Which is easier for you- public or private worship?

A Question posed to me from the book, A Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. "Which is easier for you- public or private worship?"

         Well, isn’t this a catch 22. Not sure what a catch 22 is, well, this question has put me in a difficult situation of which I feel my answers will conflict with one another and cancel each other out. Of course after reading the chapters from Rick Warren’s “A Purpose Driven Life”, I can say that worship is a lifestyle, not just a 30 minute feel-good sing along on Sunday mornings. Which, if I’m being honest, I already knew that, BUT, knowing something and living it out are two completely different things. 

         It’s real easy to go back to an old out dated way of thinking, especially if it were drilled in your head for the last 40 years that “worship” is the time where the congregation sings before you hear the message. For me, I equate worship to singing, like most people do, but for me, singing comes natural, it’s part of my gift, something I can easily and freely give back to the Lord. So, although worship is SO much more, singing is my first response when someone says worship. It comes from inside of me, like an out pouring of my love for Him. For me, there is no easier way to express how I feel, than through songs. For others, that might be the last thing they would do, they might prefer being on the streets on a First Saturday Serve, and that’s okay too. That’s the beauty of Jesus, He’s multi-faceted, He loves ALL ways of communication with Him, whether it comes from a  song, a blanket handed to a homeless person, or a greeter standing at the door of the Church.

          We all, as believers have a very public life, especially if we are in any type of ministry role, so our worship is done publicly. We have the eyes of the unchurched on us, and we need to be intentional with how they perceive us, because we are the face of Jesus for them. Even though it can be uncomfortable to “worship” in public, with all eyes on you, I do believe a great Pastor once said, “Jesus is more concerned with our character than comfort”. As for worship in private, I can only hope that when someone enters my home, they feel the love of Jesus there. It’s there because I’ve covered my home with prayer, I’ve been through every room singing praises to my Jesus, I’ve cried out countless times for Him to be welcome in my home, it wasn’t easy, it came with a price. I’ve paid with my time, my emotions, many many tears, and brokenness. I’ve felt vulnerable, exposed, even naked because of my private worship. Times that I’ve laid bare my soul, and felt like He had left me.

         So, to answer the question, I feel closer to Him when I’m surrounded by like- minded people, people who have the same desires as me, the same goals, the same victories, we feed off of each other’s faith. It becomes a fire inside me, where the atmosphere is electric, and it passes from person to person. Worship among peers, can be a catalyst for your next leg in the journey. When we stir up the Spirit of God, and He moves, we’ve set the tone for a miracle. We usher in the presence of God, by creating a place where He can, and will do miracles because as a body, we’ve created a breeding ground for His manifestation. That’s not to say that those things can’t happen when you are alone in your private time, but for me personally, I know that private time is a weakness, and because of that, my mind can easily fall prey to the lies of the enemy. Isolation is something he pulls out of his bag of tricks, and he knows it’s a place where I struggle. So to answer the question, which is easier, private or public worship. My answer is “yes”. I’m choosing to say “yes” to both. I’ll worship in private. I’ll worship in public, and with His help, they will both become easy.