I remember the story of Keith Green. He was a highly influential American singer and songwriter from the 1970’s. Before he gave his life to Jesus, though, he was heavily involved in drugs and eastern philosophies. But one night he was invited to a Bible study at a friend’s house.

The true fellowship in the group impressed Keith. He saw people full of joy and love as they studied the Word of God together. And that’s where the Lord really began to tug at Keith’s heart. Later he paraphrased Matthew 18 like this: “It’s time to quit playing church and start being the Church.”

Keith was “burdened with reaching the lost, and broken with the true message of the Gospel.” And he had witnessed himself the power of community in reaching lives with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Living out the Gospel message in Christian unity is a powerful way to make an impact on our world. Psalm 133, you remember what it says… It says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

When you and I live together in the joy and peace that only comes from Jesus Christ, the world, like Keith, will sit up and take notice and our neighborhood will notice too. The world will pay attention when there’s unity. Jesus said that in John 17 and I’ve seen it to be true all over the world.

Did you know that Christian missionaries brought the gospel message to the Fiji Islands almost two centuries ago? A few years back a European count visited the islands. He had heard of its beautiful girls, wild dances and pristine beaches. But when he got there he was sorely disappointed. The Fijians were modestly dressed and not partying like he had hoped.

The man complained to the tribal chief. He said that they never should have listened to the missionaries-that their message was outdated and boring. The chief looked at the count. He said, “Do you see that rock over there? Before the missionaries came, we would take people like you and cut off their heads on that rock. Then we boiled them, and ate them. So, you’d better thank the missionaries that they came and that we believed their message of the love of God. Because if it wasn’t for them, we’d have chopped your head off right now and you’d be boiling for dinner tonight.” What a great response!

In Matthew chapter 28, Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” The life of the people around you may not seem as barbaric as that of 200 years ago in the Pacific. But they are still living in darkness. We have the message of light. We have the message of Jesus Christ. It is our duty, and our privilege, to let them know that there’s a Savior who can liberate us from everything that enslaves us.

It’s no accident that the first of the ten commandments says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Jesus also told us in the gospel of John that we should worship the Lord our God, and serve Him alone. The apostle Paul tells us that worshiping God pleases God. The book of Hebrews says that worship also draws us near to God, and Him to us. By worshiping the Lord, we acknowledge His true perfection and power.

So what does all this talk about worship have to do with evangelism? Why everything! If we want to be authentic Christians who make a difference in our world, we need to worship! In public and in private – with our whole lives! Romans chapter 12 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.”

As you worship God, He will reveal His character in you. When you give Him His rightful place in your life, He will be able to use you! He’ll increase your compassion for the lost. And you’ll want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone you meet. So worship God today and He will prepare you for great things and your cup will run over with the fullness of the Holy Spirit and you’ll be a blessing and you’ll reach out to others in a winsome way.

Have you ever thought about the amazing privileges we have as children of God? Think about it. Hebrews chapter 10 tells us all about them. First, it says we can draw near to God with a sincere heart. That we do that in full assurance of faith. That our hearts are sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscious. That our bodies are washed with pure living water.

We hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, because the One who promised it is faithful. We spur one another on to love and good deeds. We meet together for fellowship. We encourage one another and, it says, all the more as we see the Day of our Lord approaching.

You know, all these privileges are ours in Jesus Christ! Is that amazing or what? The blood of Jesus purified and opened the door in such a way that we can actually walk right into the most holy place, the very presence of God. In the Spirit, in prayer, in worship, in meditation-you and I can actually feel and be by faith, in reality, in the very presence of God Almighty.

Hebrews 10:19 says, “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” Check it out for yourself. You can make an amazing impact on your world when you live life in light of God’s promises, God’s privileges, and God’s reality.