Private Devotion and Public Worship

What do private devotion and public worship have to do with each other? Isn’t how I express my devotion to God in private just that — private? And, what does that have to do with how I worship publicly? All valid questions (if I do say so myself!).

In his book Radical Worship: What Sunday Morning Can Never Give You, Larry D. Ellis sheds some light on this topic. In examining what comprises what he calls radical worship (which simply means worship that originates in and is directed by God through scripture), Ellis argued that there are three aspects of worship for the believer: individual worship, lifestyle worship, and community worship. For purposes of this article, I will discuss Individual and Community Worship.

Individual Worship, as the name suggests, is what happens to us internally when we worship. It is an emotional, heartfelt response of appreciation for what Jesus did for us on the cross. It must, by definition therefore, be intensely personal and private. One of my greatest joys about being a Christian is the feeling that my story of redemption and my continuing journey of faith is something that only the Lord and I know on the deepest level. It is at this level that my private devotion is most meaningful and transforming. One of the fortunate results of a healthy and vibrant private devotion is that it spills over into the other aspects of worship. This includes what Ellis calls “Lifestyle Worship,” which means that because of your relationship and adoration of God, your every action, whether it is dealing with an angry customer or helping a friend in need, reflects His presence and influence on your life. This also affects how you worship with other believers.

Community Worship, then, is the third leg on this three-legged stool. I would say it is synonymous with Public Worship; that is, gathering together with fellow believers to express our love, gratitude and devotion to the God who created us, the God who provided atonement for us, and the God who initiates our worship. In colloquial terms, it is “goin’ to church.” So, we are back to the question: what does private devotion have to do with public worship?

I would argue that while they are distinct components, they are interdependent and inextricably intertwined. If our private devotion is non-existent or insincere, then how can we ever hope to have sincere and meaningful public worship? If our public worship is insincere, then what does that say about the state of our private devotion to God. The first word that comes to mind in such a scenario is hypocrisy. At the very least, such an inconsistency would drastically prohibit your ability to gain all you could from biblical, corporate worship. While one is not more important than another, they both pour into and flow out of the other.

So, my fellow believers, my challenge will be to make sure that both my private devotion and my public worship are practiced, sincere, biblical and frequent. I urge you to join me in the challenge. The one who receives the most reward from your success is you!