Part 2: Symphony (Congregational Worship)

Part 3: Heart Test

Welcome to day 2 of our 30 day journey.  If you missed yesterday’s post click here.  Today begins a discussion on Private & Corporate Worship.  Because of the vast information, it’ll be split up into three sections.  Today is about Private Worship; Tomorrow is Corporate Worship; Wednesday is the Application of the two. 

Nothing is more intimate, as Christians, than Private Worship.  Here’s the scenario:  you’re alone, just you and Old Faithful [your Bible], and the Triune God.  Uncomfortable already?  Feel like you HAVE to have Chris Tomlin and his guitar in the room with you singing “How Great is Our God”? 

Private Worship is as real as it gets.  We are exposed and vulnerable before our God and Creator.  Nothing can impress Him.  We can’t hide behind other church members, loud music, talking about the weather or my personal favorite “I’m Fine.”  The good news is that God doesn’t want us to hide.  In fact, the Bible says that we are to “be in the light, as He is in the light” (1 Jn 1:7).  Real, authentic, and inward [private] worship begins when we realize that we are completely exposed before God; once we realize that He sees us as we are, we can appreciate that He accepts our worship because of His Son’s payment! 

Before we get into the points below, I want to give you my definition of private worship.  Private worship is an inward experience of worshiping God with no one else present.

The Location of Private Worship.  Jesus makes it very clear that worship is not limited to a location in John 4.  Even more so, private worship can take place anywhere – especially in moments away from a Church building or worship gathering.  The place of worship is in the heart.  Non-churchy answer – Worship takes place in the deepest chambers of your being.  It is a radical, real, and authentic inner experience in the heart with God.  A.W. Tozer claims that if you’re not having a vertical relationship with God during the week, then you’re really not worshipping on Sundays.  [NOTE: I understand that we can have intimate times in worship gatherings that can be labeled private because no one else knows about them.  However, I’m primarily focusing on the rest of life.]
   
The Motivation of Private Worship.  The primary motivation of private worship is loving God.  It’s that simple, but not necessarily easy.  [WARNING: I’m probably going to make someone mad in this section so beware.]  We make it complicated by trying to shove God into our lives instead of leaving it all behind to follow Him.  Cramming God into our already busy schedule creates a “duty” or “devoted” attitude when it comes to private worship.  If you come to God out of duty or devotion because you “have to,” then you are not honoring Him; you’re actually honoring your own  efforts.  Coming to God in love means that it’s not about you at all.  It’s because you love everything about Him.  It’s a joy to worship him, to serve Him, and to give everything to Him.  Without love, we cannot authentically worship the Father, and it is useless (1 Cor 13:1-3).

There are times that we don’t “feel” like worshiping.  This is where Truth comes in.  When we remember the truth of our condition [we are exposed, vulnerable, but He still wants to be with us], our love for God is re-ignited.
   
The Reality of Private Worship.  We waste our time and lives doing great things, even great things FOR the Lord; instead of spending time WITH the Lord.  If we want to start having that vibrant, spirit-filled, and unexplainable worship privately, we have to be real and honest before God.  That’s the first step – Realizing our condition.  I’ll end today with this story:

Luke 18:9-14 - He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

   
    That’s it!  Did you see it?  The tax collector had an intimate, authentic worship experience with God.  He connected.  He reflected the radiance of God’s worth back to God – God is Just AND Merciful.  He was humble before God.  His act was an inward experience of worship voiced thru a prayer.  Is it that simple?  Yes.  It’s about having that intimacy with God – expressing His greatness, and allowing Him to express His love back.  That’s so exciting.  It’s not about what we can bring to the party, but it’s about celebrating God and His awesomeness at the party – a party within our being, in the secret.

______________________________________

Questions or thoughts?  Leave comments below or click the email icon.  You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.