Private & Public: What It Takes To Do Ministry That Pleases God

Anybody love compliments?

I’m kind of obsessed.

Most of the time I would rather serve in front of people than behind the scenes because of the attention.

When I wake up on Monday morning to ready my Bible, there’s no crowd poised to cheer.

No one is waiting to praise me for the man of God that I am. No fanfare, no hi fives, no thank you cards.

Little by little, I can shortcut my time in the secret place for the pull of the public eye.

But according to Scripture, God isn’t into what is seen.

He’s more concerned with who we are behind closed doors – doing good…quietly.

He’s more concerned with our inner man – who are as people rather than our gifts, talents, and what we achieve.

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Not much. Success in God’s eyes is much more robust, hidden, real.

How to Navigate the Tension

But the last I checked, ministry is quite public.

It involves stages and crowds, compliments and criticism. That’s not going to change. We can’t do everything behind closed doors. We’re not all called to be monks. At some point we must come in contact with people – preach to them, serve them, write songs for them, love them.

Problems happen when the public overwhelms the private – when we ride the wave of yesterday’s revelation and fake our way to more public success.

When public ministry becomes more of an identity than an outflow, we’re missing the point (Tweet that?).

God’s not into that and neither should we be.

Here’s the truth:

The integrity of your private passion for Jesus must outweigh your public passion for Jesus (Tweetable).

Consider this Scriptures:

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (I Sam 16:7).

Or this:

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:3).

5 Questions to Ask Yourself

So why don’t you ask yourself some questions.

• Am I worshiping behind closed doors?
• Am I reaching the lost?
• Am I loving people?
• Who am I praying for?
• What is God teaching me?

These are questions that keep my faith real. Why? Because no one may see. No one may praise. No one may recognize. Except for the audience that really matters.

And this all circles back around: the more you keep your private worship alive, the more God will use your public ministry. God sees what you do in secret. He loves what you do to bless His heart – the affections you reserve for Him and Him alone.

I’m more interested in worship teams, worship movements that get the hidden stuff right. The externals of great songs, high quality production, and tight programming need to bow to a team that connects with God in private – a team who’s corporate gathering is the culmination of many private worship experiences.

The forest fire of corporate worship is fueled by the bonfires of private worship (Tweet that?).

God, give us burning hearts to spend time with you – to see You, never stop knowing You, loving You, and obeying You.

Would love to hear from you. How are you balancing the private and the public? What areas do you need to work on?

What areas does your team need to work on?

Head on over the comments and leave a reply. It’s just better that way. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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