Wheeler & Whaley’s The Great Commission to Worship Research Paper

Abstract

David Wheeler and Vernon Whaley try to make Christians understand the true meaning of worshipping God. Many Christians have a different understanding of serving God and living righteous life according to God’s commands. Following the contradicting beliefs, Wheeler and Whaley suggest combining evangelism and worship to show total commitment to God. According to the authors, being a great commission worshipper entails total obedience and meekness before God, just like Abraham, the father of faith.¹ In the book of Genesis, Abraham obeys God’s commands from the beginning to the end and is rewarded the title of a faithful servant and father of nations.² Thus, obedience is the most significant attribute of becoming a great and true worshipper.

Further, the authors state that the great commission to worship has transformational and formational aspects on believers. According to the text, worshipping God shapes and changes an individual to have qualities that conform to God’s demand of a true worshipper. Through formational worship, one discovers their purpose and mission in life, which determine their spiritual worship activities. The authors describe transformational worship as a way of obtaining salvation by changing one’s life and worshiping God. Finally, the authors address aspects that determine a worshiper of the great commission. A true worshipper must possess the significant desire and will to talk about their belief and connection with God. Believers should follow the example of Jesus’ disciples, who followed him genuinely, proclaiming the gospel and converting more people into Christ. Thus, a great commission’s worshipper should evangelize and worship at the same time while reaching out to proclaim God’s word to masses worldwide to convert more believers into the great commission to worship.

Concrete Response

Reading this book reminds me of when I discovered the true meaning of worshipping God. I grew up in a Christian family but did not seriously take the Bible or God’s word. I always attended church because it was a family culture, and I knew about Jesus and God. I understood that Jesus is the way to salvation through believing in Him as the son of God. Consequently, I knew the commandments of God and tried to follow them through childhood and adolescent. However, when I joined college, everything seemed to turn upside down for me in my social and academic life. Other students teased me about being a Christian and obeying commands when the world has numerous opportunities of having fun. Due to my weak Christian foundation, I was unable to decide most of the time, which led to questioning why God would not show me the right way since I was a believer.

I started drifting in churches to find out the true meaning of Christianity and how God can answer one’s prayers. During the holidays, my childhood friend asked, ‘why are you distant and not attending the same church as before’. I explained that I wanted ‘a church that will make me a strong Christian.’ She understood and explained that true Christianity is worshipping and evangelizing the word of God regardless of one’s denomination.³ We started having bible discussions that highlight true discipleship and proclaiming the word of God without fear. As I read ‘The Great Commission to Worship,’ I realize that evangelizing and glorifying one’s relationship with God has transformed my life into a true believer and worshipper.

Reflection

The first question that came to mind while reading is how is it possible that some believers do not understand the relationship between worshipping and evangelizing? As believers, the two practices are the essential duties of performing God’s work.⁴ Nevertheless, believers separate them to represent different aspects of serving God. It is clear from the bible that Jesus disciplines evangelized and glorified God, and as followers of Jesus in the modern world, Christians are supposed to follow the disciple’s example. Secondly, if believers leave everything and commit wholly to serving Jesus, what happens to sustain their livelihoods? Modern times demand commitment in other areas, such as working to earn a living.⁵ Nevertheless, the reading has helped me reflect on ways to better evangelism and glorify God, such as creating relational bonds, transforming through God’s word, and reaching out to congregations globally. The book’s authors discuss rational issues concerning evangelism and worshiping God. However, they could strengthen their message by providing guidelines to believers who need to balance worshiping, evangelism, and providing for their family’s needs.

Action

Step 1

The first action involves understanding the concept of worshipping and evangelizing through obedience. I will focus on recognizing the actual authority to worship and commit wholly to God by believing in Jesus Christ. Wheeler and Whaley’s book has made me realize that worship and evangelism require placing God above all and living a holy life. Consequently, true worshipping requires understanding God’s message and commands and following them with humility and obedience.⁶ I want to practice being obedient before God and try to live a righteous life by committing to Jesus despite the modern-day challenges that hinder total devotion to God’s work. I will start practicing effective evangelism and worshipping by reading the bible about God’s disciples and how they helped promote the gospel. Accomplishing this step is essential in attaining the goals of the following two steps, which entail sharing knowledge on true worship and evangelism and spreading God’s word to all people by testifying his goodness.

