Some believers actively and openly practice their piety, even praying in public to demonstrate that they are so close to God (cf. Matt. 6:1). Personal prayer is meant to be private and in your prayer closet, wherever that is, not that we are to privatize it though. Religiosity is one reason to be rejected from military service--you can't have overly religious or superstitious soldiers on the battlefront.
If a brother is caught in the error of his way, you who are spiritual restore such a one, so that he may come to the knowledge of the truth (Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:24). We cannot be independent spiritual Lone Rangers who only listen to their inner voice and not to the what the body of Christ is saying. It is a matter of humility to submit to the authority of your brother and take advice and counsel. If you don't listen to anyone what makes you think you'd listen to Jesus--He will not save those He cannot command (through His body the church). We are not to be mystics either, just listening to what we feel God is telling us and ignoring others.
Our conscience is held captive to our brother's and we cannot just do what is right in our own eyes like Israel did ("In those days Israel did not have a king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes," says Judges 21:25). We must not be accused of doing our own thing, what's right in our eyes, or doing things our way. "All we like sheep have gone astray, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6a, ESV). Things are not always they look to us.
It is not unusual to have an intense hunger for the Word as a baby believer (in fact it's a fruit of salvation), but to make it look like all Christians do is sit around and read the Bible is a bad witness. If you do that, do it alone and not to be seen in public. The aim is not to fall into the condemnation of the devil and to have a witness that doesn't offend, not be an offensive Christian (Christ should be the offense--not you). We don't say public prayers either, just to be seen by men and demonstrate our piety or religiosity.
Corporate and private prayer are different and we need to put them in their place. Let's not be ashamed of Christ in public, but witnessing for Him has a greater impact than just being religious., like crossing yourself as Catholics do. Many people are completely turned off by religion and its religiosity and we don't want to create barriers, but build bridges and not make pseudo-issues.
Jesus mentioned how the Pharisees loved to be noticed praying on the street corners to be seen by men and said they have lost their reward (cf. Matt. 6:1). We need to keep our righteousness between us and God as much as is our control. I remember the first time I witnessed of my faith after being saved in the Army and found out that being a braggadocio is a no-no. God is not impressed with our filthy rags and we shouldn't be impressed by them either. Caveat: "For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends" (2 Cor. 10:18, NASB).
Ironically, the way up is down like John the Baptist said: "He must increase, and I must decrease." The person who humbles himself shall be exalted, not the person who presumes to be someone when he isn't. Humility comes before honor in God's economy. We are not to have low self-esteem or to think less of ourselves, but to think of ourselves less! Like the actor who gets one role and thinks he is a star or the person who writes one poem and thinks he is a poet or the person who preaches one sermon and thinks he is a preacher, so we all tend to think we've arrived, even though Paul never assumed this: "I do not claim to have laid hold of it yet..." (Phil. 3:12).
When you've preached a hundred sermons dare call yourself a preacher, though others can and may--don't toot your own horn; or if you've witnessed hundreds of times call yourself a faithful witness--let others praise you and not yourself, or if you have done whatever God has called you to and been faithful in it--success doesn't come overnight. It is paramount that the Lord give His blessing to your endeavor and you be called to it, because you must have an anointing to do it in the Spirit--there are even preachers who do it in the energy of the flesh and are just great speakers or very scholarly, but not called by God or filled with the Holy Spirit. I do not think preaching is a production or a show but a calling that must be blessed by God. I know of storytellers, great public speakers, or even comedians who parade as charismatic preachers but are wolves in sheep's clothing and should get out of the ministry, despite their following--preaching is not just academics but spiritual.
Some people serve for the applause of man as people pleasers (cf. Eph. 6:6, KJV), and some seek the glory of God and give it back to Him. Praise is merely the test of a man's spirit to see what he is made of. I make it clear when my Bible class claps for me that it is of God and He is the one to praise, but they still insist because they really believe it's a good Bible study; but I have learned not to trust the opinions of man and I seek only to please God and not man--I certainly don't want praise to go to my head. Watch out for those who want the approbation of man, and not God's favor and smile on their endeavors. We don't do favors for one another as if they might owe us one in return, but we are servants of Christ doing it out of the pure motive of love for Him. Soli Deo Gloria!
Ironically, the way up is down like John the Baptist said: "He must increase, and I must decrease." The person who humbles himself shall be exalted, not the person who presumes to be someone when he isn't. Humility comes before honor in God's economy. We are not to have low self-esteem or to think less of ourselves, but to think of ourselves less! Like the actor who gets one role and thinks he is a star or the person who writes one poem and thinks he is a poet or the person who preaches one sermon and thinks he is a preacher, so we all tend to think we've arrived, even though Paul never assumed this: "I do not claim to have laid hold of it yet..." (Phil. 3:12).
When you've preached a hundred sermons dare call yourself a preacher, though others can and may--don't toot your own horn; or if you've witnessed hundreds of times call yourself a faithful witness--let others praise you and not yourself, or if you have done whatever God has called you to and been faithful in it--success doesn't come overnight. It is paramount that the Lord give His blessing to your endeavor and you be called to it, because you must have an anointing to do it in the Spirit--there are even preachers who do it in the energy of the flesh and are just great speakers or very scholarly, but not called by God or filled with the Holy Spirit. I do not think preaching is a production or a show but a calling that must be blessed by God. I know of storytellers, great public speakers, or even comedians who parade as charismatic preachers but are wolves in sheep's clothing and should get out of the ministry, despite their following--preaching is not just academics but spiritual.
Some people serve for the applause of man as people pleasers (cf. Eph. 6:6, KJV), and some seek the glory of God and give it back to Him. Praise is merely the test of a man's spirit to see what he is made of. I make it clear when my Bible class claps for me that it is of God and He is the one to praise, but they still insist because they really believe it's a good Bible study; but I have learned not to trust the opinions of man and I seek only to please God and not man--I certainly don't want praise to go to my head. Watch out for those who want the approbation of man, and not God's favor and smile on their endeavors. We don't do favors for one another as if they might owe us one in return, but we are servants of Christ doing it out of the pure motive of love for Him. Soli Deo Gloria!