Today, we're continuing our series of messages called "Go Deep." How many of you would really like to go deeper in your walk with God? How many of you would like to see your prayers answered on a more regular basis? How many of you would like God's guidance when you make decisions? How many of you would like to have an outpouring of God's blessings on your life? If I could show you from Scripture how to receive God's favor in these areas, how many would be willing to do what the Bible says? I believe I lost a few. I set you up, didn't I?

Sometimes, I confess, I find myself just going through the motions of my faith. Take my quiet time, for example. You know I'm a firm believer that my time alone with Jesus each day is my life's number one priority. And you also know that I believe it should be your number one priority. But sometimes I admit that I believe I'm just going through the motions. Like last Tuesday-I was reading the Bible and had read a couple of chapters when it dawned on me that I had no clue what I had just read. Why? Because I was just going through the motions. My mind was wandering around on other stuff. I don't think God was pleased with my motions that morning.

You never have problems like this, do you? I know better than that. We all struggle sometimes with just going through the motions. What about worship? Be truthful. When you came through the doors this morning, did you enter with a sense of anticipation that you were going to have an encounter with Jesus? Did you come in expecting God to do something in your life? If not, most likely, you're just going through the religious motions.

Here's what happens (even though we may have never thought about it like this). We think that if we faithfully attend church, if we go to Sunday School, if we put some money in the offering plate, if we volunteer to help at the church, and if we have our quiet times, then God's going to show favor toward us. These behaviors are important, but many times (probably most times), there is something missing. And it is this missing ingredient that prompts God to say, "You're just going through the motions. I can't place my hand upon you as long as this particular ingredient is missing."

A soldier was wounded in a battle and ordered to the nearest military hospital. Arriving at the entrance, he saw two doors: one marked "For Minor Wounds," the other "For Serious Wounds." He entered the first door and walked down a long hallway. At the end of the hall, he saw two more doors. The first read "For Officers," and the other "For Enlisted Men." The soldier went through the second door.

Again, he found himself walking down a long hallway with two doors at the end. One read "For Party Members," the other "For Non-Party Members." The wounded soldier took the second door and found himself back out on the street. When he got back to his unit, his buddies asked, "How did your trip to the hospital go?" "The people really didn't help me much," he said, "but, man, are they organized."

I wonder if that is not a picture of church. We may be very organized. Carpet is vacuumed, bathrooms are clean, bulletins are out, the service starts on time and ends on time (well, at least one out of seven times), the sermon is well-prepared. But something's not right; something is missing.

What in the world is this missing ingredient? Our text today gives us the answer. I believe God is telling us three things in this passage. First, He's telling us to stop going through the motions. [Read 58:1-5.]. That's what the believers in Isaiah's day were doing. They were going through the motions of religion. The primary focus of this passage was their fasting.

Religion was like a checklist to them. Let's see-fasting, tithing, singing, praying. Verse 3 reveals their true motives. They were fasting to manipulate God. They figured that if they just went through the motions religiously, God would respond to their beckoning call. They said, "God, here we are fasting, but you haven't responded to meet our expectations." Actually, their motives were no different than those of pagan religions.

In verses 3-5, God lets them know why He is not pleased. Outside of worship they were fighting, arguing, and taking advantage of their employees. Sounds like church today, doesn't it? People lift their hands in worship. They sing the songs, give hugs and shake hands, and say, "Good sermon, Preacher." Then after church there's more criticizing than what you find on the newspaper's editorial page. There's more gossiping than what you find in the National Enquirer. And that's before you leave the church grounds. Then at home you fight and argue and later in the week you engage in ungodly behavior. "Well at least I go to church on Sundays." And God says, "Do you really think that impresses Me?"

Second, God tells us to start ministering to the hurting. Let's keep reading (verses 6-7). We just read about the missing ingredient. From God's perspective, our worship is not complete until we go outside the walls of this church and demonstrate compassion for those on the margins of society. Out on the streets is where true worship kicks in. God is not honored with our Sunday mornings unless we take the gospel of compassion to the streets on Monday morning.

We can have the best technology in the world, super-talented musicians to lead us in singing, great preaching, and generous giving when the offering plate is passed. But God says, "I don't give a flying rip about any of those things if you're not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and loosening the chains of injustice. We mistakenly think that worship is end result of what happens here. No, we have not really worshipped unless it overflows into compassionate ministry to those who struggle with debilitating circumstances. That's true worship.

Third, God tells us to keep watching for His blessings. [Read 58:8-12.] Notice that the blessings don't come until our worship becomes real. The blessings from God we long for do not fall into our laps until we start ministering to the poor. Glance over all these blessings again. Count them. Spiritual breakthrough, healing, righteousness, protection, answers to prayer, guidance, strength, fruit-bearing. These are things we all long for. But God says these blessings don't come unless we become a blessing to those on the fringes of society.