Step 2

After reading Wheeler and Whaley’s book, I feel motivated to share the gospel with more people. However, before I start spreading God’s word, I want to ensure other believers understand the meaning of being a great commission worshiper s that we can begin the journey of evangelizing together. Therefore, my second step involves educating church members and my worship team about evangelizing and glorifying God by conforming to His command of true discipleship.

I will organize groups of seven church members willing to participate and discover the fundamentals of worshipping and evangelizing. I belong to our local church’s worship group and will begin my group discussion with them. I will ask the evangelist to give us room for meeting at least twice a week. The main point of the group discussion will understand God’s command of humility and endurance to create a more robust understanding and relationship with God. I will use the knowledge from Wheeler and Whaley’s book to demonstrate how worshiping and evangelizing is transformational and formational in the Christian life, leading to a relational relationship with God and humankind.⁷ I believe that sharing knowledge about the great commission to worship will help other believers to understand the importance of proclaiming their relationship with God to convert more people to Christianity.

Step 3

Finally, I will take the action of becoming a true worshipper and evangelist according to God’s command. I have never evangelized to people outside my community and church members, although it has been my greatest wish to save and convert more people to Christianity. Whenever I feel like spreading the word of God to the outside world, I feel afraid of their reception and feel that I lack the gift of talking to strangers about God.

After reading The Great Commission to Worship, I have realized that the way I have been evangelizing and worshipping God is not clear. I need to have a stronger bond with God and proclaim his friendship so that fellow believers and non-believers can understand the meaning of knowing God and accepting his will on one’s life.⁸ To be a great evangelist and worshipper, an individual must stand before the masses and proclaim God’s goodness with courage.⁹ I had challenges evangelizing because I could not share my testimony and others that I have witnessed encouraging people to believe in God. Therefore, I will start spreading God’s word again to community members who were never convinced by my initial presentations.

My plan involves door-to-door evangelism to people who will be willing to accept the gospel. Wheeler and Whaley’s book has taught me that glorifying God needs obedience and endurance in God’s ministry, apart from converting believers.¹⁰ I will follow up with their Christian life and help them grow spiritually and have a stronger bond with God. In psalms, the bible encourages true believers to declare God’s glory to all nations by showing his marvelous works.¹¹ Therefore, when I fully address community members, I will go to the outside world and testify how God has enabled me to save people by glorifying his name.

4-Mat Review- Share Jesus Without Fear

Abstract

Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Linda Shepherd teaches Christians about evangelizing with courage. The book informs believers of the importance of evangelism in converting non-believers, how to make evangelical decisions and how to convert and encourage others into the practice of evangelizing. The first point they pass across is that Christians should recognize their roles in evangelism when they share Jesus with fear. Secondly, a successful Christian shares God’s word by being obedient to Jesus. According to the authors, believers do not produce salvation for others by their means but produce salvation through God, the sovereign being.¹² Believers are God’s tools for spreading his word and converting non-believers into the kingdom of God. Thus, obedience to God glorifies His name since all the success accomplished through obedience comes from God.

The authors proceed to the decision-making process in evangelism which involves asking questions to a non-believer and gauging their responses. Fay presents a methodology that includes five questions that answer a non-believer’s position in Christian life. Christians are encouraged to use the method when evangelizing since the answers show an individual’s willingness or unwillingness to know God. For instance, if a person responds that they know God and are eager to know more, the Christian can start evangelizing by reading and discussing the scriptures together.¹³ At the end of the session, the evangelist will ask questions to know the depth of understanding and comprehension of the read scriptures. Positive feedback will show the individual’s willingness to be a Christian, and they are affirmed into Christianity.

Lastly, sharing Jesus without fear talks about the continuity of the evangelism process. The authors state that the most significant aspect of evangelizing is converting Christians who are eager to produce others who will do the same, ensuring continuous evangelism and conversion. Further, the authors suggest creating intentional relationships with non-believers in spreading and converting people to Christianity. The bible says that Christians should testify God’s wonders in their lives to others so they may believe in his goodness and follow his ways.¹⁴ Therefore, the authors encourage believers to proclaim their faith and God’s impact in their lives to convert non-believers.

Concrete Response

In chapter 8, “Ready Responses to Common Objections,” Fay discusses various ways people use to reject the word of God. While reading through the chapters, I remember a time when a young man objected to listening about Christianity and the good news of God’s kingdom. I was evangelizing in a community college and wanted to share my faith with as many young people as possible. When I approached Simon, he said, ‘I believed in God once, but all I have experienced in this life is suffering, so why should I start believing again?’. The young man was bitter and explained that he was once a Christian faithful and attended church until everything in his life crumbled. His parents died, and he had to quit school to support his two younger siblings and only joined a community college after much hardship. According to Simon, God would have been merciful and spared him from living a life he had not anticipated. I decided to befriend Simon and would visit the college occasionally and talk about his family and what they were going through. With time, I convinced him that God accomplishes Christians’ desires in his time, but one has to believe in Him first. He agreed to take another chance, and we started praying together, which was the beginning of another life for him and his siblings.

Reflection

Share Jesus Without Fear has a compelling message that challenges and inspires one to spread God’s word and convert non-believers to the Christian life. The author is passionate about evangelism and loves to see more individuals become believers. The first thing that one appreciates while reading this book is the concise writing and straightforward points.¹⁵ The author communicates clearly, and listing points makes it easier to follow the book’s contents. However, some of Fay’s stories seem unrealistic and hard to envision. Most of the stories are heroic testimonies of the author’s faith which fail to explain the challenges of evangelism. If all stories are successful, how do Christians know situations where they have failed to evangelize and convert non-believers? How can the author explain obedience if all testimonies revolve around his Christian conquests?

Fay’s book would be more meaningful if he gave realistic explanations concerning real-life situations rather than painting evangelism as an easy task that a few objective steps can achieve. Using the questioning methodology to gauge non-believers standing point in Christianity also seems irrational.¹⁶ What if the response does not indicate the person’s true feelings about Christianity? Many individuals can give responses to dismiss or test a Christian knowledge and endurance in evangelism. Thus, the author can strengthen the book’s message by finding alternative ways of discerning an individual’s willingness to be a Christian and willingness to reproduce more believers.

Action plan

Step 1

The first action I will take is to make intentional friendships with others to convert them to Christianity. My friendship with Simon has successfully made him believe in God again and encouraged others to join in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. With the help of Simon, I can meet more young people from the college and make intentional friendships while trying to spread the word. So far, I have made relationships with three young people who are non-believers and do not belong to any religious denomination. I want to strengthen the relationships and ask them about their view of Christianity. I will use Fay’s methodology of gauging their standpoints using their responses to find out a practical way of approaching the subject of conversion.¹⁷ I believe that creating intentional friendships will make them comfortable talking about religious matters so they can confide in the reasons they do not attend any church. That will mark my starting point of questioning them about Christianity in hopes of sharing God’s goodness and conversion into being believers.

Step 2

The next action plan is to create a group where members can share their Christian experiences. In making intentional relationships and sharing the gospel with young people, I will encourage them to share testimonies of their Christian faith. I will achieve the plan by organizing a meeting point every week. The main aim of the meeting is to acquaint with more young people where each member brings an acquaintance who is willing to be a believer. The group members can share their testimonies, and I can tell the stories of Jesus, which convince the young people to become believers. In the book of Acts, Jesus commissions his disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea, and all over the world.¹⁸ Therefore, I will also evangelize by sharing God’s goodness in my life through his son Jesus Christ and following him is the only way to salvation. I will let them know about God’s plan in their lives and how He accomplishes individuals’ desires at the intended time. Further, I will make the youth understand God’s mercies and inform them that God can take care of their burdens and challenges of life, particularly in their struggles as young people today. The plan will be a two-month activity, and I intend to convert more than thirty youths to Christianity.

