According to the apostle Peter, the church is both a royal priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices to God (which is worship) and a holy nation to spread abroad God's praises (which is witness) (1 Peter 2:9-10). Moreover, these responsibilities of the universal church devolve on each local church. Every Christian congregation is called by God to be a worshiping, witnessing community. Indeed, each of these two duties necessarily involves the other. If we truly worship God, acknowledging and adoring His infinite worth, we find ourselves impelled to make him known to others, in order that they may worship him too. Thus worship leads to witness in its turn to worship, in a perpetual circle.
The Thessalonians set a fine example of local church evangelism. Near the beginning of his first letter to them Paul points out this remakable sequence: "Our gospel came to you...You welcomed the message... The Lord's message rang out from you" (1 Thiess 1:5-6,8). In this way the local church becomes like a sounding board which reflects and amplifies the vibrations it receives, or like a radio station which first accepts and then transmits a message. Every church that has heard the gospel must pass it on. This is still God's principal method of evangelism. --John Stott, page 50 The Living Church
