People-pleaser! The very term is meant for life outside the church. Clowns are people-pleasers! Wily politicians are people-pleasers! Hollywood actors are people pleasers! But are preachers and Bible teachers clowns, wily politicians or pretentious actors? They shouldn't be! God tells us that there will be teachers who will be just that. The Word prophesies of congregations that "will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." (2 Tim. 4:3) The people may praise the scholarship, the rhetorical skills and the ability of people-pleasing preachers to manage large churches. But do churches really respect the integrity, the honesty with God's Word or any convictions of those preachers? I cannot imagine that they do! True respect is given to those leaders most representing the One who is our Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul is such a man who demanded respect. He had been charged with preaching a gospel that was too easy. He was thus pleasing the people to draw in the crowd. The Judaizers who were troubling the Galatian churches taught that the gospel is improved if the Mosaic Law, as hard as it might be to obey, is added to the death and resurrection of Christ. But Paul insists that he was not being a people-pleaser by preaching the gospel of grace. "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:10) We displease God by trying to please people.
Questions to Ponder:
1. Why is it often tempting to try to please people? Why does this seem so important?
2. Is it always wrong to shape what you say according to your your audience's feelings? Why or why not?
3. This week, how can you avoid displeasing God by trying to please people? Think about some of the activities you will face.
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2 comments:
It is easy to want to please men because we desire to be liked, to be popular and to have friends.
It would not be wrong to shape our message to meet the needs of our repsonders, is our message to them was God's.
We can only avoid desiring to please men by realizing our insufficiency and God's sovereignty. HE knows what needs to be shared!
I think we often want the praise and honor that is due to God so we adjust the message to reach our particular target audience--whoever we crave the attention of--rather than drawing the hearers' attention to Christ.
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