Why should we focus on ministering to the poor? Because we want to be like Jesus, and Jesus showed compassion to the hurting. Why should we show compassion to the widows and orphans? Because the Bible commands us to be compassionate. Why should we care about the hungry and the naked? Because we are all human, and it is only by the grace of God that you and I have a roof over our head, clothes on our back, and food on the table. Why should we care about the child who doesn't have decent clothes to wear to school? Because all you have to do is to look in the eyes of any child that we helped during Clothe a Child last summer and you will know that compassion is right.

As a pastor I want so much for you to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. I desperately want you to go deep in your walk with God. I want you to fall in love with Jesus and be hungry to dig into His Word. I want you to experience the joy of gathering with other believers in our weekly worship celebration. I want you to enjoy the fellowship of relating to other believers in a small group setting like a Sunday School class. And I want you to experience fulfillment by serving in one of the ministries that keeps our church functioning each day.

However, as much as I long for these things for you, I face one tremendous challenge. Every time you step inside this church, it can remove you from the very place where you can have the greatest impact for God's Kingdom-the world. Sometimes I wonder if we have inadvertently designed our ministries to isolate believers from the places where God really wants us to be. (Thought originated from Tony Morgan blog)

So do you really want to go deep with God? Do you really want the fullness of God's blessings in your life? Do you want Him to answer your prayers? Experiencing these blessings in your life hinges on caring for the oppressed and not on the quality of our worship services. Serving the poor is a necessary and expected overflow of our worship and devotion.

Last Sunday evening I attended the 4th Sunday community worship service. I ordinarily don't get to attend. But I wasn't teaching last Sunday night; so I went. Near the end of the service, a fellow pastor asked if anyone had any announcements. One lady stood to express her thanks for a group of people who came out to her house the day before to do some major structural improvements. She called a couple of folks by name. A sense of deep appreciation came over me because I knew that she was talking about a group from our church that had responded to her need.

These Chapin Baptist members may never have considered the fact that what they were doing was the ultimate expression of worship. For them, walking with God is not just a matter of showing up on Sunday mornings. No, they live it out. They get it!

We have the Chapin Character day of service coming up at the end of the month. Can you give up a Saturday morning to get your hands dirty in ministry? At the end of the 40 Days of Outreach, more than 100 of you indicated commitment to take a short-term mission trip in the next two years. We're doing our best to provide you with viable opportunities. This summer we're looking at three possible trips-to Brazil to help build a church and do other ministries of service, a prayer walking trip to Lesotho, Africa, and a Katrina relief construction/ministry trip to Louisiana or Mississippi. Talk to me. Call the church office. Let us know somehow that you're interested.

Two years ago police were shocked by what they found inside a house in the small town of Durham, Ontario. Responding to complaints from relatives, police entered the ramshackle house and discovered two teenage boys locked in cages. Their biological aunt had adopted the teens more than a decade before. Through the years, the boys (mid-teens) suffered at the hands of their adoptive parents. Officials learned that though the boys did attend school during the day, they were sent to their cages at night.

On weekends and holidays, they often were allowed downstairs for a bowl of cereal in the morning and then sent back to their cages wearing diapers, where they would spend the rest of the day. The adoptive mother was described to the court as a domineering, controlling woman whose husband was an illiterate and dyslexic handyman, who beat the boys on her command.

Detective Kate Lange and Constable Tim Maw released the 15-year-old from his makeshift cage. They told him he would never be locked in there again. The teen responded, "Really?"

There are people in Chapin, Little Mountain, Prosperity, downtown Columbia, Louisiana, Lesotho, Brazil, and Moldova who have become so hostage to their dire circumstances, should you go to them today and say, "We're going to help you," you might get nothing more than a "Really?" There are so many people who have lost hope in our world. Let them know you're going to pull them out of their desperate situation, and the best response you may get is "Really?"

So let me ask you. Do you "really" want to go deep with God? If so, I think God's Word has made it very clear that you've got to minister to the poor and the hurting. You've got to come out from under your comfortable roof and engage in ministry that will feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and help the afflicted. Without this demonstration of compassion you're just going through the motions of religion.

Can you imagine the difference in this community if every Chapin Baptist member took this message seriously? Can you imagine what God could do through us if our hearts were broken for the lost and hurting in this community? Can you imagine the spiritual awakening that could occur if every one of us was completely sold out to Jesus and we took the name of Jesus to our lost and hurting community? God, may it be so.