Step 3

The most crucial Christian mission is making others believe in God and encouraging them to reproduce through evangelizing to continue the work of Jesus. My final step is a follow-up on the converted disciples and teaching them how to reproduce. Most often, evangelists spread the word of God and his good news and convert many believers but fail to observe them after baptism. However, my mission will extend to follow-ups, more teachings, and encouragement to share God’s word. Strengthening one’s relationship with God gives individuals the courage to proclaim his goodness.¹⁹ Therefore, the follow-up will include reading the scriptures to enable the new believers to understand God and have the confidence to state their faith. According to Fay, many Christians are guilty of the ‘sin of silence.’²⁰ Some of the reasons believers may fail to share God’s word include fear of rejection, friend’s opinions about sharing one’s faith, shyness, and fear of losing loved ones because of faith.²¹ My plan included addressing these fears and teaching the converted believers about the joys of evangelizing and how to overcome their fear. Teaching group members how to reproduce will make them more comfortable evangelizing and reaching others to reproduce according to the great Christian mission.

4Mat Book Review- Family to Family: Leaving a Lasting Legacy

Abstract

Family to Family explains the parent’s role in promoting Christian values in the children and the household. The authors give guidelines on how parents should care for their families spiritually to foster a Christian foundation at home, enhancing evangelism to outsiders. According to the authors, healthy Christian families spend a lot of quality time together, love each other wholly, and emphasize Christian values that align with God’s commands.²² Thus, a family determines an individual’s spiritual upbringing and evangelistic mission. Pipes and Lee suggest the best ways of having a Godly family. The authors argue that families must have a mission statement that directs their spiritual life and actions. Developing a mission ensures all family members adhere to the missions’ guidelines toward a set goal that demonstrates Christianity. Further, parents must be role models by demonstrating Christian lifestyles such as praying and devoting more time to doing God’s work.

The authors assist parents in accessing the appropriate age for children to learn about the gospel and become accountable for their actions. Chapter three of the book focuses on addressing teenagers about Christianity and elements of mentoring children to impart goldy values. After addressing ways of promoting Christianity in the Family, the authors talk about evangelizing as a family. Pipes and Lee present various ideas of evangelizing to non-believers and the extended family to convert more people to Christianity. The practices include evangelizing to outsiders through services such as initiatives and forming Bible Clubs during holidays.²³ According to the authors, bringing people together in events and neighborhood gatherings helps create relationships with non-believers and extends evangelism services.²⁴ Pipes and Lee conclude the book by demonstrating how families can share the good news of Jesus once they have established a connection with outsiders. The authors state that praying is a fundamental aspect of reaching out to the lost and bringing them back to Christianity. Apart from prayer, families should find an evangelistic approach that stresses testimonies and repentance.

Concrete Response

When I read this story, I remember my grade three religious school teacher’s lesson about Family being the foundation for spiritual nourishment and starting evangelism at home before evangelizing to others. During the lesson, the teacher stated that ‘our fathers should minister God’s word while mothers should be evangelists.’ I wondered, ‘how we could have a church at home?’ since church services only occurred on Sundays at the local church. We never went to church because my parent had busy schedules throughout the week and only had free time on Sundays. Further, they had a conflicted relationship and hardly spent time together or as a family. I explained the lesson to my parents, but they dismissed it like any other classwork. Later, I visited my aunt’s place, a believer, and we had the same discussion. That is when I started my mentoring and conversion to Christianity. I learned spiritual guidance from my aunt, and through mentoring, I was able to evangelize to my parents and younger siblings about God and the importance of growing together in Christ. My parents realized that Family is more important than work, and children need Christian role models to make wise and morally upright adults. Nowadays, we spare time to spend quality moments together and share the gospel, which has made the Family more united.

