In many churches people focus on the wrong things when they come to the worship center. Robert Wagoner calls this the “misplacement of worship.” So how do we know when this takes place?

WORSHIP IS MISPLACED WHEN PEOPLE FOCUS ON A PLACE. When people fight over pews and speaker systems and other material things, their worship is misplaced. If I as pastor or Bro. Ryan as worship leader, come to church and get upset about something physical, then our worship is misplaced.

There was a pastor in a large church who placed many plants on the platform. He thought is was a great addition and could hardly wait for the congregation to arrive the following Sunday. He did not expect the response. As people entered the worship center, a number began to mumble and grumble and complain. They even placed anonymous notes in the offering plates. One note read, “There are too many plants on the platform! It looks like a Billy Graham crusade! Get them off!”

When people focus on physical things like drums, hymnals, screens, organs, or anything other than Jesus our worship is misplaced. Some people spend their time focusing on bad grammar or the misspelled words in the bulletin. We must learn to not focus on physical things, but on the Lord.

WORSHIP IS MISPLACED WHEN PEOPLE FOCUS ON A POSITION. Often people focus on a place of leadership in the church rather than on Jesus. They may aspire to be on the finance committee or personnel committee where they can make many important decisions. Giving our attention to the power and prestige of being part of one of these groups, rather than focusing our attention on Jesus is a temptation we must resist.

WORSHIP IS MISPLACED WHEN PEOPLE FOCUS ON POSSESSIONS. In Luke 18, the rich young ruler desired to follow Jesus, and Jesus told him to sell all that he had and distribute it to the poor. When the young man heard these words, he sadly turned and went away because he was unwilling to part with his possessions. Many believers are unable to focus on the Lord because they focus primarily on their possessions.

WORSHIP IS MISPLACED WHEN WE FOCUS ON PROGRAMS. Focusing on various ministries of the church rather than Jesus is easy for believers in the church. But when a church takes its eyes off Jesus, it will become spiritually weaker.

God is not just seeking worship; He is seeking worshippers. Otherwise, we could simply insert a CD of praise music in the stereo system, put it on continuous play, and be done with it. God would be appeased, and we would do our own thing. However, God is looking for worshippers whose hearts and minds are focused on Him.

God is more interested in the condition of our hearts than the position of our hands, more in the spiritual decisions we make than in the beauty of our voices.

Those who truly worship Jesus must worship Him in spirit and in truth. This means focusing intently on Him alone. God wants to be first place in our lives and in our worship service. Nothing, regardless of how important it may be, should distract us from worshipping Jesus Christ. Anything less is as Wagoner says, “misplaced worship.”