Worship: The Christians Highest Occupation

by Alfred P. Gibbs

If the title of this book is correct, as we believe it is, then the importance of the subject will be obvious to every child of God. A great deal of confusion exists in Christendom as to just what constitutes worship. It is often confounded with listening to a sermon; with service for the Lord on behalf of others; with testimony to Christ's saving and satisfying grace; with the preaching of the gospel; with ministry of the Word to believers, and with prayer. Many Christians put the emphasis of their lives on service for God, to the exclusion of the worship of God. Others swing to the other extreme, and so stress the importance of worship, that service for the Lord is viewed as being of little or no consequence. We must beware of lopsidedness, or of seeking to push one truth of Scripture to an extreme the Bible does not warrant. The believer must seek to maintain the truth of God in its proper perspective and correct balance. The words of our Lord Jesus Christ give the proper order of precedence. In His reply to Satan's temptation, He said: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve." (Matt. 4:10) That quality of worship which does not result in service and that service which does not flow from worship, both come short of the Divine ideal.

279 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1950

About the author

Alfred P. Gibbs (1890-1967) was a man born to preach. At an early age Gibbs came to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. He studied at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and thereafter carried on an itinerant Bible teaching and writing ministry, chiefly in the United States and Canada. Gibbs published his first book, The Marvelous City of Mansoul in 1926. In all he wrote fourteen books and booklets, including Christian Baptism, The Lord s Supper, Scriptural Principles of Gathering, and Worship, all published by ECS Ministries. All his books have intensity like the man who wrote them. He was full of his subject. He also composed poetry and wrote Christian hymns. Gibbs never married, considering himself a eunuch for the kingdom of God. He was a model of the advice he gave, a spiritual man, a practical man, and fun to be with besides. For Gibbs, to hold forth the Word of life was a lifetime passion.

Reviews

[Rob]

An excellent little book on the subject of worship. A book well worth the time it takes to read, it will aid your perspective of what God deserves from those He has redeemed from sin to Himself.

Here are the topics in the book taken from the table of contents:

The Meaning of Worship
The Importance of Worship
Our Authority for Worship
The Object of Worship
The Ground of Worship
The Power for Worship
The Manner of Worship
The Hindrances to Worship
The Place of Worship
The Results of Worship
- God Shall Be Glorified
- The Believer Will Be Blest
- The Assembly Will Be Edified
- The Unsaved Will Be Reached

[Jeremy]

I think this was written around 1950, so clearly some of Gibb's practical examples were a little outdated, but nonetheless he directs our attention towards principles that will never be outdated. I really appreciated much of what Gibbs had to say.