12/08/2026
WORSHIP SERVICE… OR THE VOICE? 🎤
When you walk into a worship service, what are you focused on?
Where is your attention?
Are you setting your eyes on God—His goodness, His faithfulness, His love and His grace?
Or are you sitting there critiquing?
The music is too loud.
The music is too quiet.
The songs are too modern.
The songs are too old.
The auditorium is too bright.
It’s too dark.
There are too many songs.
There aren’t enough songs.
That song is too repetitive.
They lingered too long.
There’s too much free worship.
There’s not enough free worship.
At some point we need to ask:
Did I come to worship Jesus—or did I appoint myself as a judge?
Maybe sometimes church starts looking more like The Voice.
We sit in our chair and only turn around when we hear something we like.
Or perhaps we become an X Factor judge, ready to hit the ❌ the moment something doesn’t suit our personal taste.
Or maybe we become an Australian Idol judge.
We sit there with a poker face while the people out the front give their very best, week after week. Then, when they’re finished, we deliver our unsolicited critique—with both barrels.
But church isn’t a talent show.
Worship isn’t a performance.
The platform isn’t a stage for our entertainment.
The congregation isn’t an audience.
And we aren’t the judges.
There is only ONE audience that ultimately matters.
JESUS.
The worship team isn’t there primarily to impress us. They’re there to help lead the people of God in worship.
And we’re not there simply to watch them worship.
We’re there to worship too!
An old hymn says:
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”
Maybe it’s time for our eyes and ears to become focused again on the Object of our worship rather than becoming consumed with what everybody else is doing—or not doing.
Get our eyes off people.
Get our fault-finding, critical eyes off the people who sacrificially serve week after week.
Instead of asking:
“Did I like the worship today?”
Perhaps the better question is:
“Did I worship today?”
Did I sing?
Did I pray?
Did I give thanks?
Did I surrender?
Did I engage my heart?
Did I turn my attention toward Jesus?
Did I bring Him an offering of praise?
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
— Hebrews 12:2
Worship was never supposed to be about our preferences.
It is about His presence.
So put down the scorecard.
Put away the imaginary buzzer.
Turn the judge’s chair around.
LOOK TO JESUS.
Look heavenward.
Lift your eyes.
Lift your hands.
Lift your voice.
Lift your heart.
He alone is worthy.
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”
— Psalm 95:6