Reflection

Pipe and Lee’s book Family to Family provides parents with effective approaches to growing a spiritually and morally upright family. The authors emphasize the wholeness of a family in creating mission statements and initiatives that promote evangelism and holy living. A concerning question about the family approach is, what about non-traditional families? Nowadays, many families comprise single parents and children living under guardianship, so the family approach might not be practical in their circumstances.²⁵ For instance, orphanages accommodate many children from different backgrounds hindering the creation of a family with core values. Another question regards the creation of a mission statement to guide family members through generations. How effective can a set of guidelines and core values determine true Christianity and evangelism? Family members can follow the rules at home and do otherwise when away. Likewise, children can emulate the guidelines but find them limiting later in life, such as hindering their career or social life and deviating from other beliefs. A mission statement feels more like dictating an individual’s spiritual lifestyle than a personal initiative to demonstrate Christianity.²⁶ Thus, many family members can pretend to be believers by acting according to the family core values when they lack spiritual guidance. The authors can strengthen their message by considering today’s family dynamics, changes in social life, and life’s challenges.

Action plan

Step 1

Firstly, I plan to observe Christian family interactions keenly and learn their values and beliefs. Pipe and Lee emphasize choosing practical approaches to demonstrate righteousness and belief in God. Numerous families show Godly attributes such as parenting and couple goals which I find interesting to learn in-depth to apply in my family life and teach others who might need help finding an appropriate family mission. I want to focus more on parents with adult children who have their own families. I intend to understand how the family mission statement has impacted the children’s families and generational Christian values that are still in place. I want to adopt lifelong Christian values that can withstand the dynamics of family structure and social changes.

Step 2

Secondly, I plan to bring back lost members of the Family. I want to ensure my family members share in the joy of being a Christian and evangelizing to others about the good news of Jesus. My younger brother worked overseas and came back with different beliefs and ideas about Christianity. I have tried talking to him before, but he dismisses the discussion with excuses of limited time for social conversations. When I read Pipe and Lee’s book on different approaches to bringing the Family together, I realized I had been approaching the subject wrongly. I will organize a Christian barbeque with friends and invite him during the summer holiday for a two-day visit where the barbeque event will involve sharing with Christian neighbors and talking about godly values. The friends will comprise family friends we grew up with who are still believers. Family gatherings and spending quality time with loved ones are Christian attributes that I believe my brother will appreciate and reconsider.²⁷ It will allow him to question his decision about Christianity and maintain the Family’s culture of togetherness and spiritual growth. Consequently, it will help us evaluate our Christian culture to find core values that can endure through generations.

Step 3

Finally, my last action plan is to share this book with parents in the local church. Although the authors emphasize whole families, I will target single parents who are open to discussion regarding spiritual growth in the family. I have noticed that most single parents are women and have one or two children, which can challenge creating a family mission. Further, the parents hardly attend church as they try to balance family and work. The challenges of single parenting can hinder a parent’s focus, such as spiritual guidance, which has significant effects on children’s development. God commands believers to defend the vulnerable and rescue them from wickedness in psalms.²⁸ Following the teaching, I believe that addressing single parents about spirituality will encourage them to attend church as they will feel at home knowing they share Christian values with other Christians. Thus, I will dedicate three Sundays of this month to talking about the book’s teaching and how it can impact the families’ Christian values. My mother will assist in approaching the parents since she is among the local evangelists and a member of the local women’s society. I will also give out pamphlets with a summary of the significance of the Family in the Christian foundation, according to Pipe and Lee. Additionally, I will help the parents find the most practical approaches to evangelizing, considering the small number of family members. Through the first action plan, I will understand how families work and demonstrate Christian values that can be applied to non-traditional families.

Bibliography

Andrews, Edward D. In Reasoning with the World’s Various Religions: Examining and Evangelizing Other Faiths, 10–26. S.l.: Christian Publishing House, 2018. Pp. 10-26.

Campbell, Douglas A. “The Future of New Testament Theology, or, what should Devout Modern Bible Scholarship Look Like?” Religions 12, no. 12 (2021): 1072.

Duke, Rodney K. “Hope for the Future of New Testament Theology.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): 975.

