Worship really begins when we leave our building!

My thinking about worship has been totally changed over the years thanks to the work of 24-7 Ibiza. Brian Heasley has taught many times that the work we do out on the streets isn't just to be a witness, but that it's our worship to God.

I know that a significant part of our worship (and one that we won't ever stop doing) is glorifying and honouring God by singing songs to him; each night before we begin our work we sing and glorify God and thank Him for who He is and what He's done. Yet worship is so much more than that – it has to be. It feels like our worship only truly begins when we leave our building.

The worship that takes place out on the streets of Ibiza late at night and in the early hours of the morning has got to be my favourite type of worship, and dare I say - the type I believe God is really after. It's the type of worship that is messy and dirty. Sometimes, this worship leaves you covered in someone's sick, sweat, even blood. Our worship goes even deeper when we include some of these things: we help the lost get home; we pick up people who are too drunk to walk; we listen to someone pour out their problems and concerns; we give groups of friends a free lift home when taxis won't take them, and the list could go on.

In summing up my thoughts, this is what took place a few Sundays ago. We had our usual meeting that takes place on Sunday nights in which we sung a few songs that honoured God and lifted up his name. As soon as we left the building, we found a guy who was drunk and a bit cut up and needed some help getting home, so we popped him into our van and drove him to his hotel and then Brian and myself helped him get to his hotel room. We said our goodbyes and thought how great is was that we got to help him in his time of need.

As we got back into the van and left to go home, what we did really began to sunk in: that was our spiritual act of worship right there - worship that our Father is after. It really felt that our 'service' really only began once we left the building.