I was looking forward to the worship music concert and wasn’t disappointed. The band was flawless, the songs were uplifting, and the atmosphere electric. God’s presence was so powerful you could almost touch Him. And yet, something was wrong.

I had ridden to the venue—over an hour away—with a friend, her pastor, and his wife. The ride started out pleasantly, but the mood soon changed and made me uncomfortable. The source of my uneasiness? The pastor and his wife badmouthed the members of their congregation. 

I didn’t say anything—I didn’t know them, after all—but I couldn’t reconcile the couple’s words with their later emotional worship of God during the concert. 

I don’t mean to put myself above this pastor and his wife, and maybe I simply caught them on a bad day, but this incident greatly impacted me. I took it as a warning that God is more concerned with how we treat people than how we behave during a church service. Worshipping God isn’t about an external expression of emotions or being religious, but about following God’s ways, especially when it comes to how we treat others. 

Jesus constantly faced criticism from the Pharisees, who were all about religious purity above all else. I can almost hear the exasperation in Jesus’ voice when He tells them to learn the meaning of the words, “I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.” The idea of something more important than the Temple sacrifices would be anathema to the Pharisees, so they probably never understood His reasoning.

And what was Jesus’ point? God is more pleased with acts of mercy or kindness toward others than with empty religious compliance. Perfect church attendance, beautiful songs, upraised hands, and fervent prayers are great, but if we go out and are rude or mistreat others in any way, they’re ultimately meaningless. 

This truth applies to our ministry as well. No matter what we do or how successful we may appear to be, God is primarily concerned with how we behave toward the people He loves.