Freeks, F. E. “Equipping the Youth by Recourse to the Total Life Training Tool for Youth Challenges in Christian community Engagement Programme.” Acta Theologica 40, no. 1 (2020): 69-82.

Hildreth, D. Scott, and Steven A. McKinion. Sharing Jesus without Freaking out: Evangelism the Way You Were Born to Do It. B & H Academic, 2020. Pp. 10-56.

Pipes, Jerry, Victor Lee, and Steve Green. Family to Family. Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1999. Pp.1-126

Ryan Gutierrez, W. “New Testament Theology and the Production of Theological Commentaries: Trends and Trajectories.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): 949.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2014.

Wheeler, David A., and Vernon M. Whaley. The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism. Nashville, TN, USA: B & H Academic, 2011. Pp. 1-216.

Footnotes

1. David A. Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism (Nashville, TN, USA: B & H Academic, 2011). p, 122.
2. The Holy Bible: King James Version, The Holy Bible: King James Version (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2014). Gen:12-17.
3. Edward D. Andrews, “In Reasoning with the World’s Various Religions: Examining and Evangelizing Other Faiths S.l.: Christian Publishing House, 2018, p, 17.
4. Ryan Gutierrez, W. “New Testament Theology and the Production of Theological Commentaries: Trends and Trajectories.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): p, 949.
5. Freeks, F. E. “Equipping the Youth by Recourse to the Total Life Training Tool for Youth Challenges in Christian community Engagement Programme.” Acta Theologica 40, no. 1 (2020): p, 77.
6. David A. Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism (Nashville, TN, USA: B & H Academic, 2011), p, 114.
7. Edward D. Andrews, “In Reasoning with the World’s Various Religions: Examining and Evangelizing Other Faiths S.l.: Christian Publishing House, 2018, p, 22.
8. Douglas A Campbell. “The Future of New Testament Theology, Or, what should Devout Modern Bible Scholarship Look Like?” Religions 12, no. 12 (2021): 1072.
9. Ibid 8.
10. David A. Wheeler and Vernon M. Whaley, The Great Commission to Worship: Biblical Principles for Worship-Based Evangelism (Nashville, TN, USA: B & H Academic, 2011). P, 156.
11. The Holy Bible: King James Version, The Holy Bible: King James Version (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2014). Psalms 96:3.
12. William Fay and Linda E. Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. p, 10.
13. Ibid 12
14. The Holy Bible: King James Version, The Holy Bible: King James Version (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2014). Luke 9:26.
15. Ryan Gutierrez, W. “New Testament Theology and the Production of Theological Commentaries: Trends and Trajectories.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): p. 947.
16. Ryan Gutierrez, W. “New Testament Theology and the Production of Theological Commentaries: Trends and Trajectories.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): p. 947.
17. William Fay and Linda E. Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. p, 102.
18. The Holy Bible: King James Version, The Holy Bible: King James Version (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2014). Acts 1;18.
19. D. Scott Hildreth and Steven A. McKinion, Sharing Jesus without Freaking out: Evangelism the Way You Were Born to Do It B & H Academic, 2020, p, 17.
20. William Fay and Linda E. Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. p, 6.
21. William Fay and Linda E. Shepherd, Share Jesus without Fear Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. p, 24.
22. Jerry Pipes, Victor Lee, and Steve Green, Family to Family (Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1999), p, 13.
23. Jerry Pipes, Victor Lee, and Steve Green, Family to Family (Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1999), p, 78.
24. Ibid 23. 66.
25. Rodney K Duke. “Hope for the Future of New Testament Theology.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): 975.
26. Freeks, F. E. “Equipping the Youth by Recourse to the Total Life Training Tool for Youth Challenges in Christian community Engagement Programme.” Acta Theologica 40, no. 1 (2020): p. 77.
27. Jerry Pipes, Victor Lee, and Steve Green, Family to Family (Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1999), p, 102.
28. The Holy Bible: King James Version, The Holy Bible: King James Version (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2014). Psalms 82:3-4.