Public Worship vs. Private Worship

A great article from Worship Pastor Rob Rash.

There is a battled being played out every Sunday morning in North America.

The war isn’t necessarily between the invisible forces of this world, although it certainly happens. The fight isn’t even between our biggest enemies or adversaries.

The battle we face is internal. It’s a struggle between performance based worship vs. authentic heart-felt worship.

Between going through the motions and mechanics of worship vs. being lead in spirit and truth.

I was recently challenged by chapter seven of Matt Redman’s book The Unquenchable Worshipper called The Unnoticed Worshipper. As I read through it, asked questions, and then proceeded to be honest with myself, I felt the tension.

The tension between wanting to honestly and authentically worship God and lead his church in worship and the internal struggle I face with my own pride. The fight between glorifying the unseen and glorifying the seen.

And although we must confront this pride and need for attention head on, it’s really only a sympton of what’s really happening beneath. Or rather, what’s not happening beneath… personal worship.

Matt says this, “Unnoticed worshippers are not looking for attention from this world; their offerings are as private as possible.”

I think, when we start struggling with the need for attention and recognition, we need to take a step back. We need to take break from what’s happening around us and get back to personal, private worship.

We need to find our center and not lose sight of our first love. It’s quite easy to get caught up in the worship without getting caught up in the King of Kings. This must be the place we start from. This is our genesis, our beginning.

So find some time each and everyday to worship the King. Make it personal first before you make it public.

Do you struggle with the need for attention and praise while leading worship?

How much time are you spending in personal, private worship?