Worship and Service

Singing, reading Scripture, reciting prayers, listening to sermons, and taking communion can all be acts of worship. But Isaiah shows that true worship goes beyond what happens inside the walls of God’s house.

Isaiah saw many people full of religion but lacking in action. They “afflicted their souls” with fasting, “delighted” to know God’s ways, inquired about “the ordinances of justice,” and enjoyed rituals of worship (Is. 58:2, 3). Yet little of their piety extended beyond their inner selves. Nevertheless, they expected God to answer their prayers and bless them.

God thundered that true worship is not a mere facet of life but an entire lifestyle. What happens in a house of prayer belongs equally in the public square.

Real worship means responding to the hungry, the homeless, the prisoner, the minimum-wage worker, the debtor, the poor, and the hopeless. As Isaiah told the people of his day, God will not shower blessings on His people while they withhold good things from others (58:8, 9, 11, 12). From the Lord’s point of view, real worship leads to service. The church that gathers for worship on Sunday should become the church scattered for service on Monday through Saturday.

Taken from The Modern Life Study Bible