“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:23-25 (NIV)
God desires a common expression of our worship to Him.
You were made to worship God. Your private worship nurtures and expresses your abiding relationship with Christ. Your public worship with other believers is the common expression of worship. God is not looking for every believer to express worship the exact same way. God wants you to express your worship to Him based on your unique personality and temperament.
What does your public worship look like? How do you express your love to God in worship during a public gathering of believers? Are you reserved or outwardly expressive? Do you use physical gestures such as raising your hands in surrender or standing or kneeling? Does your corporate worship environment help you connect with God in worship or does it inhibit your worship?
I have often heard that you are not to come to church to worship, but to come to church worshiping. The corporate worship experience should be an outflow of your daily private worship experiences. The question then becomes: Are you bringing your worship to church?
Spend some time assessing the difference between your private and public worship. When do you feel most connected to God? When do you sense the most freedom and the most passion in expressing your love to God in worship? Maybe a worthy goal would be to bring your public worship up to where your private worship is or to bring your private worship up to where your public worship is depending on which one is more engaging.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor