend or loved one when we want to share details from our day. A constant conversation. Also being still and quiet enough to recognize His prompting. But this topic is for a whole other blog. In short, be God’s friend, like Enoch was.
With worshipping and walking with God established, we can work like Noah did. “He spent 120 years building the ark. That is work—the work of faith” (MacArthur p. 48). Can you imagine this? After spending time with God, He tells you to build a huge boat in a desert where it never rains nor does it ever flood. Oh, don’t forget that everyone will think you are crazy and will laugh at you. But that is the amazing thing about serving God in the worship/walk/work order, it doesn’t matter what others think. It comes down to obedience. Faithful obedience. I honestly doubt that Noah would have considered such a project on his own accord. He might have chosen a task within his comfort zone: preaching, farming, or raising animals. But build an ark? However, since Noah worshipped and walked with God, this faithful steward knew he could trust God’s request. Noah expected God’s plan to come true. Good thing he did! Check out Genesis 6 to 9 for the whole story and to see how his obedience paid off.
A final thought on Abel, Enoch, and Noah’s striving to worship and walk with God: their worship was a lifestyle. Since we have the most details about Noah, let us explore this idea further with him. In Genesis 6: 9 it reads, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless, among his people, and he walked faithfully with God.” Noah’s life was not praised because a singular act of obedience; his whole recorded life demonstrates how his days were filled serving God faithfully. He walked and then served. I can almost picture him sitting and listening to God, then going out swinging a hammer for the day. Along with Noah building the ark, as already mentioned, over a 120-year period, he also was a “preacher of righteousness” according to 2 Peter 2. All of Noah’s day-to-day duties, from his job to his conversations, were for serving God. Noah is praised as faithful because of this consistency and obedience in all areas of his life.
What about our lives? How does this apply to us? To me? Honestly, this blog took a bit of a different turn than expected, but I am so thankful it did. Personally, I have struggled with Mary and Martha as I relate to the latter sister so much more. However, with fresh eyes and a new appreciation, I can understand the importance of being like Mary first and then like Martha. Understanding why Jesus wants us to worship first and then serve has actually liberated me from the pressure of success—success in my eyes and the world’s eyes. In the eyes of Jesus, I am successful if I have sat at His feet, if I have worshipped, and if I have walked with Him. Then like Noah I am free to serve in the ways that God has called me: for Noah it was building a boat for 120 years; for me it is, among other things, opening a hole-in-the-wall Christian library. It’s okay if we are laughed at or aren’t overly popular. What counts is obedience. The success of our serving is up to God, really, and not up to us. May this perspective on worship and serving encourage you as each and every task can be for God, including handling a water pot or tending a fire as Murillo suggested.
Though we only made it through the first point mentioned in the introduction, let’s end for now and revisit Wiersbe’s and Witherall’s works later on. We have much to process and apply as it is from John MacArthur! To me MacArthur is one of those giants of the faith I mentioned, but there is no secret to his success in serving God. He lives what he preaches: worship, walk, work. He has learned that “[t]hat consuming, selfless desire to give to God is the defining element of all genuine worship. It begins with the giving of ourselves, and then of our attitudes, and then of our possessions—until worship is a way of life” (MacArthur 44). Because all serving can be worship.
A blog post by Nathalie Davidson
October 19, 2023.